Media Buying Agency Vs. Full-Service Ad Agency: What’s the Difference?

If you’re looking to expand your business’ consumer base and brand presence, you need an effective ad agency to run your campaign. However, not all agencies offer the same services. Some focus on media buying only while full-service agencies also create the ad materials to use in those ad buys.

We believe that the message needs to be established first before a media buy can be executed. Media buying agencies plan strategies and develop media schedules to target audiences; however, they typically don’t generate creative content. Therefore, the media buy might not be in line with the ad message and you won’t see the best marketing results.

Coordinating a Cohesive Marketing Campaign

Launching an effective marketing campaign is a multi-step process. Each step must inform the next and this requires coordination to meet common marketing goals. As mentioned above, media buying won’t be very effective unless the creative team presents their ideas first. Every decision influences future strategy in a give-and-take relationship between direction and execution.

The Benefits of a Full-Service Ad Agency

A full-service ad agency has expertise in both creative and media buying to help steer and coordinate your marketing efforts. They understand specific market audiences and have developed longstanding relationships with national and regional media outlets, helping to lower advertising costs. Therefore, they can provide you with custom messaging and creative for your campaigns AND media consumption habits and regional demographics to best reach your marketing goals.

At Sundance Marketing, we are a full-service ad agency that provides expert media buying. This means that, along with experienced media buying, we also provide budget planning, marketing strategy, creative, and more. Contact us today for more information about how your business can establish a stronger, more effective marketing strategy.