Q: How do ad agencies usually get paid?

Ad agencies commonly use these pricing models: <ul> <li>Fixed-rate pricing: This sets an upfront fee for specific services, making it transparent and easy to understand for clients </li> <li>Hourly rates: This is a flat fee for each hour worked on the project </li> <li>Value-based pricing: In this structure, the agency determines the pricing after completing the project. The cost is based on the success and value of the final deliverables </li> <li>Project-based: The agency charges a fixed price for the entire project. Both parties agree on the terms and conditions, including the scope, timeline, and services, beforehand </li> <li>Commission-based: The agency takes a percentage of the client's media spend, usually around 15%. For example, if a client spends $20,000 on advertising, the agency receives $3,000 as payment. </li> <li>Retainer-based: The client pays a fixed fee at regular intervals to retain the agency's services. For example, if an agency charges $1,000 per month for social media management, the client pays this amount on an ongoing basis. </li> <li>Owned media: Ad agencies can sell or retain the rights to media they create for clients, generating additional income.</li> </ul>

Question 1

What is an advertising agency?

Accepted Answer

An advertising agency is a company that provides services for creating and managing advertising materials, strategies, and other forms of promotion. It aims to generate brand awareness, introduce new products, educate consumers, and boost sales.

Question 2

What does an advertising company do?

Accepted Answer

An advertising company researches, plans, implements, and manages advertising strategies and measures the success of its campaigns for clients.

Other services of advertising companies encompass:

Market and competitor research
Consumer behavior analysis
Branding strategy
Brand naming and identity
Creation of advertising collaterals
Selection of the suitable platform to advertise on
Coordination between multiple channels of ad campaigns
Integration of advertising initiatives
Media buying
And more

Question 3

How much does it cost to hire an advertising agency?

Accepted Answer

Hiring an advertising agency can cost $50 to $150 per hour.

However, some advertising agencies may offer flat fees or fixed prices for specific services. In these cases, you can expect additional costs, such as:

Media fees: 3% to 15% of ad spend
Social media management fees: $500 to $1,000 per month
Services markup fees: 10% to 20% of the total cost

Moreover, others may require a retainer fee, an upfront payment to secure their services.

The top 50 advertising agencies on DesignRush charge an average of $120/hour. Roughly 11% of the advertising firms on DesignRush have a minimum budget of $1,000, while only 2.5% require a $50,000+ minimum budget.

Question 4

How do ad agencies usually get paid?

Accepted Answer

Ad agencies commonly use these pricing models:

Fixed-rate pricing: This sets an upfront fee for specific services, making it transparent and easy to understand for clients
Hourly rates: This is a flat fee for each hour worked on the project
Value-based pricing: In this structure, the agency determines the pricing after completing the project. The cost is based on the success and value of the final deliverables
Project-based: The agency charges a fixed price for the entire project. Both parties agree on the terms and conditions, including the scope, timeline, and services, beforehand
Commission-based: The agency takes a percentage of the client's media spend, usually around 15%. For example, if a client spends $20,000 on advertising, the agency receives $3,000 as payment.
Retainer-based: The client pays a fixed fee at regular intervals to retain the agency's services. For example, if an agency charges $1,000 per month for social media management, the client pays this amount on an ongoing basis.
Owned media: Ad agencies can sell or retain the rights to media they create for clients, generating additional income.

Question 5

What is the difference between a creative agency and an advertising agency?

Accepted Answer

The difference between a creative agency and an advertising agency lies in the scope of services, strategies, goals, the workforce’s expertise, and the organizational structure.

A creative agency has teams of designers, writers, and other creative professionals. These experts combine design and branding strategies with marketing. They collaborate to craft engaging and memorable concepts, designs, and content that establish a connection with consumers and help businesses reach their marketing goals.

Creative agencies are mainly responsible for:

Brainstorming content and branding strategies
Copywriting and editing
Designing visual content
Producing marketing collaterals

Meanwhile, an advertising agency plans and executes advertising and marketing campaigns to distribute information about a brand's products or services on TV, radio, print, and online. It has specialized teams for account management, media planning and buying, and more.

With the primary objectives of promoting to intended audiences, generating sales, and increasing ROI, advertising agencies focus on:

Finding new demographics to target
Exploring new methods to reduce ad expenses
Optimizing content for search engines
Ensuring a consistent brand identity and presence on different digital media

That said, these specialties aren’t necessarily independent of each other. Ad agencies employ creatives, and some companies offer both creative and advertising services.

Question 6

Are marketing and advertising agencies the same?

Accepted Answer

No, marketing and advertising agencies are not the same. However, some marketing agencies may offer advertising services and vice versa.

Marketing agencies focus on creating campaigns and collaborating with clients throughout the campaign's duration. Their goal is to communicate a brand and demonstrate its value to attract paying customers.

A marketing agency houses these experts:

Content strategists
UI/UX designers
Graphic designers
Web developers and designers
Videographers and photographers
Video and motion graphic editors
Affiliate and PPC specialists
Email and influencer marketing specialists

On the other hand, advertising agencies primarily handle the paid aspects of campaigns by utilizing partnerships with offline and online channels. They formulate strategies and execute promotions for your products, services, business, or brand on different channels, both online and offline

An advertising agency typically comprises the following professionals:

Business development manager
Advertising manager
Media coordinator
Media planner
Media buyer
Brand planner and strategist
Research analyst

Question 7

Why should I hire an advertising agency?

Accepted Answer

You should hire an advertising agency because it offers flexible and contract-based opportunities to grow your business – all while saving resources, enhancing value creation, and successfully reaching the intended consumer base.

