The Next Wave

Founded in 1988 and based on Bonner Street in Dayton, Ohio, this small agency has operated as a Mac-based shop since its early days, having been among the first all-Macintosh agencies and the first in Dayton to move to fully digital video production. The team is small, sized between one and ten people, and works directly with clients within the Dayton area, positioning itself against larger national and coastal firms rather than imitating them. Its approach centers on studying marketplaces, target audiences, and buying habits before building a brand position, with an emphasis on honest positioning rather than generic price-and-product advertising. Services listed include search engine optimization, web design, advertising, branding, content marketing, public relations, social media marketing, and UX/UI design, reflecting a full-service model built around integrating digital delivery into traditional advertising and design work. The agency describes favoring digital over print production where it makes practical sense, an approach rooted in its early adoption of digital video. Client engagements begin with a no-cost discussion about sales and marketing needs, and the agency states it works within client budgets and delivery timelines. Work spans advertising, audio, brand marks, identity systems, naming, web, packaging, video, and point-of-purchase materials, indicating a practice that covers both strategic branding and executional design and marketing services for local and regional clients.