When Bad-Adz founder and President Joel Albrizio started his marketing business in the late 1970s, the heights of modern-day digital marketing were still largely unfathomable. Accordingly, the agency, then based in Worcester, Mass., focused on design and print advertising for grocery stores.
While these print offerings have largely shifted to digital and email-based services, per client demand, a focus on design and aesthetics has remained a cornerstone of the marketing business, says Laura Wistow, director of marketing at Bad-Adz.
“It’s very design-oriented,” Wistow said of the company’s advertisements, “so we’ll have really beautiful imagery. ... Grocery stores will show products on sale, videos of recipes and how to prepare the foods [and] moving imagery.”
The company’s staff is still composed primarily of designers, who now work out of the company’s headquarters on Church Street in Pawtucket.
And while Bad-Adz has continued to partner with grocery stores for most of its decadeslong existence, that’s recently started to shift as well, Wistow said, with the company expanding its reach to work with clients in all industries, which it began doing in 2023.
“Everything we’ve been doing for the grocery industry is something we can be branching out into any business,” Wistow said. “This shouldn’t be vertical specific. ... We discovered that what we’re selling, everyone needs.”
Today, the company’s most popular service is its email-based advertising, which allows grocery stores to send regularly updated advertisements to customers in their target communities.
While customers need to opt into this email list, Wistow said, demand for the service has always remained high.
In addition to the email lists, Bad-Adz has also expanded its offerings to include web-based services such as data analytics and social media advertising.
This shift to web-based advertising was necessary to keep the business relevant, Wistow said, and she credits a quick pivot into the digital sphere as a driver behind the company’s continued growth.
Digitalization throughout the marketing industry also allows Bad-Adz to offer a more environmentally friendly way for clients to advertise their services, Wistow said, and keeps material costs down for Bad-Adz and customers.
The company hasn’t completely left behind its paper-and-ink roots, however, with Bad-Adz continuing to offer traditional, print-based services.
Bad-Adz now works with hundreds of businesses throughout the U.S., from local companies such as Rhode Island-based Dave’s Fresh Marketplace to national chains such as Dunkin’ Donuts LLC, doing business as Dunkin’, and C&S Wholesale Grocers.
And while the majority of these companies are still grocery stores, Wistow says the company is making an active push to attract a variety of clients across industries and throughout the U.S., while also pushing to emphasize its presence among local businesses in Rhode Island.
OWNER: Joel Albrizio
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Marketing/advertising
LOCATION: 38 Church St., Pawtucket
EMPLOYEES: About 25
YEAR FOUNDED: 1978
ANNUAL REVENUE: WND
