The Digital Dept vs Stargazer

Why brands look at these two influencer partners

When brands explore influencer marketing agencies, they often end up weighing The Digital Dept against Stargazer. Both focus on helping companies work with creators, but they feel very different in style, services, and who they suit best.

You’re usually trying to answer simple questions: Who will handle more of the work? Who understands my industry? And who will treat creators and my brand with equal care?

Influencer agency choice overview

The core topic here is influencer marketing agency choice. That’s what most brand leaders care about: finding a partner who can reliably turn creator content into real business results.

Both teams help brands plan, source, manage, and measure creator campaigns, but they lean into different specialties and ways of working.

What each agency is known for

Before you pick a partner, it helps to understand how each one shows up in the market. Their reputation gives clues about fit, expectations, and likely working style.

The Digital Dept at a glance

The Digital Dept is generally seen as a modern, strategy-driven influencer shop. They tend to highlight creative storytelling, brand alignment, and campaigns that feel native to each platform.

They often appeal to brands that want tighter creative control, clear messaging, and a partner that thinks about the full customer journey, not just one-off influencer posts.

Stargazer at a glance

Stargazer is often associated with performance-focused influencer work. They lean into measurable outcomes, content volume, and scaling creator programs across channels.

They usually attract brands comfortable with testing, optimizing, and using influencers as a key growth channel, especially on social and video-driven platforms.

Inside The Digital Dept

This agency is built for brands that care about the story behind every collaboration. The focus is on thoughtful campaigns that match your tone, values, and customers.

Services the team usually offers

While exact services evolve, you’ll typically see this group handling end-to-end influencer work. That can include strategy, creator sourcing, contract negotiation, content guidance, and reporting.

They often plug into your broader marketing mix, making sure influencer content supports launches, always-on content, and even paid amplification.

How their campaigns tend to run

The Digital Dept usually starts with understanding your brand deeply. They’ll ask about positioning, customer personas, and past marketing wins or failures.

From there, they move into planning creator concepts, mapping content formats, and defining what success looks like, often beyond surface-level metrics.

Working with creators through this agency

This team typically focuses on matching influencers whose audience and values genuinely align with your brand. They prioritize fit and credibility over just follower size.

Creators often receive clear briefs, structured timelines, and feedback loops. That can lead to more polished content, though sometimes with less spontaneous experimentation.

Typical client fit for The Digital Dept

This shop often fits brands that want a steady partner rather than quick, one-off campaigns. They can be a good match for companies that care about brand safety and long-term relationships.

They usually resonate with marketers who prefer clear planning and storytelling over purely performance-driven experiments.

Inside Stargazer

Stargazer is generally built for brands that want influencer activity to connect directly to growth metrics. They lean toward scalable workflows and data-backed decisions.

Services this agency usually covers

Like many full-service influencer shops, Stargazer typically handles discovery, outreach, negotiation, campaign coordination, and performance reporting.

They are often comfortable running larger numbers of creators in a single campaign, across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and other social platforms.

How their campaigns tend to run

Stargazer usually emphasizes testing. They might work with many creators, measure early results, and scale partnerships that perform best.

This approach suits brands ready to move quickly, tweak creative, and double down on what resonates with real audiences.

Creator relationships and style

Because of the volume some campaigns reach, relationships often focus on efficiency and outcomes. Clear deliverables, deadlines, and performance goals guide the work.

Creators who like experimentation and frequent campaigns may enjoy this style, especially in fast-moving niches like direct-to-consumer and mobile apps.

Typical client fit for Stargazer

Stargazer often appeals to brands that are comfortable treating influencers like a performance channel, similar to paid social. Think ecommerce, digital products, or user acquisition-focused businesses.

These marketers tend to care heavily about tracking, attribution, and seeing clear returns on creator spend.

How these agencies really differ

On paper, both partners run influencer campaigns, but the experience and emphasis feel different when you’re the client.

Mindset and starting point

The Digital Dept often starts from your brand story, then finds creators who can tell it well. Stargazer more often starts from performance goals, then tests which creators can hit them.

Neither approach is automatically better. It depends whether your priority is shaping perception or driving measurable conversions.

Scale and campaign structure

The Digital Dept may lean toward tighter, more curated creator casts. Stargazer is typically more comfortable scaling out to larger rosters and testing many voices.

If your team wants a small group of long-term partners, one will feel more natural. If you want broad reach through lots of creators, the other may shine.

Client experience and collaboration

Working with The Digital Dept may feel more like creative partnership, with deeper discussions around messaging and visual tone.

Engaging with Stargazer can feel more like growth marketing, with emphasis on experiments, data, and rapid iteration on content formats and scripts.

Pricing and engagement style

Neither agency runs on flat SaaS plans. Pricing is shaped by scope, creator fees, and how involved the team is across strategy and execution.

