2016 Economic Impact Awards 1-5 Years in Operation Finalist: Revel Advertising

When Revel Advertising partners Nicole and Chris Jarratt chose to stick to their strengths with her as CEO and him as creative director, they devised a winning formula.

Founded in 2010, Revel Advertising was a finalist for the 2016 W. Curtis Strube Small Business Award from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to Revel, Nicole worked in marketing and Chris ran his own design company. When that venture faced growth requiring more services, the husband-and-wife team started Revel with a third partner, who has since left the business.

“Chris and I made an agreement that we would both take ownership of what we were best at,” Nicole says. “Today, I own the leadership and management of the company, and Chris owns the services we provide and our growth.”

Revel now lives within Missouri State University’s IDEA Commons and has grown to a staff of 10.

“Long gone are the days of a one-room shop and a number of employees you can count on one hand,” Nicole says. “Since our inception, Revel’s revenue has increased each year by at least 50 percent.”

For the first four years, Revel focused on creative and traditional advertising services.

In response to need from small businesses for strategic marketing, Revel added the service in 2015 with the addition of a director of marketing.

“Now, we do entire marketing strategies for clients and strategic marketing research,” Nicole says. “The work we’ve been able to accomplish in five years has led us to win 29 ADDY awards.”

Revel’s approach — the firm’s name comes from reveling in what you do — is to develop a face-to-face relationship with clients, which helps if they’re based here. Nicole won’t rule out expanding Revel’s reach outside the Ozarks, but that’s not a current goal.

“Revel exists to grow other businesses, particularly in this region, using strategic advertising campaigns,” she says. “Over 90 percent of our clients are based in the Springfield area. It is our sole focus to ensure our clients are represented in a way that will position them for growth and to realize the potential they have as a leader in their industries.”

Revel’s clients have included Missouri State University’s athletics, Springfield Regional Economic Partnership and Paragon Architecture Inc.

Client referrals help fuel Revel’s growth, which is an ongoing task to balance, Nicole says. A five-person leadership team meets weekly to evaluate the firm’s staffing and project load.

“So far, we’ve never been caught off guard,” Nicole says. “Since we began five years ago, we have increased our staff each year, creating full-time and part-time employment for local talent.”

The company also prides itself on being a learning lab for students in the community to complete internships where they often become fully integrated into the team.

“The Revel team has all agreed that investing in the up-and-coming talent in our area isn’t just a win for us, it is a win for the entire community,” she says.

In keeping with the firm’s commitment to civic involvement, Revel With a Cause is an evolving initiative to provide local nonprofits free advertising and marketing services.

“We believe in supporting and helping the causes that are crucial to our community,” Nicole says.