Open Influence vs Fanbytes

clock Jan 06,2026

Why brands compare influencer campaign partners

When you start looking at influencer marketing agencies, it’s easy to feel lost. Names like Open Influence and Fanbytes keep popping up, each promising standout creator campaigns.

You’re usually trying to answer simple questions: Who gets my audience? Who understands my brand? And who will actually move the needle?

Table of Contents

What each agency is known for

Our primary keyword here is influencer marketing agencies, because that’s what you’re really choosing between: two service partners that help brands work with creators at scale.

Both agencies focus on pairing brands with creators, handling campaign logistics, and turning social content into sales or brand lift.

What Open Influence is associated with

Open Influence is widely recognized as a global influencer shop working across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other major platforms.

They often lean into data, creative strategy, and large-scale campaign execution for bigger companies and well funded teams.

What Fanbytes is associated with

Fanbytes, now part of Brainlabs, is strongly linked with Gen Z, TikTok culture, and youth led trends.

They became known for early moves into TikTok, Snapchat, and short form content with a strong focus on younger audiences.

Open Influence: services and style

Open Influence positions itself as a full service influencer partner for brands that want reach across multiple markets and channels.

Their focus usually spans awareness, content production, and measurable performance, rather than just a handful of one off posts.

Core services you can expect

  • Influencer strategy and campaign planning
  • Creator discovery and vetting across platforms
  • Creative concepts and content direction
  • Contracting, approvals, and rights management
  • Campaign management and communication
  • Reporting, insights, and recommendations

In practice, this means they handle most of the heavy lifting from idea to final report.

How Open Influence tends to run campaigns

Campaigns typically start with a clear brief: audience, regions, platforms, brand message, and goals.

The agency will then recommend creators, refine concepts, and coordinate content deadlines, approvals, and posting schedules.

You’re usually involved at key decision steps, but the day to day coordination is largely handled by their team.

Creator relationships and network

Open Influence works with a large pool of creators rather than only a small roster of “signed talent.”

This open network model lets them match niche needs, like vegan food influencers in Germany or tech YouTubers in the US.

They typically mix mega, macro, and micro creators depending on your budget and goals.

Typical client fit for Open Influence

Open Influence often appeals to:

  • Global or multi country brands
  • Consumer products with wide audiences
  • Entertainment, fashion, beauty, tech, and lifestyle companies
  • Teams that want data informed decisions and deeper reporting

If your internal team wants structure, process, and broad reach, this style can feel reassuring.

Fanbytes: services and style

Fanbytes built its name by focusing hard on Gen Z and youth culture, especially on TikTok and similar platforms.

Now under Brainlabs, it tends to sit at the intersection of influencer work, social creative, and performance driven campaigns.

Core services you can expect

  • TikTok and short form video campaigns
  • Creator sourcing with a Gen Z focus
  • Creative concepting tailored to trends
  • End to end campaign management
  • Paid support, such as boosting creator content
  • Reporting around views, engagement, and conversions

They often emphasize playful, trend aware content that feels native to younger audiences.

How Fanbytes tends to run campaigns

Campaigns often start with your growth objective, such as app installs, music streams, or product trials among younger users.

The team then leans into trends, challenges, and formats that feel authentic on TikTok or Snapchat.

They likely manage creator coordination while you approve key concepts and content.

Creator relationships and style of work

Fanbytes works closely with a large pool of TikTok and youth focused creators.

They tend to value creators who understand meme culture, sounds, and trends that move quickly.

If your brand is open to playful, less polished content, this is usually where they shine.

Typical client fit for Fanbytes

Fanbytes often fits:

  • Brands targeting teens and young adults
  • Mobile apps, gaming, music, and youth retail
  • Companies wanting a strong TikTok presence
  • Teams comfortable with fast moving trends and informal content

If you care most about Gen Z attention, this angle can be very appealing.

How these agencies really differ

Although they both run creator campaigns, they feel different in focus and flavor.

The contrast is less about tools and more about audience focus, style of content, and geographic reach.

Audience and platform focus

Open Influence often spreads across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and more, covering multiple age groups.

Campaigns can be long term brand programs or integrated launches with many creators across regions.

Fanbytes tends to live closer to short form video and younger viewers, especially on TikTok.

Creative tone and content style

Open Influence content often leans toward polished storytelling with brand aligned visuals.

You can still get playful concepts, but there’s usually a strong brand guardrail and narrative.

Fanbytes often pushes into bolder, trend led creative that matches what people naturally share on TikTok.

Scale and footprint

Open Influence positions itself as a global agency with experience handling larger, multi market campaigns.

They are often attractive to companies with many stakeholders, regions, and teams.

Fanbytes, while part of a larger group now, is still mainly associated with youth heavy, social first campaigns.

Client experience and expectations

Working with Open Influence may feel like partnering with a creative and media style agency focused on influencers.

You can expect structured reports, planning documents, and a process around approvals.

Working with Fanbytes may feel more like joining a TikTok native crew that understands what “cool” looks like to younger users.

Pricing approach and how work happens

Neither agency uses a simple menu of fixed prices. Costs shift based on goals, markets, and creator levels.

Instead, you’ll usually receive a custom quote after an initial conversation about scope.

