AdRogues.com broadens opportunities for creative class, advertisers

Tom Hagerty has spent much of his professional life in the advertising business.  And while the means of delivering effective advertising continues to evolve, the crux of a good campaign remains the same: creativity and innovation.Today, companies increasingly are turning to the digital world to capture buyers’ attention. But Hagerty, a Pleasant Ridge ad consultant, saw an opportunity by using the same technology to link smaller ad agencies or individuals to companies looking for a great advertising campaign.”In the ad business, the Web had been nothing more than a revenue source. The technology itself has not been used to create additional opportunities,” Hagerty said.That’s why he created AdRouges.com, a site that links creative types like writers, graphic designers and producers with advertisers. The site launched in BETA in November.Hagerty, AdRouges founder and CEO, sees the site as a way for smaller agencies and creative individuals can gain access to more marketplace opportunities. “They are people who have big ideas, but no access to brands because they’re not big enough to capture brands,” Hagerty said. “That doesn’t mean they don’t have good, creative ideas or don’t know how to deal with strategy. It simply means they don’t have access.”Here’s how AdRouges works. Those on the creative side can purchase a membership to AdRouges, the fees range from free to 59.95 a month depending on the level of service and use on which a member decides. Members can then post ideas and pitches through the site in a secure manner which only they and advertisers can access.”They’re actually pitching their ideas, from briefs to full commercials. It’s unrestricted by length or language,” Hagerty said.Advertisers, who can sign up for free, can peruse the ideas. If they see a concept or pitch they like, they can get in touch with the creator and pay them for their work. AdRouges is then paid a commission.”They shop for the concept they want, and the characteristics they are looking for. They can also create a relationship with the creative by looking at other work after the initial purchase is made,” Hagerty said.The site has built-in protection of ideas. Only subscriber advertisers can view them, and the site has strict condition of use terms, an intellectual property protection statement and an FBI-type warning prior to each viewing and posting session. AdRouges also applies watermarks and bars downloading or emailing postings before a sale. The site also tracks URLs.Hagerty says the site has already gotten some positive feedback, and more than 100 members have signed up. Forty percent of site traffic is outside the U.S. and the AdRouges has been viewed in 39 countries.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Tom Hagerty, founder and CEO AdRouges.comYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites