The Digital Dept vs IMA

Why brands look at these two influencer partners

When marketers weigh up The Digital Dept vs IMA, they are usually choosing between two established influencer marketing agencies with different strengths. Both help brands work with creators, but they differ in style, scale, and the kind of partnerships they build.

Most teams want to know who will actually move the needle on sales, who really understands creators, and which partner fits their budget and way of working. That’s where a clear look at each agency becomes useful.

Influencer marketing agency choice

The primary theme here is influencer marketing agency choice. You are not just choosing an outside supplier. You are choosing a team that will touch your brand voice, customer trust, and often your product story.

That is why it helps to understand how each agency thinks about creators, content, and performance.

What each agency is known for

Both organisations focus on influencer campaigns, but they show up differently in the market. Think of them as two routes to the same goal: getting the right people talking about your brand, in a believable way.

The Digital Dept at a glance

The Digital Dept is generally associated with a modern, social-first mindset. It leans into platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, often with a strong emphasis on creative storytelling and content that looks native to each channel.

Brands often seek them out when they want fresh, culture-aware work that still ladders back to clear business outcomes such as awareness, engagement, or sales lift.

IMA at a glance

IMA is widely known as a global influencer marketing player based in Europe, frequently handling cross-border campaigns. It often works with lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and consumer brands aiming for multi-country reach.

Many marketers see IMA as a fit when they need large-scale rollouts, structure, and a track record of coordinating creators in multiple regions at once.

Inside The Digital Dept’s approach

The Digital Dept positions itself as a partner that blends creative campaigns with measurable outcomes. It usually focuses on connecting brands with mid to top-tier creators who can tell a strong brand story without feeling like an ad.

Services you can usually expect

While exact offers vary over time, brands typically look to this agency for end-to-end support. That usually includes planning, creator casting, content direction, and performance review, rather than isolated one-off tasks.

• Influencer strategy and concept development
• Creator discovery, vetting, and contracting
• Content direction and creative briefs
• Campaign management and coordination
• Reporting based on reach, engagement, and in some cases sales

The focus tends to sit between creative storytelling and performance, trying to keep both in balance.

How The Digital Dept runs campaigns

Campaigns typically start with a clear brief around your goals. That might be launching a new product, shifting brand perception, or driving traffic to an online store.

The team then matches you with creators whose audience and style align with your brand. They usually encourage content that feels natural to the influencer’s feed, while still reflecting key messages.

Timelines, deliverables, and review points are clearly set, and content is monitored while the work is live. The agency looks at what is working and may suggest adjustments for future phases.

Creator relationships and style

The Digital Dept tends to lean into collaborative relationships with creators. That often means giving influencers room to interpret the brief in their own voice.

This style is useful if your brand values authenticity and is comfortable not approving every word, as long as there are clear guardrails and non-negotiables.

Typical client fit for The Digital Dept

This agency often fits brands that want to feel close to culture but still need structure and clear reporting. It can work well for companies that:

• Want social-first launches and storytelling
• Have clear product stories suited to visual platforms
• Value tight creative direction but also creator freedom
• Operate in lifestyle, beauty, fashion, or direct-to-consumer niches

Inside IMA’s approach

IMA is widely recognised for large, often international, campaigns and long experience in influencer marketing. It usually helps brands that want both scale and coordination across several markets.

Core services and support

Like many established influencer agencies, IMA tends to offer full-funnel service. This can include collaboration from early idea through to detailed reporting at campaign end.

• Influencer strategy and concepting
• Creator identification and relationship management
• Contracting, compliance, and usage rights
• Campaign execution across multiple regions
• Measurement, recap decks, and insights

Brands that need tight organisation and cross-border logistics often see this as a key strength.

How IMA usually runs campaigns

IMA generally starts by defining your target markets and audiences. They then outline an influencer framework per region, including creator tiers and content formats.

Creators are briefed with clear brand guidelines, and campaigns roll out on set timelines. For bigger brands, there may be several waves of content over months, blending awareness and more direct response pushes.

Campaigns are tracked with agreed metrics, such as reach, engagement, and traffic or sales attributed through unique links or codes when possible.

Creator relationships and style

IMA manages relationships with a wide range of creators, from niche profiles to household names. The tone can feel more structured, especially on global campaigns, where consistency is essential.

This is helpful when your brand needs tighter message control, legal oversight, and coordination between markets and internal teams.

Typical client fit for IMA

IMA often aligns with larger or fast-growing brands seeking international reach. It can be a match if you:

• Run marketing in several countries or plan to expand
• Need rigorous processes and multi-team coordination
• Care strongly about brand safety and approvals
• Operate in fashion, lifestyle, travel, consumer tech, or FMCG

How their approaches feel different

On the surface, both agencies help you find and manage influencers. In practice, the experience can feel quite different depending on your goals and internal setup.

Scale and geography

IMA is often associated with multi-country campaigns and broader geographic scope. It is built to handle complex, layered projects that require coordination across many markets.

The Digital Dept may focus more on depth within selected markets and a strong creative presence on key platforms, rather than covering dozens of countries at once.

Creative style and flexibility

The Digital Dept tends to lean into flexible, creator-led storytelling that feels native to each platform. This can be powerful for brands wanting a modern, less scripted feel.

