Portside Advertising Agency in Fairhope

Portside Advertising, located in Fairhope, Alabama, is focused on helping small businesses grow and expand by building a brand, clarifying their message, and effectively reaching a targeted audience. 

Small businesses make the Scenic 98 Coastal area a great place to live, and we try to support them however we can. That’s why I was excited to sit down with Joe Brown and learn more about what Portside Advertising does for its clients.

Joe grew up in Mobile and attended both U.M.S. and Murphy High School before furthering his education at South Alabama and Spring Hill College. Well-spoken and outgoing, Joe got his start in newspaper advertising sales with the Mobile Press-Register. “I liked advertising sales, made many friends, and developed good relationships within the business community,” he says.

After five years, he joined Clear Channel Radio, now I-Heart Media, as an advertising sales representative, eventually working his way up to Director of Sales. He sold advertising throughout the Scenic 98 Coastal community footprint on familiar stations such as 95-WKSJ, 96.1- The Rocket, Lite Mix 99, TK 101, and News Radio 710. By then, Joe had a good grasp of the advertising business and the client base. 

He decided to go out independently and formed Joseph Brown & Associates, a full-service advertising firm with a local focus based in Daphne. “Most of what we did was media design, production, and media placement.” 

In 2017, he partnered with Edward Herndon, and they changed the name to Portside Advertising. “Edward was early to the website design world with his company, Webjed, and he brought the needed website design experience. We became a more digitally-driven company.”

Portside Advertising generates content to deliver the right messages to their client’s targeted audience—everything from logo design and social media management to full-blown marketing campaigns. “If you live in the Southeast, chances are you’ve seen our work. Waterville USA, SunSouth (John Deere), UJ Chevrolet, Century Bank, and Baldwin EMC are some of our clients.”

What is an ideal client? “We work with clients who have marketing departments and those that don’t. We strive for a cohesive message with an actual plan for success. We measure constantly, and we are results-driven.” He says, “Personal service, accessibility, and responsiveness are important to us.”

Portside Advertising has eight project managers and specialists, including graphic design specialists, project managers, social media managers, digital media specialists, and video production specialists. 

“We have dozens of clients and are constantly updating and optimizing their websites. Your website is your face to the public and represents people's image of your company. If you are not keeping your website up to date today, you are hurting your business.”

Joe loves being from this area. “I love playing golf. I like the fact that within two hours of driving time, I can be fishing or at my hunting camp. I just bought my first tractor, a John Deere, of course.” Joe’s wife, Amy, is a 1st-grade teacher at J. Larry Newman Elementary in Fairhope. “There’s a  reason so many people are moving here,” he says. “It’s a great place to live and raise your family.”

Thanks, Joe. We appreciate your time and what you and Portside Advertising bring to the Scenic 98 Coastal small business community. Keep up the good work!