YellowHEAD vs IMA

Why brands compare influencer campaign experts

When you’re planning influencer campaigns, choosing the right agency can make the difference between wasted samples and lasting sales lift. Many marketers end up weighing YellowHEAD against IMA to understand which partner fits their goals, budget, and internal resources.

Both are known names in creator work, but they grew up in different corners of digital marketing. That history shapes how they plan campaigns, what kind of clients they attract, and how hands on they are with day to day execution.

Creator marketing agency focus

The primary keyword for this topic is influencer marketing agencies. Both YellowHEAD and IMA help brands work with creators, but they slot into different priorities. One leans more into performance and data, while the other leans into lifestyle branding and storytelling.

To decide between them, you’ll want clarity on a few things. How much creative support you need, how important tracked sales are versus awareness, and how global or niche your target audience is across markets.

What YellowHEAD is known for

YellowHEAD is widely recognized as a growth focused marketing partner. It started in user acquisition and performance media, then added creative and influencer work on top of that foundation.

That background means the agency often evaluates creators the same way it would evaluate an ad channel. It cares about measurable outcomes like installs, sign ups, purchases, and return on ad spend.

The team is usually comfortable working in mobile app categories, gaming, and ecommerce. They tend to mix paid social, search, and influencer activity into one integrated growth plan rather than treating creator work as a separate island.

What IMA is known for

IMA, sometimes called IMA Agency or Influencer Marketing Agency, is best known for polished creator campaigns for consumer brands. It grew up early in the social creator space, building a reputation for fashion, lifestyle, and beauty work.

The agency positions itself heavily around strategy, creative concepts, and global influencer networks. It is often associated with brands that care deeply about image, storytelling, and long term social presence.

Where performance led shops focus on numbers first, IMA traditionally leads with narrative, fit, and cultural relevance. It tends to thrive with brands that want aspirational content, crafted collaborations, and multi channel storytelling.

YellowHEAD services and client fit

Services you can expect

YellowHEAD offers more than influencer services, combining multiple growth channels. In a creator context, brands can usually expect help with planning, sourcing, and optimizing campaigns tied to clear performance goals.

• Influencer sourcing and vetting across social platforms
• Performance focused campaign planning and tracking
• Content guidelines and creative feedback
• Paid amplification of creator content
• Reporting tied to installs, sign ups, and revenue

The agency’s influencer programs often plug directly into broader media strategies. That makes it appealing if you already view creators as part of an acquisition mix, not just brand awareness.

Approach to campaigns

Campaigns from YellowHEAD usually start with clear targets. Think cost per acquisition, return on ad spend, or specific funnel steps you want creators to drive.

The team tends to test multiple creators, messages, and content angles. It looks for winning combinations, then scales those through more placements or paid media. This allows a brand to treat creator work like an experiment driven channel.

In practical terms, this can feel more structured and analytical. Scripts, briefs, and tracking links play a major role. The creative side is still important, but it serves the performance goal.

Creator relationships and style

YellowHEAD usually focuses on creators who are comfortable with clear performance expectations. That may include YouTubers, TikTokers, or Instagram creators who often run sponsored content with specific calls to action.

The agency often values creators who already convert well within certain categories. For example, gaming channels that reliably drive installs, or beauty creators whose audiences frequently click through and buy.

Relationships may be less about long term ambassador programs and more about what works in measurable terms. Long term deals do happen, but performance data drives who stays in the mix.

Typical client fit

Brands that fit well with YellowHEAD often share a few traits. They care deeply about short term results, they’re comfortable running tests, and they want every marketing dollar linked to a metric.

• Mobile apps and games aiming for user growth
• Ecommerce brands focused on direct sales
• Companies with paid media budgets and attribution tools
• Teams that are used to A/B testing and data dashboards

If you already run performance ads and treat creators as another performance lever, this style can feel natural. It may feel less aligned if your main focus is pure brand storytelling.

IMA services and client fit

Services you can expect

IMA positions itself squarely as an influencer specialist. Its services often revolve around shaping a brand’s creator presence from early strategy through execution and long term relationships.

• Influencer strategy and concept development
• Creator discovery and relationship management
• Campaign production and content coordination
• Global and multi market influencer programs
• Reporting on reach, engagement, and brand impact

The emphasis tends to be on aligning creators with brand storytelling, rather than strict direct response goals. A lot of energy goes into choosing the right faces for the brand and crafting coherent narratives.

