The Shelf vs NewGen

Why brands weigh up two different influencer agencies

When brands look at The Shelf and NewGen, they are really asking one thing: which partner will actually move the needle on sales, awareness, and content. You want more than pretty posts. You want real outcomes, clear communication, and influencers who truly fit your customers.

Most marketers also need help cutting through hype. Every agency talks about being “data driven” and “creative.” You need to know what these teams are actually like to work with, and which style fits your brand, budget, and timeline.

The primary topic here is influencer agency comparison. By the end, you should feel clearer about which direction makes sense, and what questions to ask before signing anything.

What each agency is known for

Both agencies position themselves as partners that handle influencer strategy, creator outreach, and campaign execution for consumer brands. They typically step in when internal teams are stretched thin or lack influencer experience.

The Shelf is widely associated with creative, narrative-driven campaigns. They often highlight storytelling, detailed briefs, and a strong focus on brand alignment. Their online presence leans into case studies and thought leadership.

NewGen tends to be framed as a younger, trend-attuned partner focused on short-form content and fast-moving social platforms. They often emphasize social-native thinking, speed, and an understanding of how Gen Z and younger millennials behave online.

In many ways, you’re choosing between a more story-heavy, structured approach and a more culture-native, reactive one. Both can work; the right fit depends on your goals, timelines, and internal resources.

The Shelf: services and style

The Shelf is primarily known as a full service influencer marketing agency that takes brands from strategy through reporting. They often attract marketers who want a partner to deeply understand their brand world and build campaigns around that.

Services The Shelf usually offers

While specific services can shift over time, The Shelf typically promotes a broad set of offerings across the influencer lifecycle.

• Influencer strategy and campaign planning
• Influencer discovery and vetting across multiple platforms
• Creative concepting and content direction
• Contracting, compliance, and negotiations
• Campaign management and communication with creators
• Content approvals and quality control
• Basic performance tracking and wrap reports

Some brands lean on them not just for influencer work, but as an extension of the marketing team that can coordinate launches, seasonal pushes, and evergreen content.

How The Shelf tends to run campaigns

Their style is often more structured. You’ll usually see detailed briefs, clear deliverable outlines, and a heavier focus on pre-approvals. This can help protect brand voice and reduce off-brand content.

Campaigns often start with a richer discovery and planning phase. Expect conversations about your brand history, existing creative, and the story you want to tell this quarter or year. That upfront time can feel slower, but often pays off in alignment.

For ongoing work, many brands treat them like a retainer partner, handing off most of the influencer workload while the internal team focuses on performance review and stakeholder updates.

Creator relationships and network feel

The Shelf typically works with a wide network of creators across lifestyle, beauty, fashion, home, parenting, and similar categories. They may not present as a talent agency, but they cultivate ongoing relationships with reliable creators.

Creators often appreciate clear briefs and expectations, though some may find the process a bit more formal. For regulated categories or premium positioning, that structure can actually be a major advantage.

Typical client fit for The Shelf

Brands that get the most value from The Shelf usually share a few traits.

• They care deeply about brand storytelling and visuals.
• They need help turning a vague idea into a full creative concept.
• They prefer clear processes and structured timelines.
• They are ready to commit meaningful budgets to influencer work.

Consumer brands in beauty, fashion, CPG, home goods, and lifestyle often sit in this group, along with some tech or app companies that lean heavily on creative content.

NewGen: services and style

NewGen is generally positioned as an influencer agency built around today’s social landscape, especially short-form video and fast cultural shifts. They are often associated with TikTok, Reels, and creator-led storytelling for younger audiences.

Services NewGen usually offers

The exact language on their site may change, but you can expect services similar in scope to most full-service influencer partners.

• Influencer strategy focused on current social trends
• Creator sourcing on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and emerging channels
• Brief creation with room for creator personality
• Campaign and content coordination end to end
• Management of usage rights and contracts
• Performance tracking and learnings for future rounds

They often emphasize that they “speak the language” of younger audiences and understand what feels native instead of like traditional ads.

How NewGen tends to run campaigns

NewGen’s campaigns usually lean more into agility. Expect more room for creators to shape the exact content and format, especially on fast-moving platforms. This can lead to content that feels less polished but more authentic.

Timelines can be shorter, with quicker turnarounds on creative ideas and platform tests. That can be powerful for launches tied to trends or moments, as long as internal approvals are set up to move at the same pace.

Instead of heavy up-front planning, they may prefer shorter planning phases followed by testing, iteration, and scaling what works.

Creator relationships and network feel

NewGen typically leans into creators who live and breathe social culture, memes, and short-form storytelling. Think TikTok natives, comedy accounts, micro-influencers in niche communities, and relatable lifestyle voices.

Creators working with agencies like this may feel more freedom to experiment and lean into their personal style, which can help content cut through the noise for younger viewers.

Typical client fit for NewGen

NewGen tends to be a better fit for brands that value speed, experimentation, and “in the feed” content over strict polish.

• Consumer brands targeting Gen Z or young millennials
• Entertainment, gaming, and creator-first products
• Apps, fintech, and digital-first services
• Brands open to playful, risk-taking creative

If your brand leadership embraces informal tone and creative risks, a NewGen-style partner can be especially effective.

How their approaches feel different

On paper, both agencies offer strategy, influencer discovery, campaign management, and reporting. The differences show up in how they prioritize structure versus speed, storytelling versus trend agility, and polish versus raw authenticity.

The Shelf generally feels like a traditional creative agency that happens to specialize in influencers. You’ll see moodboards, clear narratives, and a strong focus on visual cohesion across posts.

NewGen feels closer to a social-native crew that grew up on platforms. You’ll see more reactive ideas, platform experiments, and formats that echo what’s organically trending in feeds.

