Written by: Luka Dragovic, Website Planet
Since its founding in 1984 by Dorothy Miller, Miller Ad Agency has been a trailblazer in the advertising world, evolving from a small automotive-focused agency in Kentucky to a multi-industry powerhouse based in Dallas.
Over four decades, the agency has handled over $3.5 billion in ad placements, showcasing its adaptability and growth. In this exclusive interview with Website Planet, CEO Erik Radle shares how the agency combines innovative strategies and creativity, blending traditional advertising with cutting-edge digital approaches to craft campaigns that resonate across diverse platforms.
With a steadfast commitment to client success, Miller Ad Agency continues to redefine what’s possible in the ever-changing advertising landscape.
What inspired the founding of Miller Ad Agency in 1984, and how has the agency evolved over the past four decades?
Miller Ad Agency was founded by Dorothy Miller in 1984 in Lexington, KY, driven by her passion for advertising, which later focused on automotive advertising. Her determination led to relocating the agency from Kentucky to Dallas, where it has grown into a company that has placed over $3.5 billion worth of ads for clients over the past 40 years.
In the first two decades, the agency was exclusively focused on automotive advertising. Since then, we have evolved to expand our footprint into other industries, including home services, banking, fitness, and supplements. This diversification has not only provided a broader platform for our team but has also inspired creativity by challenging our minds to find innovative solutions across various verticals. It’s this dynamic approach that continues to bring out the best in our agency.
How does Miller Ad Agency integrate traditional advertising methods with digital strategies to create comprehensive campaigns?
That’s an interesting question. Rather than focusing solely on integration, we approach campaigns with a media-agnostic mindset, recognizing that every media channel has its own audience and purpose. The first step is determining which media channels to use, as all options are on the table. For example, some clients may run exclusively outdoor campaigns without even having a website, while others utilize websites as a central catchment tool for their media efforts.
The key to integration lies in adhering to a cohesive creative theme. Whether it’s through a brand character, a compelling tagline, or a strong narrative, the creative element acts as the vessel for the brand message. Media channels then become secondary, as creativity is the primary driver—accounting for 52% of ROI in ad campaigns.
Unfortunately, many in the industry today are overly fixated on targeting and client acquisition, often neglecting the power of impactful creative. At Miller Ad Agency, we prioritize crafting messages that move prospects to take action, ensuring that creative remains at the heart of every campaign.
Can you share a recent project that exemplifies your expertise in automotive advertising?
Absolutely. Most of our clients aim to increase their market share, which is not just about selling more vehicles but selling more than their fair share in their market area. One of our recent projects focused on reaching untapped audiences, particularly the Hispanic market, which has historically been underrepresented.
For one client, there was no Hispanic-targeted advertising—no Spanish-language landing page on their website and no outreach to this significant consumer base. A common misconception is that businesses need Spanish-speaking staff to engage in Spanish advertising. The truth is, while many Hispanic consumers are fluent in English, they appreciate being respected for their cultural heritage. Building that connection and showing recognition makes a significant impact.
By tailoring messaging to this audience and making them feel invited, our client has seen remarkable results. Competing in a market with five other retailers, they’ve moved from third to second place and are on track to take the lead. In some markets, Hispanic consumers represent 30-40% of the population, and in certain automotive markets, they account for 100% of market growth. Recognizing and engaging this audience has been transformative for our clients, and it’s a focus we’ve honed over years of experience.
What is your approach to developing creative content that resonates across various media platforms, including TV, radio, and digital?
Creative content begins with a “vessel”—the vehicle that carries the message. A simple product name and price on a blank screen lack emotion, so it’s crucial to find a relatable vessel that connects with the audience. We often lean toward a well-known spokesperson or trusted figure—someone people admire and recognize. Trust is essential in creative content; it’s something you have to earn, and it often comes from familiarity.
For instance, using someone like James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, instantly creates trust for a product simply by associating it with his voice. It doesn’t always have to be a celebrity, though. For one of our successful clients in the home services industry, we developed a smiling animated turtle. People inherently trust a character they like, which makes them more receptive to the product pitch.
Once the vessel establishes trust, we focus on memorable elements, such as a distinctive voice or sound, to help the brand stand out. A good vessel, memorable voice, and clear call-to-action (CTA) are essential. The CTA is often overlooked, but it’s critical—advertising needs to tell people what to do next, whether it’s visiting a website or coming to a store. Without a CTA, you’re simply informing, not advertising.
How does your team collaborate to ensure that each client’s unique needs are met effectively?
One key aspect of our approach is that we work together in the same physical space every day. While many agencies have gone remote, we believe being together in the same room makes a big difference in fostering collaboration and connection.
When we start working with a client, we begin with what’s called a “client brief.” After meeting with the client and understanding their business and the competitive landscape, our team comes together to create a brief that summarizes where the client is and where they want to go. This is the starting point for the entire collaborative process, which leads into the creative phase.
We also use a whiteboard exercise, where the entire team—everyone from creative to accounting to the person who sweeps the floors—gets involved. We never know where a good idea will come from, and this inclusive approach brings diverse perspectives into the process.
A big part of this is using techniques like Ladder Positioning, where we analyze what competitors are saying about their product and find ways to leverage familiar language in our own creative to resonate with consumers. This ensures the message puts the consumer first.
From there, we focus on what the ad will be about and its core message. We ask ourselves: What does this product do? How does it benefit the consumer? More importantly, how should we make the consumer feel? We walk through this process as a team, brainstorming ideas to change the consumer’s habits and get them to consider our client’s product instead of their usual choice.
At the heart of our collaborative process is the goal to shift people’s habits, guiding them from their current choices to adopting our client’s product. This focus drives everything we do—from creating the vessel for the message to crafting the product statement, and ultimately, to inspiring behavior change.
What emerging trends in advertising do you find most exciting, and how is Miller Ad Agency adapting to them?
There are two big trends that we’re focusing on right now. Historically, we’ve relied heavily on traditional news properties, especially with our clients who wanted to reach mass audiences through morning and evening news broadcasts. However, that habit is fading, and one of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is that you can no longer reach an entire metro area by simply targeting news properties.
Instead, we’re now creating “news orbits” for our clients. This means curating a mix of the best news sources, which may include top local TV stations, but also extends to platforms like Politico, The Hill, and even TikTok. People are consuming news across multiple channels, and our job is to insert ads into 7-10 different places where audiences are getting their news, rather than relying on the traditional method of purchasing spots on a few major news stations and hoping for the best. This creative approach of targeting niche, news-driven platforms will be a huge focus for us in 2025.
Another area we’re exploring is the shift in SEO dynamics. We foresee a decline in Google’s dominance in search, not because of other search engines, but because of AI-driven search tools. For instance, ChatGPT and Reddit’s push into AI search are significant changes. Every social media platform is developing its own search functions that operate as walled gardens, keeping users within their ecosystem while providing all their search needs.
Looking ahead, we believe that in a year, we’ll see people rely more heavily on single ecosystems, like Facebook, where they can access everything from news to shopping without leaving the platform. This presents a huge opportunity for advertisers, as it creates an environment where users are constantly engaged and can be influenced in various ways.
As we move into this space, we’re experimenting with how our content will perform in these AI-driven environments. We’re looking at the types of content, length, and video formats that will get indexed or show up in these new search tools. It’s still very much an iterative process, and no one has all the answers yet, but we’re staying ahead of the curve and adapting to this exciting shift.
Written by: Luka Dragovic, Website Planet
Read the featured interview on Website Planet:
https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/millerad-interview/