Approach to campaigns

IMA campaigns usually begin with a clear understanding of your brand world. They explore tone, visual direction, key stories, and how you want customers to feel after seeing the content.

From there, the agency assembles a mix of creators who embody those themes. The output is often cohesive across countries and platforms, with content that feels on brand rather than purely sales driven.

Reporting tends to focus on reach, sentiment, engagement, and brand lift indicators. Sales can absolutely be part of the picture, but they are not the only measure of success.

Creator relationships and style

IMA is known for curating strong relationships with lifestyle, fashion, and culture focused creators. Many collaborations feel more like co created projects than transactional ad slots.

The agency often works to protect authenticity. Creators are usually encouraged to speak in their own voice while aligning with brand guidelines. Long term ambassadorships are common, especially in premium consumer categories.

This approach can produce content that feels more organic and aspirational. It can also take more time and coordination, since creator fit and brand integrity are both carefully managed.

Typical client fit

Brands that work well with IMA usually prioritize brand equity, storytelling, and cultural relevance. They want audiences to recognize them and feel something, not just click a promotion.

• Fashion and luxury labels
• Beauty, skincare, and wellness brands
• Lifestyle and travel companies
• Consumer brands planning global or multi country campaigns

If you see creators as long term partners and brand faces, this style can be ideal. It might be less comfortable if your leadership only values campaigns that can be tied directly to acquisition metrics.

Key differences in approach

Although both partners work with creators, their roots pull them in different directions. Understanding those differences helps you match them to your marketing priorities.

Performance focus versus brand storytelling

YellowHEAD leans toward performance, driven by its background in user acquisition. Its teams often look at influencer work through the lens of measurable growth, tests, and optimization.

IMA leans toward brand storytelling, emphasizing how creators shape perception over time. It focuses more on image, cultural relevance, and emotional response than on short term conversion alone.

Channel mix and integration

YellowHEAD typically integrates creators into a broader mix that includes paid social, search, and app store optimization. It might repurpose creator content for paid ads and test variations for performance.

IMA generally keeps creators at the center of the work. While it may coordinate with other channels, the main focus is on organic and paid social activity driven by influencers themselves.

Type of creator partnerships

YellowHEAD often taps into creators who are comfortable with clear calls to action and performance tracking. These might be streamers, reviewers, or niche educators with strong conversion power.

IMA tends to work more with lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and travel creators where aesthetics and narrative matter greatly. Their value lies in taste, influence, and brand fit.

Measuring success

With YellowHEAD, success is often defined in numbers like cost per acquisition, revenue per creator, and long term value from influencer sourced customers.

With IMA, success is more likely to be framed around brand visibility, content quality, community response, and long term positioning. Sales are important, but not the only yardstick.

Pricing and how engagements work

Both agencies price their work through custom quotes. Costs depend heavily on your goals, the number and size of creators, content formats, and how long the engagement runs.

How YellowHEAD typically charges

YellowHEAD often structures pricing around campaign management plus media and creator fees. This might include a retainer or project fee for strategy and operations, plus pass through costs for influencers.

Sometimes a performance component is built in, such as optimizing spend across creators and paid ads to hit acquisition targets. The more complex the tracking and integration, the more management effort is required.

Expect discussions around conversion goals, budgets for testing, and how you want to allocate spend between creators and paid amplification.

How IMA typically charges

IMA usually prices based on scope, geography, and creator level. Large, global campaigns with top tier talent will naturally cost more than smaller, regional efforts using mid tier influencers.

Fees often cover strategy, creative development, creator sourcing, negotiations, and ongoing relationship management. Influencer fees themselves are typically passed through, guided by the agency’s recommendations.

You may also see line items for production support, paid social boosting, or additional content rights if you plan to reuse creator assets in other channels.

Factors that influence cost for both

• Number of creators and their follower size
• Markets and languages involved
• Content formats, from Reels to long form video
• Length of the campaign or ambassador program
• Reporting depth and data needs

A common concern is not knowing whether quoted budgets are fair or inflated. You can address this by requesting clear breakdowns of creator fees, agency fees, and any media or production costs.

