Two Va. agencies make Adweek’s fastest growing U.S. agencies list

Two ad agencies that call Virginia home have landed on Adweek’s 2022 list of the fastest-growing U.S. ad agencies, the publication announced Monday.

Richmond-based creative agency Dotted Line ranked third on the list of Adweek’s fastest-growing agencies in the Southeast, and No. 22 on the list of the nation’s 75 fastest-growing agencies. Charlottesville-based Willow Tree ranked No. 8 for the Southeast and 60th on the national list.

To be eligible for the list, agencies provided three years of earned revenue data (2019 through 2021) and must have posted at least $250,000 in 2019 revenue.

Dotted Line Founder and CEO Lauren Sweeney started the agency in 2014, and it has grown from six employees to more than 20 full-time workers and about 10 fractional/part-time employees. Sweeney wants Dotted Line to be seen as a top boutique agency in the mid-Atlantic in the next seven to 10 years. Dotted Line’s clients include Bon Secours Mercy Health and Spinnaker Consulting Group. About half of the agency’s clients hail from Central Virginia and the rest are based around the country.

According to Adweek, Dotted Line grew 217% from 2019 to 2021. Sweeney attributed the agency’s growth over the past three years to setting a clear vision and goals, as well as being values-driven.

“I think it’s a proof point for all the hard work we’re trying to do for our clients,” Sweeney said. “We’re really a client-first agency and really work to understand our client’s business and how we can best help them grow their business and brand.”

Charlottesville-based WillowTree Inc., a software company with its roots in mobile app design and development, has expanded to seven global studios, according to Adweek. WillowTree experienced 90% growth between 2019 and 2021, according to Adweek. The company led design and development for the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show app, Fox’s first weather app, and work for Dairy Queen, according to Adweek. Founded in 2008, the company has more than 1,000 employees. Its clients include HBO, National Geographic, Hilton, McDonald’s and other Fortune 500 companies.

“This past year has been one of significant and steady growth for WillowTree,” Chief Marketing Officer Keith Miller told Virginia Business. “We continue to add more of the world’s most admired brands to our client roster. We expanded our geographic footprint with new offices in Vancouver and Porto Alegre, Brazil. And our team is now over 1,000 strong.”

WillowTree’s three largest offices are in Charlottesville; Durham, North Carolina; and Columbus, Ohio. Since 2008, the company has delivered more than 700 native mobile apps, websites and other digital products.

“Recognition from outlets like Adweek is a testament to the world-class work being done by our team and to the outcomes we’ve achieved in partnership with our clients,” Miller said.