The Digital Dept vs CROWD

Choosing the right influencer marketing partner is a big decision. When brands look at agencies like The Digital Dept and CROWD, they usually want clear answers about results, creative style, cost, and how closely the agency will work with their team.

Influencer agency selection for growing brands

In this space, you’re not just buying content or reach. You’re choosing a team that will represent your brand with creators, handle day-to-day details, and turn social buzz into measurable growth.

What these agencies are known for

Both outfits are known as influencer-focused marketing agencies that help brands reach audiences through creators on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and beyond.

They generally offer end-to-end services: creator sourcing, outreach, contracts, creative direction, campaign management, and performance tracking, often wrapped into broader social or content support.

Where they tend to stand apart is in the mix of services, the scale of campaigns they take on, and how closely they work with in-house teams versus handling everything themselves.

In practice, this means some clients get a highly collaborative, strategic wraparound partnership, while others lean on these agencies as plugged-in experts to manage influencer programs with minimal oversight.

Inside The Digital Dept

This agency typically positions itself as a digitally native partner with a strong focus on social-led growth. Influencer marketing is often woven into a wider view of brand building online.

Services and what they actually do

Most brands engage them for influencer campaigns that tie into launch moments, product pushes, or ongoing always-on creator programs. Services usually include:

• Influencer identification and outreach
• Campaign planning and creative concepts
• Content briefs and approvals
• Contracting, compliance, and usage rights
• Reporting and performance insights

Depending on the client, they may also support broader digital activity, such as paid social amplification, social strategy, or partnerships with other publishers and creators.

Approach to campaigns

Campaigns often start with a clear performance or brand-building goal: awareness, sign-ups, sales, or community growth. From there, they usually map creators across tiers and platforms.

Execution typically blends storytelling with measurable outcomes. That might mean content concepts that feel native to each creator, plus tracking links, discount codes, or platform-specific metrics.

Most of their work leans into structured campaigns with defined timelines, deliverables, and reports rather than one-off posts with little follow-up.

Creator relationships

Agencies in this mold often grow networks of creators they know well and can brief efficiently. They may not be a “talent agency,” but they maintain strong working ties with recurring partners.

For brands, that can mean faster casting, better content quality, and smoother negotiations, since expectations are already understood on both sides.

It also helps with consistency for brands that want similar content styles or recurring collaborations over multiple launches or seasons.

Typical client fit

This kind of agency often fits brands that:

• Are past the early experiment stage with influencers
• Want measurable outcomes tied to online growth
• Prefer a partner who can handle both thinking and doing
• Need social content that works across several platforms

They tend to suit consumer-facing brands in sectors like beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and direct-to-consumer products, though they may work beyond those categories.

Inside CROWD

CROWD is generally known as an influencer-driven creative partner that can work across many markets. They often highlight reach, scale, and community-focused storytelling.

Services and scope of work

Like many influencer agencies, CROWD usually helps brands with:

• Creator discovery across regions or niches
• Campaign strategy and concepting
• Creator management and communication
• Content approvals and coordination
• Performance tracking and recap decks

They may also plug into broader brand activity such as event-based campaigns, social-first launches, or integrated content across multiple channels.

How campaigns are run

Campaigns often emphasize community, conversation, and storytelling around the brand. That might mean series-based content, recurring creator partnerships, or multi-market activations.

They typically handle the full flow from early creator lists to final reporting, so internal brand teams can stay focused on strategy and other channels.

For global or regional work, the focus tends to be on coordination, local culture fit, and ensuring the brand’s message feels native in each place it appears.

Working with creators

CROWD usually leans on a broad pool of influencers and creators, from micro to more established names. Their value is often in matching brand needs with the right voices at the right scale.

They manage outreach, negotiations, and day-to-day details, which reduces the pressure on in-house teams to handle dozens of separate creator relationships.

Over time, that often turns into ongoing creator communities that can be reactivated for new drops, seasonal pushes, and long-term storytelling.

Typical client fit

They tend to fit brands that:

• Want to reach audiences across several regions
• See influencers as a core brand channel, not a side test
• Prefer polished campaign wrap-ups and presentation-ready recaps
• Need a partner comfortable with larger creator counts

Large consumer brands, e-commerce businesses scaling into new markets, and companies with multi-country presence often find this style appealing.

How their approaches differ

On the surface, both are influencer marketing agencies. The differences matter in how they think, move, and plug into your existing team and goals.

Focus and style

One may feel more tightly linked to digital growth and performance-flavored influencer activity. The other may lean more heavily into scale, storytelling, and multi-market reach.

For a smaller or mid-sized brand, that might mean choosing between a partner who feels like an extension of your growth team versus one built for broader, high-reach campaigns.

Creative style also plays a role. Some agencies favor scrappy, native-feeling creator content; others design more structured, campaign-style storytelling.

Scale and geography

Differences can show up in the size of campaigns they commonly run, how many creators they activate, and which markets they know best.

If you’re mainly focused on one or two core markets, you might prioritize deep local expertise and closer day-to-day contact. For multi-country rollout, coordination systems may matter more.

Ask each about recent work that matches your size, platform mix, and target countries. That often tells you more than any capabilities list.

Client experience

The feel of working with each agency can be quite different. Some clients want a small, tight-knit team that moves quickly. Others prefer layered teams and established processes.

Consider how your internal team works. Do you want weekly working sessions and shared documents, or a more hands-off model where you mainly review key approvals?