Strengths and limitations

Where YellowHEAD tends to shine

• Strong fit for performance driven brands and apps
• Clear testing mindset with measurable outcomes
• Ability to plug influencer work into wider media plans
• Comfort with growth metrics and attribution models

The main limitation is that heavily performance led campaigns can feel less organic if not handled carefully. Some creators and audiences may resist overly promotional messaging.

Where IMA tends to shine

• Polished, brand led creator storytelling
• Deep experience in lifestyle, fashion, and beauty
• Strong emphasis on creator fit and authenticity
• Ability to orchestrate multi country influencer programs

IMA’s emphasis on brand building can mean slower feedback loops on hard sales metrics. This may feel uncomfortable for teams under intense short term growth pressure.

Common concerns brands raise

On both sides, marketers often worry about transparency, creator selection, and true return on investment. The fear of signing a large retainer and not seeing clear results is very real for many teams.

You can reduce these risks by asking each agency to walk through past campaigns, including what went wrong, how they adjusted, and what they learned from underperforming creators.

Who each agency suits best

When YellowHEAD is usually a better fit

• You run an app, game, or ecommerce brand and live in performance dashboards.
• Your leadership expects clear acquisition and revenue numbers from influencer work.
• You want creators integrated tightly with paid ads and broader growth efforts.
• You’re comfortable testing many creators and cutting those who underperform.

If you see creators as another lever in a performance stack, the performance led mindset is likely to feel aligned with how your team already works.

When IMA is usually a better fit

• You’re in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, or premium consumer categories.
• You care deeply about visuals, brand storytelling, and cultural alignment.
• You want to build long term creator relationships, not just one off posts.
• You’re comfortable measuring success through both brand and sales lenses.

When your brand is the product, and image is your main asset, a storytelling led agency often delivers more value than a pure performance shop.

When a platform like Flinque makes sense

Not every brand needs a full service agency. Some teams prefer to keep strategy in house and mainly need better tools for finding and managing creators.

In those cases, a platform based option like Flinque can be worth exploring. It allows brands to search for influencers, manage outreach, track campaigns, and keep relationships organized without long term agency retainers.

This approach can be especially helpful if you already have strong internal marketers, a clear sense of your creator strategy, and the time to manage day to day conversations with influencers directly.

You trade off some high touch strategic support but gain more control, flexibility, and often lower ongoing costs. It can also be a useful way to test influencer marketing before committing to larger agency budgets.

FAQs

How do I choose between these two agencies?

Start with your main goal. If you prioritize measurable growth and performance, YellowHEAD may fit better. If you prioritize brand image and storytelling, IMA is likely stronger. Then weigh budget, internal resources, and preferred working style.

Can either agency work with small brands?

Both tend to focus on brands with meaningful budgets, especially for multi creator campaigns. Smaller brands can sometimes start with limited scope projects, but very tight budgets may be better suited to self managed platforms.

Do these agencies handle content rights and legal terms?

Yes, both typically help with contracts, usage rights, and disclosures. You should still involve your legal team, but experienced agencies will bring standard clauses, templates, and best practices for each platform.

Will I see detailed reporting on campaign results?

Both agencies provide reporting, but the focus differs. YellowHEAD emphasizes performance metrics like conversions and revenue, while IMA leans into reach, engagement, and brand impact. Clarify reporting expectations in the proposal stage.

Can I use influencer content in my own ads?

Often yes, but only if content rights are negotiated up front. Reusing creator content usually requires extended usage terms and higher fees. Make sure your agency knows where and how you plan to reuse assets.

Conclusion: choosing the right partner

Choosing between these two agencies comes down to priorities. One is rooted in performance marketing and growth metrics. The other is deeply tied to brand storytelling and polished creator relationships.

If your main pressure is acquisition and revenue, a performance leaning partner is usually the safer choice. If long term brand equity, lifestyle positioning, and premium image matter more, a storytelling led team often delivers greater value.

Also consider your internal bandwidth. Teams with strong in house strategy may pair better with a flexible or platform option. Teams that need full support from concept to reporting may lean more heavily on an agency.

Outline your must have outcomes, budget range, desired level of involvement, and timeline. Use those as a filter when speaking with each partner, and ask them to show how their approach maps to your real constraints.

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.