Why brands look at different influencer marketing partners
When you start weighing Ubiquitous Influence vs The Station, you are really asking one big question: which partner will actually move the needle for my brand without wasting time or budget?
Both are influencer marketing agencies, not software tools. They each help brands work with creators, plan campaigns, and turn social attention into real sales.
The challenge is that their strengths, style, and ideal clients are not identical. You want a partner that fits your stage of growth, risk tolerance, and internal resources, not just a famous logo.
In this breakdown, we will use “influencer marketing agency services” as the main phrase to keep things focused on what matters: what these teams actually do for you.
What each agency is known for
At a high level, both agencies live inside the same world of influencer marketing agency services, but they lean into different angles of that world.
Ubiquitous is often associated with large creator networks and broad, attention grabbing campaigns. The focus tends to be on scale, trend driven content, and short form video across platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
The Station, by contrast, is usually seen as more selective and brand tone conscious. It often appeals to teams that care deeply about storytelling, visual identity, or niche communities over sheer volume of creators.
You can think of one as leaning toward reach and cultural relevance, and the other as leaning toward crafted storytelling and a curated creator pool.
How Ubiquitous typically works with brands
While details vary by client, Ubiquitous generally positions itself as a full service influencer partner able to mobilize a high number of creators quickly.
Core services and deliverables
Most brands come to this type of agency for end to end support. That usually covers strategy, creator sourcing, communication, and tracking results.
- Campaign planning around launches, seasons, or evergreen sales
- Creator discovery and vetting across multiple social platforms
- Negotiation of rates, usage rights, and content timelines
- Creative direction aligned with brand guidelines
- Reporting on views, clicks, and sales driven by creators
The appeal is that a busy marketing team can outsource most of the heavy lifting instead of trying to manage dozens of influencer relationships by themselves.
Approach to campaigns and content
Agencies in this mold tend to lean into trends, memes, and platform native content styles. You will often see short, punchy videos, sound driven edits, and creative hooks to spark attention.
Campaigns may include a mix of hero creators and a long tail of smaller ones, all posting in a coordinated time window. The goal is to create a wave of visibility around a product or message.
This works best when you are comfortable with creators having some freedom. Highly scripted content rarely feels native to TikTok or Reels, and most agencies know that.
Creator relationships and network
A major selling point is access to a wide roster of influencers. That can include lifestyle, beauty, gaming, comedy, fitness, or family focused creators.
Because they work with many influencers, they often know which personalities reliably deliver on brief, post on time, and convert audiences into buyers.
The trade off is that relationships can feel more transactional at times. You benefit from scale, but not every creator partnership will feel deeply long term or bespoke.
Typical client fit
Brands that lean toward this model usually share a few traits.
- Consumer products that appeal to wide audiences, like beauty, snacks, or gadgets
- Comfort with bold, sometimes playful content that matches social trends
- Need for fast testing of many creators to find what works
- Marketing teams that want done for you execution rather than in house management
If you want a big, loud presence across social and can handle some experimentation, this style of agency can be a strong match.
How The Station typically works with brands
The Station often positions itself as a more curated partner. Rather than focusing purely on volume, it may prioritize brand alignment and long term creative direction.
Core services and deliverables
Service wise, you still get end to end influencer marketing agency services, but the emphasis can feel different. There is more focus on story and brand fit.
- Brand immersion to understand voice, visuals, and audience
- Selective creator scouting with a tighter fit to brand values
- Content concepts that tie into your wider marketing calendar
- Longer term creator partnerships, not just one off posts
- Qualitative reporting on sentiment along with performance data
This is appealing if your leadership team is sensitive to tone, aesthetics, or how your brand shows up in niche online spaces.
Approach to campaigns and content
Campaigns tend to be more narrative driven. You might see multi part creator stories, ongoing series, or content that blends seamlessly with your own channels.
Rather than chasing every trend, the focus may be on staying consistent with your brand, then layering trends when they genuinely fit.
