You’re looking for an ad agency, design firm or interactive shop. You can work with a large-market firm from New York, Chicago, Houston or Los Angeles — or a small-market firm from Spokane (where I live), Boise or Pasco.

 
 
Wieden & Kennedy: 2008 Global Agency of the Year
 
 
 
You’d assume the large markets have the talent, the facilities and the sophistication. So if you can afford it, why not?
The counter-intuitive reality
In my experience, small-market shops beat comparable big-market competition in several important areas:

Outstanding creative that in many cases leaves big-market shops in the dust
Staff that are more committed to the firm and the client; people are less likely to jump to the shop down the street next month
Less middle management and more direct lines of responsibility
Innovation in new media and technology that eliminates geographical disadvantage. (It’s good for the client-agency relationship, and good expertise for the client’s marketing plan.)
Fairness in compensation plans
Genuine appreciation […]