Prodigal Media Begins Its 30th Year in Business
BOARDMAN, Ohio – The Prodigal Media Company is celebrating its 30th year in business in 2024 as a regional advertising and branding agency.
“Looking back at three decades of agency life,” says Jeff Hedrich, founder of the Boardman-based agency, “it’s striking how much change has taken place, from the digital revolution to remote work to the rise of AI. Yet, the core values upon which Prodigal Media was founded – rigor, passion, honor, faith and sincerity – are still relevant.”
While not many agencies remain in business for 30 years, even fewer can claim it remains the agency-of-record for its very first client, Hedrich says. The relationship Prodigal Media began with Farmers National Bank in 1994 remains in place and is growing even as Farmers – with over $5 billion in assets and 64 locations – continues to enter new markets.
In 2023, Prodigal Media helped Farmers expand its footprint outside of Ohio and introduce the bank to the Greater Pittsburgh and western and central Pennsylvania marketplaces.
An integrated marketing campaign consisting of digital, TV, print and outdoor advertising positioned Farmers as the community bank for small business. Capital Ideas, a glossy periodic magazine mailed to over 50,000 entrepreneurs biannually, developed by Prodigal Media and featuring Farmers’ entrepreneurial clients, is a business development tool for the bank
Prodigal Media helps to build its clients into leading brands, according to Hedrich, and in 2023 another long-time client, Sheely’s Furniture & Appliance, remained a dominant retail force in the home furnishings sector.
Sheely’s operates large showcase stores in North Lima and Aurora. Prodigal Media is helping the company expand online sales with more offerings available through its website.
“Always Innovating” is a tagline that Prodigal Media developed for its client, Humtown, which makes 3D printed sand cores and molds for the foundry industry. In 2023, Prodigal Media helped Humtown promote one of its newest innovations, its 3D RFQ. The online quoting process slashes turnaround time to minutes rather than days or weeks. Prodigal helps to build Humtown’s brand awareness through relevant trade organization marketing tactics and uses Hubspot for more direct prospect targeting.
Last year Prodigal helped Hickey Metal Fabrication to garner national recognition as the Fabricator of the Year for 2023 by the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association. Prodigal also provided marketing tactics for Briarfield, the operator of senior living centers; developed marketing tactics focused on workforce development programs for Eastern Gateway Community College; and implemented the Regional Income Tax Agency’s taxpayer notification program across nearly 400 Ohio municipalities.
“While it’s gratifying to look back at 30 years of productive work,” says Hedrich, “I’m more interested in looking forward to the changes and advances that are coming. In 2024, we will be formally introducing, in partnership with one of our clients, a 3D holographics communications platform to our region. We believe the best is yet to come for Prodigal Media.”
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
