Viral Nation vs Disrupt

How to think about these two influencer agencies

When brands look at Viral Nation and Disrupt, they are usually weighing two different styles of influencer marketing partner. Both help you work with creators, but they show up in very different ways.

You are likely asking: Who will understand my brand best, who can actually move the needle, and what kind of team do I want to work with day to day?

This page walks through those questions in simple, practical language so you can see which direction fits your goals, budget, and workload.

Table of Contents

• What each agency is known for
• Viral Nation: services and style
• Disrupt: services and style
• How the two agencies really differ
• Pricing approach and how work is scoped
• Strengths and limitations to keep in mind
• Who each agency is best suited for
• When a platform alternative may be better
• FAQs
• Conclusion and next steps
• Disclaimer

What each agency is known for

The primary keyword here is influencer marketing agencies. Both companies sit in that world, but they occupy different corners of it.

Viral Nation is widely associated with big brand campaigns, talent management, and social-first thinking that spans creators, content, and even social media services.

Disrupt is better known for bold, attention grabbing ideas, often tied to YouTube creators, gaming, and culture focused campaigns that feel native to online communities.

From a distance, both run influencer programs. Up close, one feels more like a large integrated shop, while the other leans into agility and culture driven work.

Viral Nation: services and style

Viral Nation is a global influencer and social agency that works with large brands across many industries. They are often involved when a company wants a big, multi channel push.

Core services and what they actually do

While offerings evolve, brands typically look to them for a wide set of services around creators and social.

• Influencer campaign strategy and execution across platforms
• Talent casting, outreach, negotiation, and management
• Creative direction, content briefs, and content production
• Paid social amplification of creator content
• Measurement, reporting, and optimization
• Sometimes additional social media and community support

Your team can lean on them to handle most details, from picking creators to shipping final reports.

How Viral Nation tends to run campaigns

Their campaign style usually follows a structured path. First, they translate your business goals into a creative idea and channel mix.

Then they source creators that match your audience, brand tone, and budget. This can stretch from TikTok and Instagram to YouTube and more.

They handle contracts, brand safety checks, approvals, and scheduling. During and after the campaign, they track performance and suggest adjustments.

This is especially useful if you need clear processes, multiple internal stakeholders, and steady reporting you can share with leadership.

Creator relationships and talent side

Viral Nation is also known for talent representation. That can give them deep, long term relationships with certain creators and categories.

For brands, that may mean smoother negotiations and access to established names. It can also provide insight into what those creators know will work with their audience.

They also work with creators they do not manage directly, building custom rosters based on brief, region, and goals.

Typical clients that fit well

From public examples and case studies, their clients often include large brands or fast growing companies with meaningful budgets.

• Global consumer brands needing multi market campaigns
• Tech and app companies wanting user growth or downloads
• Established brands trying to refresh their social presence
• Enterprises that require agency partners used to compliance

If you want an end to end partner that can scale with you and speak the language of senior marketing leaders, this style of agency can be a strong match.

Disrupt: services and style

Disrupt is a UK born influencer and social agency that often leans into culture, fandoms, and entertainment centric ideas.

Core services and how they show up

Like most influencer shops, they offer a mix of planning, creator work, and social execution.

• Influencer campaign planning and creative ideas
• Creator sourcing, contracting, and coordination
• Concepting stunts, series, or social activations
• Organic and paid distribution of creator content
• Reporting on reach, engagement, and campaign impact

They often emphasise ideas that feel native to creator communities rather than traditional brand ads.

How Disrupt tends to run campaigns

Their work often starts with a strong creative hook or cultural insight. Instead of beginning with a media plan, they may begin with a story angle.

From there, they look for creators who already live in that world, whether that is gaming, music, lifestyle, or niche online scenes.

Campaigns can blend influencers with social content on your own channels, helping your brand feel like part of the conversation, not an outsider.

Creator relationships and culture focus

Disrupt has built a reputation for being close to online culture and creator communities, especially in gaming, youth culture, and entertainment.