How influencer agency pricing usually works

  • Creator fees: what influencers are paid for content and usage
  • Agency fees: strategy, management, and reporting
  • Production: extra shoots, editing, or studio work if needed
  • Media spend: paid boosting or whitelisting posts
  • Geography: rates differ by country and audience size

Campaign length and number of posts will also affect your final budget.

Engagement styles you can expect

Common ways of working include:

  • One off campaigns around specific launches
  • Multi month or annual retainers for ongoing programs
  • Pilots or tests that can scale up if results are strong

The right setup depends on whether you see creator work as a one time push or a long term channel.

Budget ranges without hard numbers

While public price lists are rare, both agencies typically work with brands that can support multi creator campaigns.

Micro budgets with only one or two creators are less common unless part of a test phase.

Expect to discuss budget bands, not exact numbers upfront.

Strengths and limitations of each

Every agency has trade offs. The goal is to match those trade offs to your needs, not chase perfection.

A common concern brands share is whether an agency really understands their audience or is just repeating what worked for someone else.

Where Open Influence tends to be strong

  • Handling complex, multi region campaigns
  • Bringing structure, process, and clear reporting
  • Blending creative ideas with data and insights
  • Access to a wide variety of creator types and sizes

This can be reassuring for bigger teams with multiple stakeholders and legal review steps.

Where Open Influence may feel limiting

  • May be more than you need for very small tests
  • Process depth can feel slow for ultra fast experiments
  • Best suited for brands comfortable with larger budgets

If you’re very early stage, this level of structure can feel heavy.

Where Fanbytes tends to be strong

  • Deep understanding of Gen Z culture and slang
  • Quick adaptation to TikTok and short form trends
  • Creative concepts that feel native to youth platforms
  • Experience with apps, gaming, and youth focused launches

Young audiences often respond better when content feels like friends, not polished ads.

Where Fanbytes may feel limiting

  • Less natural fit for older, more traditional audiences
  • Trend heavy content may age quickly
  • Brands needing very tight corporate tone may feel uneasy

If your core buyer is 45 plus, you may not need such a youth first focus.

Who each agency is best for

To make this practical, it helps to think in terms of brand type, audience, and comfort with risk.

Best fit scenarios for Open Influence

  • Global consumer brands looking for multi market impact
  • Retail, CPG, tech, and fashion companies with wide audiences
  • Marketing teams needing structured reporting and governance
  • Brands planning always on influencer programs year round

If you already work with media and creative agencies, this style often integrates well.

Best fit scenarios for Fanbytes

  • Apps, games, and entertainment firms targeting younger users
  • Music, fashion, and streetwear brands prioritizing TikTok
  • Companies launching youth focused sub brands or campaigns
  • Marketers who value bold, playful content over strict polish

If you want to “speak TikTok” without forcing it, Fanbytes’ experience can help.

Real world style examples

Imagine a global sportswear label launching a new running shoe across regions. Open Influence’s broad network and process could be a fit.

Now picture a new mobile game trying to go viral among students on TikTok. Fanbytes’ Gen Z expertise may suit that better.

When a platform like Flinque makes more sense

Not every brand needs a full service agency. Some prefer more control and lower ongoing fees.

This is where a platform based option like Flinque can come into play.

What a platform like Flinque offers

  • Self directed influencer discovery and outreach
  • Campaign tracking in one workspace
  • Less reliance on agency retainers
  • More direct relationships with creators over time

Instead of paying for full planning and management, you pay mainly for software and your own team’s time.

When a platform first approach fits

  • You have an in house marketer who can manage creators
  • You want to run many small tests before scaling
  • Your budget is limited, but you still want structure
  • You prefer building long term creator relationships directly

In some cases, brands start on a platform and later graduate to agencies for larger, cross market programs.

FAQs

How do I choose between these two agencies?

Start with your audience and main channel. If you need multi market reach and structure, lean toward a global partner. If TikTok and Gen Z are your focus, a youth driven shop may be a better fit.

Can smaller brands work with these influencer marketing agencies?

It depends on your budget and goals. Some smaller brands do partner with larger agencies, but you’ll usually need enough spend for several creators and proper management fees.

Should I prioritize TikTok or Instagram for my campaign?

Choose based on who you’re trying to reach and what you’re selling. TikTok often suits younger, discovery driven products. Instagram can work across more ages and supports polished visuals and shopping.

Do these agencies guarantee sales results?

No reputable influencer agency can guarantee specific sales. They can align campaigns with performance goals and track conversions, but sales depend on product, pricing, timing, and many outside factors.

Is a platform like Flinque cheaper than hiring an agency?

A platform usually has lower service costs but requires more of your team’s time. Agencies cost more in fees but reduce your workload. Total cost depends on your internal resources and campaign scale.

Choosing the right partner

Choosing between agencies comes down to three things: your audience, your budget, and how involved you want to be.

If you want global reach, structure, and broad demographic coverage, a larger full service partner may make sense.

If your heart is set on capturing Gen Z attention through TikTok and trends, a youth focused specialist could be stronger.

For teams with tighter budgets and in house talent, a platform solution like Flinque can offer more control with less ongoing agency cost.

Clarify your goals, outline your non negotiables, and then speak openly with each option. The right partner will make your plans clearer, not more confusing.

Disclaimer

All information on this page is collected from publicly available sources, third party search engines, AI powered tools and general online research. We do not claim ownership of any external data and accuracy may vary. This content is for informational purposes only.

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