Also look at how they report. You may need simple, clear outcomes for leadership, not complex metrics for every internal audience.

Pricing and how work is structured

Neither agency works on a basic subscription model. Pricing usually depends on campaign size, markets, platforms, and how involved they are across your channels.

Common pricing structures

Most influencer agencies price around a mix of:

• Campaign budgets for creator fees and content production
• Agency management fees for planning and execution
• Ongoing retainers if you run year-round activity
• Additional costs such as usage rights or paid boosting

They typically provide custom quotes after understanding your goals, product, and timeline instead of flat, public menus.

What drives cost up or down

The biggest drivers of cost usually include:

• Number and size of creators you want to work with
• Number of platforms involved
• How many markets you need to cover
• Length of campaign and content usage rights

Layered creative production, complex approvals, or heavy reporting requests can also add to management time and fees.

Engagement style

You might work with either agency on a one-off campaign, but many brands move toward ongoing retainers if the fit is strong.

Retainers usually give you a set number of hours, campaigns, or deliverables, plus priority access to the team and smoother planning across the year.

Always ask what’s included, what’s extra, and how they handle mid-campaign changes or unexpected needs.

Strengths and limitations to keep in mind

Every agency has areas where it shines and areas where it is less ideal. Understanding this helps set realistic expectations.

Where agencies like The Digital Dept stand out

Strengths might include:

• Strong link between influencer work and digital performance
• Closer, more collaborative relationships with brand teams
• Comfort with testing, learning, and iterating fast
• Integrated thinking across social, content, and influencers

Limitations may be capacity for very large, multi-country activations or ultra-high creator counts if they prioritize tight-knit campaigns.

Where partners like CROWD excel

Strengths might include:

• Ability to operate across many markets and languages
• Experience handling higher creator volumes
• Presentation-ready reporting suited to larger teams
• Familiarity with global brand processes

Limitations can arise for smaller brands that need intense day-to-day collaboration or scrappier experimentation rather than structured, scaled programs.

Common concerns brands raise

A frequent worry is paying for polished influencer work that looks good on social but doesn’t move real business numbers.

To reduce that risk, push both agencies to explain how they measure success, learn from results, and adjust the next wave of activity based on what actually works.

Who each agency is best for

Instead of asking “Which is better?”, it’s more useful to ask “Which is better for me right now?”

Best fit for a growth-focused digital brand

You may lean toward a more digitally rooted partner if you:

• Sell mainly online and track performance closely
• Want influencer work woven into overall digital growth
• Prefer nimble testing with clear metrics
• Need help running always-on creator programs

Best fit for a brand focused on reach and scale

You may gravitate toward a broader, scale-ready partner if you:

• Operate across several regions or plan to expand
• Need multi-country campaigns with many creators
• Want polished reporting for senior stakeholders
• See influencers as a main brand channel, not an add-on

Other factors to consider

Beyond size and markets, think about internal bandwidth. If your team is small, a more hands-on agency can feel like a lifesaver.

If you already have strong internal strategy and creative, you may just need an execution partner who can scale creator relationships efficiently.

Also check how open they are to sharing data, learnings, and playbooks instead of keeping everything inside their own systems.

When a platform alternative like Flinque makes sense

Agencies are not the only option. Some brands prefer to manage influencer work directly through software platforms.

What a platform offers

Tools like Flinque let brands discover creators, manage outreach, track content, and measure performance inside one workspace, without paying for full-service agency retainers.

You still handle the strategy and relationships, but you get structure and data in one place.

When a platform is a better fit

A platform-based approach can be smarter if you:

• Have in-house marketers or social managers with time to run campaigns
• Want to own creator relationships directly
• Prefer recurring software costs over variable agency fees
• Need to test influencer marketing before committing to large budgets

Some brands start with an agency to learn the ropes, then gradually bring work in-house using a platform as they grow experience and confidence.

FAQs

How should I choose between these influencer agencies?

Start with your goals, markets, and internal bandwidth. Then review each agency’s case studies, creative style, and client references. Choose the one whose past work and communication approach looks most like what you want over the next 12 to 24 months.

Can smaller brands work with these agencies?

Often yes, but project size matters. Many agencies prefer campaigns above a certain budget. If your budget is modest, ask about minimums early or consider starting with a platform or smaller pilot to prove value first.

What should I ask during the first call?

Ask about relevant case studies, how they pick creators, how they measure success, and what a typical campaign timeline looks like. Also ask who you’ll work with day-to-day and how they handle unexpected changes.

Do I lose control of my brand voice with an agency?

You shouldn’t. A good partner will work from clear guidelines, get approvals at key stages, and help creators interpret your voice in a natural way. Set expectations early about must-have messages, do-nots, and escalation paths.

How long before influencer campaigns show results?

Some effects, like reach and engagement, appear quickly. Sales and long-term brand lift usually take longer, especially for higher-priced products. Plan for several months of testing and learning rather than expecting one campaign to answer everything.

Conclusion: choosing the right partner

Your choice between these influencer agencies should come down to fit, not hype. Look at how they think about creators, how they work with clients like you, and how they judge success.

If you want deep collaboration and digital growth focus, a tightly knit team may suit you. If you need multi-market scale and structured programs, a more global outfit might be better.

And if you’d rather keep control in-house, consider a platform-based setup, especially if you have marketers ready to own relationships and learning.

Whichever path you choose, be clear about goals, budget, and how you’ll measure impact before you sign anything. That clarity will matter more than any single agency name.

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.