Historic Charlotte

Establishing long-term relationships with
clients has proved to be a formula for success
at Doggett Advertising. In a volatile profession
where the average client relationship is about
three years, Doggett Advertising’s client
retention average is more than ten years.
“What makes us unique is the tenure of our
accounts,” explains George Doggett. “We have
lots of long-term relationships and some clients
have been with us since the firm was
established.” Doggett Advertising, which
represents local, national, and international
clients, specializes in the logo apparel industry,
automobiles, and real estate.
Doggett, who has been in advertising for
twenty-five years, founded the full-service
advertising, marketing, and design firm in 1988
after serving as a partner with another ad agency.
Doggett Advertising began with a threeperson
staff with offices in Fourth Ward. The
firm has grown to fifteen employees, including
George’s son, Jeff, who has been with the
company ten years. “It’s a young, energetic staff
and we do a lot of exciting projects,” says Jeff.
“It’s also a very professional staff,” adds
George. “We’ve been able to recruit talented
people from some of the top agencies in the
country and we pride ourselves on our
marketing and great creative work.”
The agency’s creative and marketing efforts
have made it a consistent winner of major
awards and honors from the advertising and
printing industries.
George Doggett has a second career as a
developer and has built and renovated several
buildings in Charlotte’s Fourth Ward and
Dilworth neighborhoods. His interest in historic
preservation resulted in the renovation of an
East Boulevard home that now serves as the
agency’s offices.
It took ten months to renovate the 1920s-era
home and convert it to a four-thousandsquare-foot
commercial structure. From the
street the two-story brick house with its wide
front porch still retains the look of a substantial
Dilworth home. Inside, however, the converted
home is a modern office facility filled with the
latest technological marvels.
“We liked the pedestrian feel of the
neighborhood and were able to preserve the
charm of an old home while achieving a very
creative environment,” says Jeff Doggett.
The Doggett Advertising logo, a Greyhound,
was adapted from the Doggett family crest and
reflects the agencies approach to business. “The
Greyhound conveys a lot of business principles
we strive to apply in our daily interactions with
clients,” says George Doggett. “The Greyhound
is quick, intelligent, friendly, and motivated to
win—the same qualities prized in every
Doggett employee.”
The Greyhound also represents Doggett’s ten
guiding principles of client retention:
1. Surround yourself with the same breed.
2. Don’t chase everything you see.
3. Get up to speed fast.
4. Stay lean.
5. Stay hungry.
6. Know when to change direction.
7. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
8. Don’t get distracted.
9. Go the full distance.
10. Run to win.
DOGGETT
ADVERTISING
✧
Above: Jeff and George Doggett.
Below: Doggett Advertising’s offices on
East Boulevard.
THE MARKETPLACE
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