What is an ad agency?

Ad agencies are professional services firms that specialize in creating, planning, and executing advertising campaigns for businesses and brands—including mobile app advertisers. These agencies work closely with clients to develop effective marketing strategies that promote products or services across a wide range of media channels, including television, radio, digital platforms, print media, web, and in mobile apps. 

The primary goal of an ad agency is to help businesses reach their target audiences, increase brand awareness, and drive customer engagement, along with things like app installs and in-app events. By outsourcing their advertising needs to specialized agencies, businesses can tap into a wealth of industry knowledge and creative talent, tools, and technologies, without maintaining an extensive in-house department. Many mobile advertisers work with agencies to manage their Google Ads campaigns, as well as Facebook/Meta Ads, and more.

Ad agencies provide a comprehensive suite of services designed to meet the diverse advertising needs of their clients. Traditionally, ad agencies offer creative development via teams of copywriters, art directors, and designers to conceptualize and produce engaging advertisements across various formats. They also provide media planning and buying, brand strategy, and market research. 

Within the context of digital and mobile marketing agencies, the range of specialized services offered generally include: 

• Creative development for digital platforms: Teams of digital advertisers, UX specialists, and copywriters collaborate on ads for websites, mobile apps, social media platforms, and search results. They focus on creating responsive designs, copy length, and interactive content that performs well across various devices and screen sizes.
• Digital media planning and programmatic buying: Agencies use data to identify the most effective online channels for reaching target audiences. They usually leverage programmatic advertising technologies to purchase ad inventory in real-time auctions, optimizing ad placement and budget allocation across the web and mobile ecosystems. And, by working with a mobile measurement partner (MMP) like Adjust, they can ensure unbiased attribution and the best results for clients.
• Online brand strategy: Digital ad agencies work with businesses to develop cohesive brand identities. This includes creating consistent messaging and visual elements across websites, social media profiles, and digital ad campaigns.
• Digital market research and analytics: Agencies utilize web analytics tools, social media monitoring platforms, and other digital research methods to gather insights on online consumer behavior and trends. This data informs the development of targeted digital advertising strategies.
• Comprehensive digital and performance marketing: Services often include search engine marketing (SEM), social media advertising, content marketing, email campaigns, and mobile app promotion. Agencies may also offer app store optimization (ASO) services for businesses with mobile apps.

Partnering with a digital ad agency offers multiple advantages for businesses looking to enhance their online advertising efforts:

Digital expertise: Digital ad agencies bring specialized knowledge in online marketing, including SEO, SEM, and social media advertising, which can be challenging for businesses to develop in-house.

Cost-effective online marketing: While hiring a digital agency involves fees, it can often be more cost-effective than maintaining a full, in-house digital marketing team, especially for smaller businesses or those with fluctuating online advertising needs.

Innovative digital strategies: External digital agencies can provide cutting-edge ideas and techniques in online advertising that might not emerge from within an organization's existing structure.

Access to digital tools and platforms: Agencies often have subscriptions to premium digital marketing tools and established relationships with online advertising platforms, which can translate to better performance and insights for their clients.

Focus on core business while expanding online presence: By outsourcing digital advertising tasks to an agency, businesses can concentrate on their core operations while still benefiting from professional online marketing efforts.

Ad agencies often collaborate with mobile measurement partners to enhance the effectiveness of their campaigns. This partnership is crucial for providing accurate, comprehensive data on app performance and user behavior.

MMPs offer attribution services, helping agencies determine which marketing channels and campaigns are driving installs and in-app actions. This information allows agencies to optimize their strategies and allocate budgets more effectively. Additionally, MMPs provide deeper insights into user engagement and retention, which agencies can use to refine targeting and messaging. The data from MMPs helps agencies demonstrate the ROI of their efforts to clients, justifying marketing spend and strategies.

By working closely with MMPs, ad agencies can:

• Make data-driven decisions about campaign optimization.
• Provide more accurate reporting to app developers and marketers.
• Identify and target high-value users more effectively.
• Measure the long-term impact of their advertising efforts on user retention and lifetime value.

For a comprehensive look at the ad agency partners Adjust is integrated with, see our Partner Marketplace.

To learn how we can grow your app with attribution, measurement, and our suite of next-generation tools and technologies, request a demo today.