This slower, more deliberate style can help build trust with audiences, especially for higher price point products or mission based brands.
Creator relationships and network
The Station’s type of approach often means a smaller but more invested creator pool. Influencers may collaborate on multiple campaigns over time, becoming recognizable ambassadors.
That can improve authenticity and performance, because audiences see recurring endorsements instead of one off shoutouts.
The downside is less raw scale. If you need hundreds of posts in a week, a curated model might feel slower or less flexible.
Typical client fit
Brands drawn to this approach normally share specific priorities.
- Clear, established brand identity and style guidelines
- Products with longer decision cycles, such as fashion, wellness, or lifestyle
- Desire for brand safe, on message content above everything
- Teams that want a partner deeply involved in storytelling, not just media reach
If your leadership cares more about brand equity than short term spikes, a curated influencer agency can be ideal.
Key differences in style and focus
When you put the two approaches next to each other, several contrasts stand out immediately. These differences shape your experience as a client.
Scale versus curation
One agency model emphasizes reach, big waves of content, and rapid testing of many creators. The other emphasizes handpicked partners and steady, story led growth.
Neither is automatically better. It depends on whether your top priority is brand guardrails or high volume experimentation.
Speed and flexibility
A large creator network makes it easier to spin up campaigns fast, pivot when a product sells out, or test different angles in real time.
A curated roster typically needs more lead time for planning and alignment. In exchange, you get tighter creative control and deeper collaboration.
Measurement and success metrics
Broad scale campaigns often optimize for impressions, reach, website traffic, and top of funnel signals.
Curated, narrative driven work may pay closer attention to message pull through, comment quality, saves, shares, and long term lift in brand search or direct traffic.
Think about how you will judge success before locking in an agency. Your metrics should match their core strengths.
Client involvement
With high volume campaigns, you may set direction and then let the agency run. You will see recaps, but you probably will not hand approve every creator.
With curated partnerships, you are more likely to weigh in on creator selection, briefs, and story arcs. That can be rewarding, but it takes more of your team’s time.
Pricing approach and engagement style
Influencer marketing agencies rarely publish fixed prices, because budgets depend heavily on creator fees, campaign length, and content usage rights.
How agencies usually price their work
Most influencer agencies use a mix of campaign fees and management costs. You fund both the creators and the agency team doing the work.
- Custom quotes based on brief, markets, and target platforms
- Minimum campaign budgets to make the work worthwhile for both sides
- Retainers for brands that want ongoing, always on influencer activity
- Incremental costs when you add paid amplification or whitelisting
You will typically see a single proposal that bundles creator costs and agency services, instead of line items for every task.
What tends to influence cost the most
Certain levers move budget more than others, regardless of agency.
- Number and size of creators involved in the plan
- Content volume and formats, such as Reels, TikToks, or long form YouTube
- Markets and languages covered, especially for global efforts
- Usage rights duration and whether you run paid ads from creator handles
- Reporting depth, testing, and optimization expectations
Agencies with huge creator networks may be able to negotiate better rates at scale, but curated shops may command higher fees per creator due to tighter alignment.
Engagement style and contract length
Some brands start with a single project before moving to a longer relationship. Others go straight into multi month retainers for ongoing work.
High volume agencies might favor project based engagements tied to launches or seasons. Curated partners often encourage longer timelines to build narrative and consistency.
Ask upfront how flexible the contract can be, especially if you are testing influencer marketing for the first time.
Strengths and limitations to keep in mind
No agency is perfect. Each style comes with clear advantages and trade offs that you should weigh honestly against your goals.
Where scale driven agencies shine
- Fast access to many creators across categories and platforms
- Ability to test multiple messages, hooks, and offers quickly
- Strong fit for product launches, seasonal pushes, or viral moments
- Useful for brands that want to learn the influencer channel rapidly
A common concern is whether the content will feel on brand when so many creators are involved at once.
