Cure Media vs IMA: What Happened to IMA
One of these is not a live option. IMA no longer trades under its own name; the 2019 merger put the work inside Monks. Cure Media is the side you can actually brief.
Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose Cure Media if
- You want audience-data creator picks
- You run European market campaigns
- You want end-to-end optimisation
Look up IMA if
- You are checking whether IMA still trades
- You want to be pointed at Monks instead
- You are researching what happened to IMA
Choose Flinque if
- You want to find and vet creators yourself with no sales call
- You want flat published pricing you can start free
- You want to run discovery in-house, not hire an agency
Cure Media vs IMA vs Flinque
The factors below are set out for both. Only Cure Media is a live option. IMA exists only as history now, the work having moved to Monks. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | Cure Media | IMA | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Brands wanting data-led European work | Not available, brand retired | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Agency type | Data-driven European creator agency | One of Europe's largest agencies | Self-serve software, not an agency |
| Engagement model | Managed, data-driven | Managed, global | Flat monthly subscription |
| Typical minimum | Not established (site checked Sep 2026) | Project minimum around $10,000 | Free, then $49/mo |
| Published pricing | No | None, nor any at Monks | $0 to $150/mo, public |
| Creator network | Audience-data matching, 10+ markets | 40,000 influencers per S4 Capital (2019) | 10M+ verified, 200 data points each |
| Platforms covered | Instagram, TikTok, major platforms | Major social platforms | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X |
| Services | Audience-data picks, optimisation | Strategy, campaigns, own platform | Discovery, vetting and audience data |
| Campaign management | fully managed | fully managed | You run it, software assists |
| Content and usage rights | Per engagement | Per project or retainer | You negotiate directly with creators |
| Paid amplification | Picks on audience data not reach | Own matchmaking platform, dashboards | Run your own whitelisting |
| Measurement and reporting | L'Oreal, Sephora, Colgate clients | Not available | Audience and fake-follower data built in |
| Team and locations | Stockholm, founded 2014 | Amsterdam, until 2019 | Software with support included |
| Time to launch | After scoping | After scoping | Shortlist in minutes on the free plan |
How we compared: Engagement models and minimums come from each agency's own site plus public reporting and client reviews, cross-checked and dated June 2026. Where an agency hides its pricing we say undisclosed rather than guess a number. The verdicts are ours, not the agencies'.
What each agency actually does
What is Cure Media
Cure Media bets on audience data over vanity reach. Sam Foroozesh founded the Stockholm agency in 2014. Today it picks creators on who actually follows them rather than headline follower counts, running campaigns end to end with ongoing optimisation across more than ten European markets. Studios in Stockholm, London and Berlin and a team near 100 give it real Nordic and European depth, with a fashion and consumer pedigree shaping the kind of brands it serves.
Clients have included L'Oreal, Sephora, Colgate-Palmolive and Wolt, with pricing kept private. No current position exists for IMA on this. The next section covers IMA. A brand that would rather run its own creator search has a third route.
What Cure Media does well
- Picks creators on audience data
- End-to-end campaigns with optimisation
- 10+ European markets, three studios
- Fashion and consumer pedigree
Where it falls short
- European focus, less global reach
- Pricing not established from its homepage (checked Sep 2026)
- Managed only, no self-serve search
- Fashion and consumer lean
What IMA was
MediaMonks, part of S4 Capital, merged with it in August 2019. IMA is a historical brand now. Two checks settle it: following imagency.com lands on Monks and the Monks page carries no IMA reference at all.
It was renamed Media.Monks in 2021 and Monks in 2024. Its campaign categories ran across fashion, retail, electronics, automotive, travel and beauty. The only sourced scale figures are S4 Capital's: 40,000 influencers in network and 85 digital experts.
Nothing published since 2019 updates these numbers, so none should be inferred. Monks is where the work went.
What IMA was known for
- Founded 2010 by Emilie Tabor and Maddie Raedts
- A matchmaking platform of its own
- A network S4 Capital put at 40,000 influencers in 2019
- Clients S4 Capital named including Heineken and Diesel
Why it is not a live option
- monks.com/ima returns a 404
- Every figure on record is dated 2019
- Nothing first-party survives at the old domain
- No current client list exists under it
Head to head
A head-to-head here is misleading without one fact stated first. IMA cannot be engaged today. The evidence is straightforward: following imagency.com lands on Monks and the Monks page carries no IMA reference at all. S4 Capital folded it into MediaMonks in August 2019. No current position exists for IMA on this.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
You are researching IMA
Arrived looking for IMA? Monks is what to look at instead.
→ Read the historyYou want to run discovery yourself
No retainer, no scoping call. You want to search 10M+ verified creators with a fake-follower check on each. Start free on Flinque and pay $49 only if you keep using it.
→ Pick FlinqueYou are testing influencer marketing
IMA is no longer a separate option since it merged into MediaMonks in 2019; Cure Media is quote-led. Flinque free plan lets you find and vet verified creators with no card, then scales at a flat $49 a month.
→ Start with FlinqueFlinque: verified discovery at a flat price
If both feel like too much retainer and too little control, Flinque does one job and does it well. Find and vet real creators yourself, fast, then run the campaign in-house. No pitch deck, no monthly retainer, no discovery call to learn the price.
- 10M+ verified creators
- 4 platforms: IG, YouTube, TikTok, X
- 200 data points per creator
- 12 search filters
- Fake-follower check on every profile
- Free, $49, $150, published
See Flinque in action
Short walkthroughs on pricing, discovery and vetting from the Flinque team.
What Are Influencer Networks? Why Most Brands Pick the Wrong Creators
Influencer Discovery Platforms That We Made Easy and Affordable
Common questions about Cure Media and IMA
What is the difference between Cure Media and IMA?
What is Cure Media known for?
What is IMA known for?
Which has bigger global reach?
How much do they cost?
Is IMA still independent?
Can I find creators myself with either?
Is there a software alternative to both agencies?
Written & reviewed by Flinque Research Team
Influencer Marketing Research · View team →
Our research team specialises in influencer marketing strategy, creator analytics and platform comparisons. Details on this page were verified against agency sites, public reporting and client review platforms in June 2026.
Disclaimer: Information here is collected from publicly available sources, third-party review sites and vendor pages. Pricing and features change, so confirm current details with each provider before buying. This content is for informational purposes only.
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