More reasons for hiring an advertising agency are to:

Gain access to specialized skillset
Stay updated with industry trends
Use the latest tools and technologies
Keep your campaigns up to date
Expand your strategies more easily
Adapt methods based on your needs
Learn from advertising experts
Achieve your targets more swiftly
Increase the efficiency of your employees
Get an objective perspective
Organize your content and priorities
Utilize a holistic approach to advertising
Measure growth and reach

The success of Truvy, a wellness brand, is a testament to the advantages of hiring an advertising agency. Shortly after the brand partnered with advertising firm Big Leap, it experienced a 10,076% increase in revenue, a 6:1 return on ad spend, and a 209% boost in search impressions.

Question 8

How do I choose an advertising agency for my business?

Accepted Answer

Take these steps to select the ideal advertising agency for your company:

Plan and align your short and long-term business goals with your ad campaign ideas. Identify if they're for increasing brand awareness, promoting on social channels, or aiming to boost sales, so you'll know the services you need.
Decide on the agency size you'd go for and allocate a budget. Weigh the pros and cons of hiring a large agency with impressive offers and complex processes, as well as those of a smaller specialized agency that can provide boutique experience and quicker responsiveness. See if it handles all advertising services or specialty solutions, like branding, affiliate, social, lead generation, or television, among others. Does it cater to your specific advertising needs?
Identify and create a list of potential service providers with a successful track record of driving conversions.
See if they have served brands in your business category, with similar challenges and comparable goals.
Investigate their areas of focus, the strategies they prefer to use, and how they measure a campaign's effectiveness.
Consider in which media, analytics, communication channels, reporting tools, and technologies they specialize.
Check their membership with professional associations, such as the International Advertising Association (IAA), American Advertising Federation (AAF), etc.
Examine previous advertising campaigns and learn how successful they were.
Look at their past and existing clientele and the industries they're in.
Go through the advertising services they offer that can benefit your brand.
Check reviews, references, and testimonials for credibility, management skills, and realistic promises.
Send a project brief that includes your goals, budget, timeline, etc. to the agencies that interest you. This helps you get better proposals and the best agency match.
Ask for a price estimate with a breakdown to assess if you can afford their services. Also, inquire if they accept payment based on performance and results.
Based on your findings, create a shortlist of up to five agencies and invite them for an interview.
Inquire about their advertising strategies and how they plan to personalize and adapt them to your brand.
Investigate their familiarity with your specific audience types: their needs, pain points, and demographics. It will help you understand the extent of their knowledge in reaching your target market.
Get to know exactly who will be working with your brand and what they bring to the table. Request the potential team members’ names, previous experience and campaigns, and areas of expertise.
Observe the company culture and how its employees communicate. Do they look like they are inspired, hardworking, and enjoying their time at the agency? If they align with your business’s values and communication style, chances are you’ll be able to build a positive working relationship.
Assess which candidate best fits your requirements and arrive at a decision.

Need guidance in finding the most suitable advertising agency for your business needs? Visit our Marketplace and tell us about your project requirements. We'll go through our Directory and introduce you to two to five shortlisted candidates we deem best for you — for free.

Question 9

What questions should I ask advertising agencies to find the right match?

Accepted Answer

Here are some of the questions you should ask potential advertising agencies:

Its Relevant Background

How many years of experience do you have in advertising? What are your areas of expertise (e.g., print, video, digital, etc.)?
Have you worked with our industry or similar businesses? Can you provide references from a past client and a portfolio?
Have you created campaigns similar to what we’re looking for? What were the results?
Are you currently working with any of our competitors? Are there any potential conflicts we should be concerned about?

Company Services and Processes

What’s your process for researching our brand, business, competitors, and consumers?
How do your team members adapt their style and modern trends to fit clients’ brands?
If an ad campaign fails to perform, how do you get it back on track?

The Project

Who will manage our account? Who will execute the work?
If you take an entirely different advertising route from what we currently have, how will you introduce the changes?
What will the first one to three months of advertising work entail? What should we expect to achieve in that timeframe?
What tools and metrics will you use to measure our results?
How frequently will we receive progress reports?
How do you like to communicate, collaborate, and get feedback?
How much do you estimate this campaign will cost? How does the pricing for long-term partnerships differ from individual campaigns?

Question 10

What are the leading advertising agencies in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

The best advertising agencies in the U.S. are:

HigherVisibility
- 5.0 stars on DesignRush (19 reviews)
- 4.5 stars on Google (123 reviews)
- Top clients: Warner Bros, eBay, Ziebart, BBQGuys
The Bureau of Small Projects
- 5.0 stars on DesignRush (26 reviews)
- 4.9 stars on Google (22 reviews)
- Top clients: Stanford University, Pocari Sweat, Alcoholics Anonymous, Tim Barber Architects
Grow My Ads
- 5.0 stars on DesignRush (36 reviews)
- Top clients: Juvenon, Dermavenue.com
Disruptive Advertising
- 4.9 stars on DesignRush (42 reviews)
- 4.8 stars on Google (301 reviews)
- Top clients: Adobe, Diesel Power Gear, Death Wish Coffee, ConocoPhillips
Design In DC
- 4.9 stars on DesignRush (18 reviews)
- 4.9 stars on Google (30 reviews)
- Top clients: Examit, Lateenz, Summit Ridge Energy, JFL Consulting

Scroll up to read more about these agencies and be sure to explore the rest of the directory. Personalize your search and filter them based on location, team size, reviews, rates, and more.

Top Advertising Agencies

List of the Best Advertising Companies

Need Help Selecting The Right Agency For Your Project?

Latest Trends Related to Advertising