Where scale driven agencies fall short
- Content can feel inconsistent across creators if guardrails are light
- Less focus on building a handful of deep, long term ambassador roles
- High volumes of posts can be noisy to track without clear goals
- Not always ideal for premium or niche brands needing strict control
Where curated agencies shine
- Stronger alignment between creator voice and brand messaging
- Better suited to long term narrative building with recurring faces
- Good fit for visually driven or mission led brands
- Often more comfortable for risk averse leadership teams
Where curated agencies fall short
- Slower ramp up compared with large scale networks
- Limited creator pool may reduce flexibility for last minute pivots
- Less ideal if you want hundreds of pieces of content quickly
- Can feel more expensive per creator due to extra curation time
Who each agency is best suited for
Choosing between these approaches is less about which name is bigger and more about which model lines up with how your brand operates.
Brands that match a scale focused partner
- Consumer products with wide appeal, including snacks, beauty, and gaming
- Early stage or growth stage companies seeking fast user acquisition
- Marketing teams comfortable with playful, experimental social content
- Brands wanting to run ongoing tests to discover top performing creators
If you want to light up social feeds and learn quickly, a network heavy agency can be the right choice.
Brands that align with a curated partner
- Fashion, wellness, home, or lifestyle brands focused on aesthetics
- Premium products where trust and story matter more than volume
- Companies that already have a clear brand book and visual language
- Teams willing to invest in longer relationships with fewer creators
If you want consistent, on brand content and slower, steadier growth, a curated shop often makes more sense.
When a platform like Flinque can be a better fit
Not every brand needs a full service agency. Some teams prefer to keep control in house and use software to handle discovery and workflow.
Flinque sits in this camp as a platform, not an agency. It is better suited to marketers who are ready to manage creator relationships directly but want better tools.
Why you might choose a platform instead
- You already have a social or partnerships manager on staff
- You want to build your own creator list and own those relationships
- Budgets are tight, and full agency retainers feel out of reach
- You value transparency into every message, brief, and deliverable
In this setup, you trade agency hand holding for more control, more learning, and usually more time spent inside the work yourself.
When an agency still makes more sense
- You do not have people in house with time to manage creators
- You want strategic guidance, not just tools and data
- Leadership expects a single partner accountable for results
- You are launching in multiple markets at once
Platforms and agencies are not enemies. Many brands use both over time as their needs change.
FAQs
How do I decide between a scale focused and curated influencer agency?
Start with your main goal. If you need fast reach and testing, pick scale. If you care most about brand fit and long term storytelling, pick curation. Your budget, timeline, and risk tolerance should drive the final choice.
Can smaller brands work with these kinds of agencies?
Sometimes, but many agencies have minimum budgets to ensure campaigns can be effective. If your budget is limited, a smaller boutique shop or a platform approach may be more realistic at first.
How long should I plan to work with an influencer agency?
Plan for at least one to three months to see meaningful results, and longer if you focus on brand building. One off bursts can help with launches, but ongoing relationships usually perform better over time.
Should I let agencies pick creators without my approval?
You can, but set clear guardrails first. Many brands approve a shortlist of creators while letting the agency handle the long tail, balancing control with efficiency. Decide how hands on you want to be before signing.
What should I ask before hiring an influencer agency?
Ask for case studies with brands similar to yours, how they choose creators, what success looks like, how they report results, and who will manage your account day to day. Clarity here prevents friction later.
Choosing the right partner for your brand
Your decision should be driven less by the names on the pitch deck and more by what you want influencer marketing to do for you over the next year.
If you are chasing reach, rapid testing, and cultural relevance, a scale driven influencer agency is likely your best option. It will help you learn quickly and find winning messages.
If you care more about brand consistency, crafted storytelling, and deep creator partnerships, a curated shop will usually give you better long term returns.
Also consider whether you want a partner to run everything or a platform that lets your team stay in control. Tools like Flinque can reduce costs but increase your internal workload.
Take your time, ask for clear examples of past work, and map each proposal back to your goals, budget, and appetite for experimentation. The right fit will feel aligned not just in services, but in mindset.
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.
Jan 05,2026
