Model multitasking: Off the runway, onto the sales floor
An unorthodox modeling agency thrives in difficult times.
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| Elizabeth Anne Frank, founder of Eye5 |
(Fortune Small Business) -- Times are tough in the modeling industry, but during the two months following the Wall Street meltdown, a small agency called Eye5 saw its revenue spike to $114,000 from $65,000 in the same period the year before. How did that happen?
Based in New York City, Eye5 is an all-in-one agency that provides attractive greeters, waiters and bartenders - as well as costumes, choreography and even body painting - for everything from corporate events to street marketing. The idea is that Eye5's talent can do more than photo shoots and runway shows. They can also showcase clothing and consumer products while pouring drinks, for example.
In good times Eye5 had trouble cracking the modeling establishment, but cash-strapped marketing directors are now under greater pressure to find lower-cost alternatives.
"It's cheaper to do a street-level marketing stunt - and guarantee that you're reaching the consumer - than to take out ads in magazines or hire a big modeling agency," says Eye5 founder Elizabeth Anne Frank, 31, whose company operates in six cities.
One of Eye5's new clients is Artistic Tile, a high-end tile company in New York City.
"We were looking to trim budgets, and we saved over 50% using Eye5's services," says Rich Johnson, vice president of public relations for Artistic Tile. "Other agencies could not work within our limited budget." 
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