It’s 2025. We’re all familiar with the rush of instant gratification. In fact, we have come to expect it. Perhaps rely on it. We have access to the world in our pocket. Streaming stories, news, and opinions in our ears. Endless scrolling. 

But back in the early aughts, as the vision of Strategic Media was percolating in the mind of Jeff Small, there was another avenue to that hit of dopamine.  

“We used to buy media on Rush Limbaugh for a weight loss product that we were working with, and the call center was in South Portland. So at the time we knew the spot was going to drop, we’d drive down there, walk into the call center, and just listen to the phones light up. On a bad day it could be 400 calls, and on a good day it could be a thousand. There was something so satisfying about that.” 

Now that’s instant gratification! 

Many things have changed over the last twenty five years. Particularly in the advertising industry. You can still hear the numbers of a toll-free call-to-action on the air, but they are few and far between; replaced by vanity URLS and promo codes. Getting credit for your success has changed as well. With call centers replaced by dashboards and mail orders replaced by Apple Pay. 

Strategic Media has changed as well. Since its beginning, in June 2000, CEO and founder Jeff Small has kept his eye on the ever-changing landscape of this business and has responded to it with sheer determination. For over twenty five years, alongside his employees (many of whom have been with him since almost the beginning) he has built one of the best audio advertising agencies in the country.  

Hard work, compassion, commitment. These are the qualities that transcend fleeting trends or popular opinions of the day. As a man unafraid to work harder than anyone else, Jeff brought a fight for the underdog mentality to SMI and has created a work culture driven by purpose, growth, and integrity—with no room for complacency. As a parent, he has learned to approach obstacles with creativity and a willingness to listen and learn. Taking these skills into his business, he has fostered mutual respect and an effective cohesion across teams—an approach that garnered great success, particularly in the last few years. 

The team at SMI is a collective of deep expertise and relentless perseverance that knows how to give back and have fun. Jeff’s leadership is built upon the philosophy that a job or a career is a big commitment, and so we owe it to ourselves to find meaning and joy in it so that we may bring our best selves into the office and into our work everyday.

Strategic Media is officially celebrating its 25th anniversary on June 20th as a successful business within an industry that has evolved immensely over that time. So I wanted to sit down with Jeff to see if he could predict the future as well as he could “light up the phones.”

What’s going to happen in the next 25 years?
I am anticipating the ongoing shift into the way people consume audio. I think it will continue to look different. And I think that technology will continue to alter the way that people do a lot of different things, but when we’re talking about consuming advertising, even 10 years ago, we didn’t know podcasts would move more predominantly to video, right? And we know that that’s changing more rapidly than anything. As people talk about podcasts, if you’re not talking about video at the same time, then you clearly haven’t listened, or watched many podcasts.

Is there a prominent perception in regard to audio advertising that has changed or persisted over the last 25 years?
I’d say that in the last 10 years I get the question, “People still listen to the radio!?” The idea that radio is dead? That is a common misconception. It’s a common thing that I hear from people when I tell them what I do. And obviously the answer is a resounding yes. People still listen to radio. 

There’s always conversation about which technology, tools, or channels will replace what we are familiar with, but maybe that’s not the best question?
Right, because people continue to change the definition and narrative of what constitutes a channel or medium. If you think about meta, you’re thinking social media posts and pictures, but how much of what gets delivered to you is video, right? You think about TV, and people will quickly say, well, nobody watches TV anymore. They’re streaming whatever they’re going to watch. However, TV stations and different outlets have altered their strategy and how they deliver their content. Just like radio stations have altered how they deliver their content. And it’s working. Everything is an evolution. 

And so if you ask what’s going to happen in the next 25 years? It’s going to evolve. And as a business, you also have to evolve to meet the demand of the consumer. That’s a moving target, yes, but with 25 years of experience, here at SMI we’re confident that we have the understanding of how to adjust our strategy so that we can still reach the people that are buying our customers’ products and services. 

How has the notion of purpose shaped SMI and how will it shape its future?
We’re doing the best work that we’ve done in 25 years because there is a collective understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish on a daily basis. And I know this because on a weekly or biweekly basis, every team is making sure they are aligned with their team purpose. If not, then we’re going to speak up, address it, and get back on track. We can do that because everyone feels safe enough within their teams and within the company to do so. And because of that, I believe everyone feels their work is more meaningful and rewarding. 

I’d like to ask you about your legacy of leadership—do you think about it?
I think as you get into the 25 years plus of running a business, you have to. It’s certainly on my mind. I think, okay, what are the people that I am working with now, when they go to their next job—or they continue to work here, and I’m at my next step—what are they going to say that they learned from Jeff Small? Was I a good person to work for? Was I fair? Was I someone who challenged them to push past any limitations and see that they could be better than the day before? Right now, those are the questions I’m asking myself. 

That’s what’s most important to me as an individual. Outside of that, it’s just about doing the best work we can, which allows us to say with unequivocal confidence that we truly are the best audio agency for any client to come to. That we have a group of individuals with the desire to help them crush their marketing goals, make them look good, and make their jobs easier. 

Oh, and at the end of the day, let’s have fun doing it!