ANNIVERSARY: The Primm Co. - 35

Posted: December 23, 2009 in Inside Business

By Lakeshia Artis

lakeshia.artis@insidebiz.com

Ron Primm grew up in Virginia but left the area to study commercial art at Pratt University in New York.

"I went to school in New York because there were no opportunities in this area for commercial art," he said. "I came back to Norfolk after working there for two years."

After working for The Virginian-Pilot for 12 years, he became interested in running his own company.

"I really wanted to get a job in an advertising agency but no one would hire me," Primm said. "So I decided to start my own company."

Primm first opened Creative House, a studio that serviced the creative needs of advertising agencies.

He would supply them with illustrations, drawings, design work and other mechanical needs.

"It wasn't a viable business," Primm said. "After several years of that I decided to go into the advertising agency business and that's when I founded The Primm Co."

Celebrating 35 years in business, the Norfolk-based agency focuses on public relations, Web marketing, television and radio.

"Haynes Furniture was my first big account," Primm said. "We kept that going for a number of years. It really got me settled in."

Advertising may have changed over the years but the goals are still the same.

"You're trying to sell products and market an idea or company," Primm said. "Our philosophy hasn't really changed. What we do is sell the intangible."

Those intangible goals involve things such as love, honor, friendship, money, admiration and prestige, he said. "We link our products and clients to these goals."

Trying to keep ahead of the game, Primm predicts the Web will have a bigger impact on the industry.

"The Web is going to become the dominant marketing tool," he said. "It's not going to replace newspapers, television or radio but it will impact the industry in ways that we can't foresee."