How agencies typically charge

Most influencer agencies combine a management fee with pass-through creator costs. Sometimes there’s also a strategic or creative fee at the start of a program.

Budgets often cover outreach, campaign management, content review, reporting, and any paid amplification or usage rights you negotiate.

What can influence the quote

• Number of creators you want to work with
• Platforms involved, like TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram
• Content volume and formats required
• Regions or languages covered in the campaign
• Length of the relationship, one-off versus ongoing retainer
• Level of creative development and strategy required

Expect custom quotes from both agencies based on your goals, timing, and expected workload.

Engagement style over time

The Digital Dept may favor ongoing retainers, where they become an extension of your brand team. Stargazer can also work on repeating projects, especially when scaling successful tests.

In both cases, multi-month commitments often unlock better planning, stronger creator relationships, and more predictable results.

Strengths and limitations

Every partner has trade-offs. Understanding them early helps you keep expectations realistic and choose what truly fits your situation.

Where The Digital Dept tends to shine

• Deep brand understanding and storytelling focus
• Thoughtful creator selection tied to your values
• Content that feels on-brand across channels
• Support integrating influencer content with other marketing

A common concern is whether this level of thoughtfulness slows down speed or testing new angles.

Where Stargazer often excels

• Running campaigns at greater scale with many creators
• Performance-driven mindset tied to measurable outcomes
• Comfort with rapid testing and optimization
• Working well for brands focused on user or sales growth

Some marketers worry that a heavy focus on performance may make content feel more like ads than organic creator stories.

Limitations to keep in mind

The Digital Dept may not be the best fit if you want aggressive performance testing with dozens or hundreds of creators at once.

Stargazer may be less ideal if your main goal is building a very crafted, premium brand story with a small circle of creators.

Who each agency suits best

Matching your brand stage, goals, and comfort level with their strengths makes choosing far easier.

Best fit scenarios for The Digital Dept

• Established brands guarding a clear, premium positioning
• Consumer brands wanting consistent messaging across creators
• Companies planning bigger launches or seasonal moments
• Teams that want close creative collaboration and input
• Marketers who track brand lift alongside direct sales

Best fit scenarios for Stargazer

• Direct-to-consumer brands focused on revenue growth
• Apps, games, or digital services chasing user acquisition
• Newer brands seeking reach and rapid experimentation
• Teams comfortable testing many creators at once
• Marketers who prioritize trackable performance metrics

When a platform alternative makes sense

Not every brand needs a full-service agency retainer. Some teams prefer more control and are willing to handle day-to-day work themselves.

How a platform like Flinque fits in

Flinque is a platform-based option that lets brands find creators, manage outreach, and run campaigns without hiring an agency team.

It suits marketers who want to keep budgets lean, own creator relationships directly, and build internal knowledge about what works over time.

Cases where a platform may be better

• You have an in-house marketer ready to manage campaigns
• Your budget is modest but you still want to test influencers
• You prefer direct control over creator selection and messaging
• You plan lots of smaller, ongoing collaborations instead of big spikes

If you’re comfortable with more hands-on work, a platform can reduce long-term management fees and increase transparency.

FAQs

How should I choose between these influencer agencies?

Start with your main goal. If you prioritize brand storytelling and curated partnerships, lean toward a strategy-focused team. If you want rapid testing and clear performance metrics, a growth-oriented agency will usually feel more natural.

Can smaller brands work with these agencies?

Yes, but scope matters. Smaller brands can often start with limited campaigns, fewer creators, or test projects. Be honest about your budget and expectations so each agency can recommend something realistic.

How long does it take to see results?

Most influencer efforts need at least one to three months to plan, launch, and gather meaningful data. Ongoing programs often show stronger results as creators refine messaging and content formats with your team.

Do I lose control over messaging with an agency?

No, but you do share control. Agencies typically draft briefs and guidelines with you, then give creators room to speak in their own voice. Clear feedback loops help maintain brand safety while keeping content authentic.

Is a platform or agency better for long-term success?

Both can work long term. Agencies suit teams that want outside expertise and less operational load. Platforms suit teams that prefer building internal skills. Many brands eventually blend both, using platforms plus selective agency support.

Conclusion: choosing the right fit

Your choice ultimately comes down to goals, budget, and how involved you want to be. A story-led partner tends to shine when brand perception and premium positioning matter most.

A performance-leaning agency may suit you better if you’re chasing measurable growth and can handle a faster, more experimental pace.

If you want deep support and less internal work, lean toward a full-service team. If you prefer control and flexibility, try a platform and build your own workflows.

Whichever route you choose, be clear about success metrics, timelines, and non-negotiables. That clarity, more than the agency name, will shape your outcome.

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.