That can help if you want work that feels genuinely plugged into the internet, rather than a repackaged TV spot on social media.

They may lean into mid level creators and niche communities where engagement is high and fans are tight knit.

Typical clients that fit well

From public work, their client base often includes brands that want to feel culturally relevant or reach younger audiences.

• Gaming and esports brands and publishers
• Entertainment, streaming, and media platforms
• Consumer brands targeting Gen Z or younger millennials
• Brands wanting punchy, culture led social campaigns

If you care deeply about cultural credibility and playful ideas, this approach can be attractive.

How the two agencies really differ

Although both agencies focus on influencer work, they can feel different once you are in the weeds of a campaign.

Scale and breadth of services

Viral Nation typically operates at a larger, more global scale, with wide service lines and teams supporting complex campaigns across markets.

Disrupt feels more specialised, often leaning into particular cultures and markets rather than massive global programs.

If you need one partner for many regions and channels, a larger networked team can be helpful. If you want sharp focus on a few key audiences, a more targeted shop may be better.

Creative style and tone

In broad strokes, one leans toward big brand storytelling and polished social executions, while the other leans into bold, internet native ideas that can feel looser and more playful.

Neither is better in every case. It depends whether your leadership wants safe, on brand storytelling or is comfortable with more experimental, meme aware work.

Client experience and structure

With a larger agency, you are more likely to interact with layered account teams, clear processes, and formal documentation.

That can feel reassuring for regulated industries and big budgets, but slower for very fast decisions.

A smaller or mid sized team can feel more nimble and informal, sometimes making it easier to pivot quickly, but you may have fewer layers of support.

Types of creators and communities

Both agencies can work with a range of influencers, but their histories and case studies show different sweet spots.

One often highlights big name talent and cross platform rosters. The other regularly showcases deep work with gaming, youth, or niche communities.

Think about whether you need celebrity reach, mid tier trust, or hyper niche influence, and ask each agency for examples in those lanes.

Pricing approach and how work is scoped

Influencer marketing agencies rarely share fixed pricing publicly because costs vary heavily by scope, markets, and talent choices.

How influencer agencies usually charge

Most full service influencer partners, including these two, tend to price through custom proposals built around your needs.

• Campaign based budgets with clear timelines and deliverables
• Retainer models for ongoing strategy and execution
• Creator fees passed through for content and usage rights
• Management or service fees for planning and execution
• Media budgets for paid amplification where relevant

Expect to receive a scope of work that outlines key activities and estimated costs, then negotiate priorities from there.

Factors that drive cost up or down

Regardless of which agency you choose, similar levers shape price.

• Number and size of creators involved
• How many platforms and regions you target
• Content complexity, from simple posts to large shoots
• Usage rights length and geography
• Need for strategy, research, or extra reporting

Large, multi market campaigns with premium talent usually require serious budget. Smaller test programs with mid tier creators are more accessible.

Engagement style and expectations

With a larger global agency, prepare for more formal pitching, RFP processes, and detailed contracts, especially at enterprise levels.

With a more focused shop, you may see quicker turnarounds and more direct conversations with senior team members, but similar diligence on contracts and creator fees.

Either way, be ready to share your budget range early. It keeps conversations realistic and saves time for everyone.

Strengths and limitations to keep in mind

Every influencer partner comes with trade offs. The key is matching those trade offs with your priorities.

Where agencies like Viral Nation shine

• Handling large, complex, multi country influencer programs
• Connecting creator work with broader social and brand strategy
• Providing robust reporting and processes for internal buy in
• Access to creators across many categories and locations

A common concern for some brands is whether big agencies will give enough attention to smaller budgets or niche initiatives.

Where agencies like Disrupt stand out

• Building campaigns that feel embedded in internet culture
• Working with gaming, youth, or fandom driven communities
• Collaborating closely with creators on fresh formats and ideas
• Moving quickly around timely trends or cultural moments

The flip side is that extremely traditional or conservative brands may find some ideas a bit too edgy, depending on risk tolerance.