IMA’s work, especially at scale, can be more structured. That offers consistency and control, which is valuable if you have strict brand guidelines or regulatory considerations.

Client experience and communication

With either agency, you’ll have a point of contact or account team. The difference is often in how decisions are made and how quickly things can change mid-flight.

More boutique setups can sometimes move faster and customise workflows. Larger structures may include more stakeholders but deliver stronger governance, documentation, and internal alignment.

Pricing and how engagements usually work

Influencer agencies rarely publish fixed price lists, because costs depend on many moving parts. Both organisations tend to offer custom quotes built around your scope and goals.

How influencer campaign budgets are shaped

When you request pricing, the agency usually asks about your target markets, platforms, campaign duration, and the type of creators you want. Bigger names and more deliverables obviously raise the budget.

• Influencer fees and content usage rights
• Agency strategy and management time
• Production support, if any filming is involved
• Paid media or whitelisting, if creators’ content is boosted

These elements are then packaged into either a single campaign quote or a longer-term arrangement.

Project-based work versus retainers

Both agencies can usually work on stand-alone campaigns or ongoing retainers. A one-off project suits product launches or seasonal pushes.

Retainers make more sense when you want continuous creator activity, ambassador programs, or ongoing content production. In that case, monthly management fees often sit alongside rolling creator payments.

What influences final cost the most

For both organisations, the biggest levers on cost are:

• Number and tier of influencers involved
• Number of markets and languages
• Volume of content, usage rights, and length of use
• How much strategic and creative support you need

*A common concern is whether influencer work will actually justify these budgets,* which is why asking about reporting and success stories upfront matters.

Strengths and limitations to keep in mind

No agency is perfect for every brand. The key is to understand where each shines and where you might feel friction.

Strengths you might value

• The Digital Dept often excels at social-first creativity that feels modern and closely tied to online culture.
• IMA brings experience in large-scale, often global, influencer programs with rigorous coordination.
• Both have processes for vetting creators and aligning content with brand guidelines.

Potential limitations to consider

• Smaller brands or early-stage companies may find full service influencer agencies expensive.
• Highly creative, flexible work can feel less predictable in outcome, even when well planned.
• Large, global setups may feel slower or more rigid for teams that want to experiment quickly.

*Many marketers quietly worry that they will invest heavily and still end up with content that does not move sales enough.* Clear KPIs and honest conversations help reduce this risk.

Who each agency is best for

Instead of asking which agency is “better,” it is more useful to ask which is better for your stage, category, and tolerance for risk and experimentation.

When The Digital Dept can be the right fit

• You want fresh, social-first creative that feels very native to TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube.
• Your team is comfortable giving creators room to experiment within guidelines.
• You need strong execution in a few key markets rather than a huge global rollout.
• You measure success in both brand resonance and performance metrics.

When IMA can be the right fit

• You operate in or plan to enter multiple regions and want unified influencer activity.
• You prefer detailed processes, approvals, and central coordination.
• Your brand has established guidelines that must be closely followed.
• You’re ready to commit meaningful budgets to large-scale campaigns.

Questions to ask yourself before choosing

• Do we need one main market or a global footprint?
• Do we value bold creativity or tight control more?
• How much internal time can we dedicate to influencer work?
• Are we looking for test-and-learn or proven, structured rollouts?

When a platform like Flinque makes more sense

Full service agencies are not the only route. Some brands use platforms to manage influencer work themselves, either instead of or alongside agencies.

What Flinque offers in this space

Flinque is a platform-based alternative that helps brands discover creators and manage campaigns without signing full agency retainers. It usually appeals to teams that want more hands-on control and are comfortable managing relationships directly.

When a platform can beat an agency

• Your budget is limited, but your team has time to manage outreach and briefs.
• You prefer direct relationships with influencers and want granular visibility.
• You run many small campaigns or always-on gifting programs.
• You want to test a lot before committing to a larger agency partnership.

In some cases, brands even combine approaches, using platforms for smaller activations and agencies for major launches.

FAQs

How do I choose between these influencer agencies?

Start by mapping your goals, markets, and budget. Then speak with each agency about past work in your category. The right choice is the partner whose experience, process, and communication style fit your needs and internal resources.

Do I need a big budget to work with these agencies?

You generally need a meaningful budget, because costs include both creator fees and agency time. However, scope can often be scaled. Be transparent about your budget range early so the team can shape realistic options.

Can these agencies guarantee sales results from influencer campaigns?

No reputable agency will guarantee specific sales numbers, because many factors affect performance. They can, however, forecast likely ranges, share benchmarks, and design campaigns that are set up to drive measurable outcomes.

How long does it take to launch an influencer campaign?

Timelines vary. For planned campaigns with multiple creators, expect several weeks for strategy, casting, contracts, and content production. Larger international activations can take months from initial briefing to final reporting.

Should I use an agency or build an in-house influencer team?

If influencer work is central to your marketing for years ahead, building in-house can make sense. Agencies remain useful for specialist expertise, surge capacity, and complex campaigns your internal team is not yet ready to handle alone.

Conclusion

Your choice between these influencer partners should come down to fit, not just reputation. Look closely at their work, talk to their teams, and ask how they would approach your specific brief.

Clarify your markets, appetite for experimentation, and how much support you need. From there, decide whether a full service agency, a platform like Flinque, or a mix of both best supports your next stage of growth.

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.