The Digital Dept vs August United: Which to Pick
Two US agencies inside bigger groups. The Digital Dept leads with talent representation and a managed creator roster. August United runs micro and mid-tier brand campaigns. Talent-first versus campaign-first. Here is which fits, plus a software route.
Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose The Digital Dept if
- You want talent management and representation
- You want access to a managed creator roster
- You want entertainment and pop-culture reach
Choose August United if
- You want micro and mid-tier brand campaigns
- You want owned creator communities built
- You want a holding-company backed team
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
The Digital Dept vs August United vs Flinque
Fourteen factors across all three, from agency type to real minimums. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | The Digital Dept | August United | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Brands wanting talent-first creator access | US brands wanting micro and mid-tier reach | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Agency type | Talent management and influencer firm | Full-service agency, part of McKinney | Self-serve software, not an agency |
| Engagement model | Managed, talent and campaigns | Managed campaigns | Flat monthly subscription |
| Typical minimum | Undisclosed | Undisclosed, mid-market to enterprise | Free, then $49/mo |
| Published pricing | No | No | $0 to $150/mo, public |
| Creator network | 200+ exclusively managed creators | Micro and mid-tier creators, owned communities | 10M+ verified, 200 data points each |
| Platforms covered | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X |
| Services | Talent management plus brand campaigns | Strategy, partnerships, content, communities | Discovery, vetting and audience data |
| Campaign management | fully managed | fully managed | You run it, software assists |
| Content and usage rights | Per campaign or representation | Per campaign | You negotiate directly with creators |
| Paid amplification | Organic and paid influencer strategy | Part of campaigns | Run your own whitelisting |
| Measurement and reporting | Reporting plus Dolphin network | Reporting and analytics | Audience and fake-follower data built in |
| Team and locations | US, formed 2023 | Phoenix, influencer focus since 2015 | 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 The Digital Dept
The Digital Dept leads with talent. It was formed in 2023 from the merger of two well-known influencer companies, Be Social and Socialyte, as a subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment, with Co-CEOs Sarah Boyd and Ali Grant. The make-up is talent-first: a full-service influencer marketing and talent management firm built on a roster of more than 200 exclusively managed creators reaching a combined audience above 200 million. Sitting inside Dolphin, it taps PR houses like 42West, The Door and Shore Fire Media for earned media and production.
That means brands get both sides of the table: representation and a managed roster, plus organic and paid influencer campaigns, with entertainment and pop-culture access through the Dolphin network. Pricing is not published. Against August United, The Digital Dept is the talent-first, roster-led option, where August United runs campaign-first brand programs. The next section covers August United. A brand that would rather run its own creator search has a third route.
What The Digital Dept does well
- Talent management plus brand campaigns
- 200+ exclusively managed creators
- Backed by Dolphin Entertainment network
- Strong entertainment and pop-culture access
Where it falls short
- Roster-led, not open search
- No public pricing
- Managed only, no self-serve search
- US-centric
What is August United
August United comes at the market campaign-first. Built on a two-decade-old business that refocused on influencer marketing in 2015, the Phoenix agency grew into a top-ten influencer shop with a clear strength in micro and mid-tier creators and in building owned creator communities for brands. McKinney, the Cheil Worldwide agency, acquired it in January 2023 alongside the performance arm Tailwind. August United now runs as part of McKinney.
So a brand here taps a micro and mid-tier specialist sitting under a bigger creative and media agency, handling strategy, partnership management, content and reporting end to end. Pricing is not published. Where The Digital Dept leads with a managed talent roster, August United leads with brand campaigns and community building. One represents creators, the other runs programs for brands. For brands that want to run discovery themselves, there is a third path.
What August United does well
- Strong in micro and mid-tier creators
- Builds owned creator communities
- Backed by McKinney and Cheil Worldwide
- Full-service from strategy to reporting
Where it falls short
- Brand now absorbed into McKinney
- No public pricing
- US-centric
- Managed only, no self-serve search
Head to head
The Digital Dept and August United are both US agencies inside bigger groups, yet they enter from opposite ends. The Digital Dept leads with talent representation and a roster of 200-plus managed creators under Dolphin Entertainment. August United leads with micro and mid-tier brand campaigns and owned communities, now under McKinney. One represents creators. The other runs programs for brands. Your need, talent access or campaign delivery, picks the side.
Flinque is the option that is neither. It is discovery software: 10M verified creators across four platforms, a fake-follower score on each and one published price, so you find and vet creators yourself with no roster and no retainer.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
You want talent-first access
You want a managed creator roster plus brand campaigns with entertainment reach. The Digital Dept, under Dolphin, works that way.
→ Pick The Digital DeptYou want micro and mid-tier campaigns
You want micro and mid-tier programs and owned communities from a US team backed by McKinney. August United fits.
→ Pick August UnitedYou want to run discovery yourself
No roster, 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
Both are quote-led managed agencies. 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.
Influencer Discovery Platforms That We Made Easy and Affordable
Find Influencers for $49 a Month: Flinque vs Modash and HypeAuditor (2026)
Common questions about The Digital Dept and August United
What is the difference between The Digital Dept and August United?
How was The Digital Dept formed?
Is August United still independent?
Which manages creator talent?
How much do they cost?
What does August United specialise in?
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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