3 ADVERTISING
3 is a relative newcomer to the Albuquerque advertising landscape. It started in 2005 and operates out of an 8,000-square-foot office near Pan American and Montgomery NE. All three founding partners, Sam Maclay, Tim McGrath and Chris Moore, cut their teeth working for Rick Johnson & Co.
Creative Director Sam Maclay relishes the company’s image as a young upstart firm and leverages that perception to his advantage. The company has used its affordable pricing to garner a variety of clients both locally and globally.
Locally, 3 does work for PNM, Presbyterian, Tricore, Skarsgard Farms, Humble Coffee and a slew of other businesses.
Out of state, 3 has either taken on full accounts or worked on a project basis with companies such as Facebook, the National Environmental Health Association, the Brew Institute and a number of tech startup companies in Palo Alto, Calif. It’s also worked on projects in Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Belize and the
Canary Islands.
The firm has won 11 National Addy Awards since 2006. Last year, 3 won for a poster campaign created for online outfitter Sackwear.com.
Maclay and Design Director Tim McGrath say they don’t view being in Albuquerque as much of a hindrance at all. “The internet has really flattened (things) out. People just don’t care so much about where you are (these days),” said Maclay.
Maclay and his partners work to market their services as affordable without a sacrifice in quality, and being in Albuquerque allows them to do that. In fact, Maclay views Albuquerque as a novelty that can help 3 stand out when pitching to prospective clients.
But the partners also say that while starting may be simple and relatively inexpensive, growth potential is stunted in Albuquerque. “There are just no huge businesses based here.”