Understanding Different Marketing Agency Partnerships: Size Matters
Working with marketing and advertising agencies is a need for most large businesses. Agencies provide specialized and flexible support when needed, so businesses can access that support without having to always carry a large in-house team. (We’ll be posting more about agency relationship benefits at the start of 2026). But finding the right agency partner can be tricky and overwhelming.
There are many different types of marketing and advertising agencies, and frequently enterprises need multiple agencies to support their needs. Some agencies specialize in a particular niche area; for example, PR companies fall under the umbrella of marketing agencies but usually they offer public relation services exclusively (which makes sense—it’s a HUGE and complex area by itself). There are also design agencies, event agencies, branding agencies, and media buying agencies. They’re specialized and focused.
Other agencies lean towards being more full service—offering a wide-range of important marketing and advertising services. Working with full-service agencies can be a smart administrative decision (communication, procurement, onboarding is more streamlined), and working with a full-service agency means that they can provide integrated strategies and a cohesive marketing approach to their clients. So if you’re a business looking to partner with one or more agencies, understanding your skill and project needs is critical when deciding your agency approach.
Ask Yourself: Big Agency or Small?
One of the biggest, broadest questions you should also consider when partnering with an agency is whether you want to work with a larger agency or a smaller agency. This might not seem a critical consideration, and it’s one many organizations don’t analyze. But this choice alone can make or break whether your agency relationship leads to organizational and business success.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both options, and what is best for your marketing department really depends on your business goals, marketing/ad needs, team style, and budget.
What Big Agencies Can Offer
The first advantage of working with a large agency is probably the most obvious: They’re big! They employ a large list of employees, which means they’re more likely to have a very wide range of skillsets, communication styles, and expertise levels. If your organization would prefer or needs to work with only one or two agencies and you have a wide range of needs covering multiple marketing/advertising specialties, then a large, full service agency is a good option.
Large agencies also usually have standardized procedures and workflows for almost everything. When you have multiple teams and projects, then for things to run smoothly and effectively you need regimented processes. If that’s how your team and company needs a partner to operate then it’s a key item to look for. Keep in mind that their system is THEIR system, so it needs to work well with your operations. But the consistency and up-and-running methodologies can be a big benefit.
Lastly, sometimes you do get value-added or premium services more easily alongside your existing scope of work with them. They are probably able to tap into market research, focus group options, sophisticated toolsets more easily then smaller agencies can.
What Small Agencies Deliver
Although big agencies have a large workforce, this can end up meaning impersonal and detached working relationships. Small agencies are more likely to devote personalized attention to your teams and projects. It’s our experience that individuals at small agencies work on fewer projects and can devote more time to the clients they work with. That means they’ll be able to get deep knowledge about your business, products, and goals.
Smaller agencies usually don’t have the robust standardization that larger agencies do. This is a pro and a con. It might mean less dependable infrastructure to rely on, but it usually means more flexibility. They can be more agile and offer strong attention to details. And if you have a team or business style that an agency needs to adapt too—then small agencies can handle that more easily than large ones.
Smaller agencies also tend to be more affordable than larger agencies. This isn’t a hard and fast rule—there are boutique, specialized agencies that cost big bucks and there are large agencies that carry big loads and can offer low prices. But on average, smaller agencies tend to operate with significantly less overhead costs, so they don’t have to roll those costs over to their clients.
About Cimarron Winter
Cimarron Winter is a smaller digital marketing agency, so we’re biased. We’ve worked with large agencies that are powerful and effective, and have a lot of respect for what those companies can bring to their clients.
But the leaders at our company really believe in the work that we can do as a smaller organization. We want to offer deep, personalized attention to our clients. We like being agile and flexible for different clients and projects. It’s always our goals to make our clients feel like we’re PART of their business—extensions of their team. This works for us and our clients.
We’re also a mix of specialized and full-service. We almost exclusively work on digital marketing, and we cover a wide range of digital marketing services with deep experience in some important areas (e.g., system architecture, search and content, UX and design, analytics).
If you want to hear more about what we have to offer your marketing team, we’d love to talk with you. We’re a smaller company that delivers big results.