Shared limitations across both types of agency

• Influencer results are never fully guaranteed or linear
• Creator work can be unpredictable and require flexibility
• Strong campaigns still need good products and landing pages
• Measurement, especially attribution to sales, can be complex

No agency can fully remove the uncertain parts of creator work. What they can do is reduce risk through careful planning, vetting, and learning.

Who each agency is best suited for

Instead of looking for a universal winner, it helps to think about fit. Your goals, risk tolerance, and team capacity matter more than any ranking.

When Viral Nation style agencies fit best

• You are a mid to large brand with multi channel goals.
• Leadership wants clear processes, timelines, and reporting.
• You may need support across multiple countries or languages.
• You want one partner to manage strategy, creators, and paid support.
• You have the budget for comprehensive, full service campaigns.

When Disrupt style agencies fit best

• You want campaigns that feel raw, fun, and culture driven.
• Your audience is younger and lives on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Twitch.
• You are open to bolder ideas that may not look like classic ads.
• You value tight connection to communities like gaming or online fandoms.
• Your internal team is comfortable explaining experimental work to stakeholders.

Questions to ask yourself before choosing

• Do we care more about scale or cultural sharpness?
• How much internal reporting and structure do we require?
• Is our leadership comfortable with creative risk on social?
• Are we ready to commit real budget, or are we just testing?
• How involved do we want to be in day to day campaign work?

Your honest answers to these questions will often make the right direction much clearer.

When a platform alternative may be better

Sometimes, neither full service partner is the right fit. That is especially true if you have an in house team that wants more control over influencer work.

Why a platform can make sense

If you have marketers who can manage campaigns directly, a platform approach can cut agency retainers while keeping structure.

Tools like Flinque, for example, focus on helping brands discover creators, manage outreach, and track campaigns without hiring an agency to do everything.

You handle the strategy and relationships, while the software keeps data, conversations, and reporting organised.

Situations where platforms tend to win

• You already have social or creator savvy staff on your team.
• You want to run many smaller tests rather than big, set piece campaigns.
• Your budget is limited, but you are willing to invest time.
• You prefer learning by doing, with direct contact to creators.
• You want long term creator relationships owned by your brand.

In these cases, a platform based workflow can feel more flexible, even if it demands more day to day involvement from your side.

FAQs

How do I choose between these two influencer agencies?

Start with your goals, budget, and risk tolerance. If you need large, multi market structure, lean toward a bigger global shop. If you care more about culture, speed, and niche communities, a more focused agency can be better.

Can smaller brands work with these agencies?

Possibly, but it depends on your budget and scope. Many full service influencer agencies prioritise campaigns that justify their team structure. If your budget is modest, you may need to narrow the brief or explore platform options.

What should I ask in the first discovery call?

Ask for recent examples in your industry, typical budget ranges, how they choose creators, and what reporting looks like. Also clarify how often you will meet, who your main contact is, and how feedback and approvals are handled.

How long does it take to launch a campaign?

Timelines vary by complexity, but full service influencer campaigns often need several weeks for strategy, creator selection, contracts, and content approvals. If you need something live next week, be very clear up front about that urgency.

Is it better to use a few big influencers or many small ones?

It depends on your goals and budget. Larger creators offer instant reach and credibility, but cost more. Smaller or mid tier creators often bring higher engagement and niche trust. Many brands blend both for balanced impact.

Conclusion and how to decide

Choosing between these influencer partners is less about naming a winner and more about matching styles.

If you want large scale, structured support that can plug into broader marketing, a big, full service influencer shop is often the way to go.

If you prioritise culture, creator communities, and bold ideas, a team that lives and breathes internet culture may feel closer to what you need.

Take the time to share clear goals, realistic budgets, and honest concerns in early conversations. Ask for examples that mirror your situation, not just greatest hits.

And if you have the team and appetite to build your own creator network, consider whether a platform approach might give you more control for the same spend.

The best fit is the partner or tool that makes you feel confident, understood, and excited about what you can build together.

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.