One is not universally better; they simply solve different problems. If your biggest need is brand consistency, The Shelf-style partner may feel safer. If your biggest need is cultural relevance with younger audiences, NewGen-style work can outperform.

Client experience also differs. Expect more meetings, recaps, and documents on the structured side. Expect faster Slack-style communication and quick pivots on the trend-led side, with fewer long decks.

Pricing and how you work together

Both agencies usually price work based on custom proposals. Influencer marketing is hard to standardize because every campaign has different deliverables, markets, and creator tiers.

Your cost will typically be influenced by factors like:

• Total number of influencers and content pieces
• Creator size and category, from nano to celebrity
• Platforms involved, especially if video is central
• Usage rights and whitelisting needs
• Countries or regions covered
• Whether this is a one-off or ongoing program

Management fees usually sit on top of creator payments. Some agencies bundle everything into one line item; others separate creator spend and their service fee more clearly.

Engagement styles may include:

• Single campaign projects with defined timelines
• Quarterly or seasonal campaign blocks
• Retainers that include strategy plus multiple activations

When you review proposals, focus less on line-by-line hours and more on clarity around deliverables, reporting, and who on their team will actively manage your work.

Key strengths and real limitations

Every agency has sweet spots and trade-offs. Knowing these upfront helps you avoid surprises down the line.

Strengths you might see from The Shelf

• Strong storytelling and visual alignment with your brand
• Clear processes, documents, and approvals
• Useful for brands with strict guidelines or legal concerns
• Often comfortable working with larger, more complex teams

A common concern is whether heavily planned content will feel too staged to perform organically.

Limitations you should be aware of

• More planning can mean slower pivots to trends
• Campaigns may feel less experimental by design
• Structured processes can feel heavy for very small teams

Strengths you might see from NewGen

• Fast, platform-native thinking for TikTok and Reels
• Comfort with informal, humorous, or edgy creative
• Good fit for launches tied to cultural moments
• Often skilled at working with micro and mid-tier creators

Many marketers quietly worry that edgier creative could push against brand guidelines or senior leadership comfort levels.

Limitations you should be aware of with NewGen

• Less formal structure may feel risky for regulated brands
• Reactive work can be harder to forecast for internal calendars
• Some content may feel “too casual” for premium positioning

Neither set of limitations is a deal-breaker. The key is matching these tendencies to your internal realities, including how fast your legal and brand teams can move.

Who each agency is best for

Instead of asking which agency is “better,” it’s more useful to ask which style lines up with your goals, risk tolerance, and in-house talent.

Best fit scenarios for a more structured partner

• Mid-size or large brands with multiple approvers
• Products in regulated spaces like finance or health
• Brands with strong visual identities that cannot bend much
• Teams that want detailed planning and predictable processes

Here, a partner like The Shelf usually shines because they can navigate complexity, keep creators aligned, and protect long-term brand equity.

Best fit scenarios for a more trend-led partner

• Brands chasing awareness with Gen Z and young millennials
• Fast-moving consumer products, apps, and entertainment
• Teams comfortable with memes, jokes, and quick experiments
• Smaller marketing teams that value speed over formality

In these cases, a NewGen-style partner often outperforms by focusing on native-feeling content that fits right into how younger audiences already use social platforms.

When a platform like Flinque makes more sense

Not every brand needs a full service agency. Some have strong internal social teams and mainly need better tools to find influencers and stay organized. That’s where a platform-based option such as Flinque can be helpful.

Flinque is built as a platform, not an agency. It usually appeals to teams that want to:

• Search for influencers directly and build shortlists
• Run outreach and manage creator communication in-house
• Track campaign progress without paying ongoing agency retainers
• Test influencer marketing on smaller budgets before scaling

If your team enjoys hands-on work and you’re comfortable owning relationships with creators, a platform may give you more control at a lower ongoing cost than full-service management.

On the other hand, if you lack time, staff, or confidence in influencer strategy, a platform alone might not be enough. In that case, an agency partner is usually the safer option.

FAQs

How do I choose the right influencer agency for my brand?

Start with your main goal, target audience, and internal capacity. Then look for an agency whose style, case studies, and communication match those needs. Talk to them directly and ask for specific examples in your category.

What should I ask before signing with an influencer agency?

Ask who will manage your account, how they pick creators, what a typical timeline looks like, and how they report results. Request a sample brief and an anonymized recap from a previous campaign to see their real process.

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

You don’t need a global budget, but you do need enough to pay creators fairly and cover management fees. Most full service agencies work best when you can commit to meaningful test-and-learn campaigns, not just one-off tiny trials.

Can I use my own creators with an agency?

Usually yes. Many agencies are happy to combine your existing ambassadors with new creators they recruit. Clarify this upfront so pricing and workflow reflect the mix of in-house and agency-sourced talent.

How long before I see results from influencer marketing?

Awareness lifts can show up in weeks, especially around launches. Deeper brand shifts and reliable revenue impact often take several months of consistent campaigns, testing, and optimization across different creators and formats.

Conclusion: choosing the right partner

Influencer agency comparison ultimately comes down to fit. You’re not just buying posts; you’re choosing a team that will represent your brand with creators and customers month after month.

If you value structure, detailed storytelling, and strict brand control, a more planned, narrative-focused partner will likely be your best bet. They’ll help you translate brand guidelines into creator-friendly campaigns.

If you care most about cultural relevance, speed, and younger audiences, a trend-attuned, social-native partner might be the stronger choice. They’ll keep your brand close to how people actually talk and share online.

For hands-on teams who enjoy building relationships directly, a platform like Flinque can offer more control at a different cost profile. You trade off managed service for autonomy.

Whichever route you take, be clear about success metrics, timelines, and decision-making. The right partner will welcome that clarity and help you build influencer work that lasts beyond one-off campaigns.

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.