Ask a traditional media agency whether you should spend more, and remember how they are paid. Most take a percentage of your media spend. When your budget goes up, so does their fee, whether or not the extra money works. We think that is the wrong incentive for honest advice. Quiamo is a flat fee media planning and buying agency. We agree a fixed monthly fee for the work, and every unit of your budget goes to media.
That single decision changes the conversation. We can tell you to cut a channel that is not working, pause a campaign during a slow month or put money into search and brand instead of more ads. Our income does not move either way.
Why do agencies charge a percentage of ad spend?
Historically, media agencies were paid commission by the media owners they bought from, usually around fifteen percent. When that model faded, many agencies simply moved the commission onto the client: a management fee set as a percentage of spend. It is easy to calculate and it grows automatically as clients grow.
The problem is the incentive. A percentage fee rewards spending, not results. It also makes it awkward for the agency to recommend efficiency, because every saving cuts its own income. Some agencies also earn undisclosed rebates or margins on the media they buy. We do none of this. Your ad accounts are in your name, you see every invoice from the platforms and our fee is written on one line.
Flat fee vs percentage media agency: the difference in practice
| Question | Percentage of spend | Quiamo flat fee |
|---|---|---|
| What happens to the fee when you double your budget? | It doubles | It stays the same unless the scope changes |
| Who owns the ad accounts? | Often the agency | Always you |
| Incentive to cut waste | Weak, it cuts their income | Strong, it proves our value |
| Media rebates or mark-ups | Sometimes, not always disclosed | None |
| What you are paying for | Volume of spend | Thinking, planning, creative and management |
Media planning vs media buying
Media planning decides the strategy: which audiences to reach, on which channels, at what moments, with what budget and what goal. Media buying is the execution: setting up campaigns, bidding, negotiating where relevant, optimising, and making sure every placement runs as planned. Many agencies are strong at one and weak at the other. We do both, and we connect them to the brand and creative work so the ads actually look and sound like you.
Paying a percentage today? We will review your accounts and tell you what we would change.
Get a second opinionPaid media and performance marketing, done with a brand in mind
Performance marketing gets a bad name when it becomes a machine for buying the same customers repeatedly at rising prices. Real performance comes from a balance: brand activity that makes people want you, and performance activity that makes it easy for them to act. We plan both, and we measure both, with clear goals for each rather than one blended number that hides what is working.
We run campaigns across Google Search and Performance Max, YouTube, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, programmatic display and retail media on marketplaces. We choose channels based on where your buyers are, not where we are most comfortable.
LinkedIn and B2B advertising for long sales cycles
B2B sales cycles are long and involve several people. A single click-to-lead campaign rarely works on its own. For industrial, technology and professional services companies, we build programmes that reach the whole buying group over months: target account lists, content that engineers and finance teams actually read, retargeting that moves people from awareness to conversation, and close alignment with your sales team so leads are followed up properly.
We connect your CRM where possible, so we can report on pipeline and revenue rather than form fills alone.
Launch media for consumer brands
For consumer electronics, beauty, fashion and food brands, media is often built around launches and seasons rather than a flat monthly budget. We plan the launch curve: teasers, the launch window, the sustain period and the moment to move money into the channels that proved themselves. Creative comes from the same team that designed the brand and packaging, so the ads feel like the product, not like a template.
What you get every month
- A plan reviewed with you monthly, with budget shifts explained.
- Campaigns built, run and optimised by senior specialists.
- New creative produced as needed, from our Studio.
- A clear report tied to business results, plus direct access to your own dashboards.
- Honest recommendations, including when to spend less.
Media works hardest when the brand is clear and the landing pages convert. That is why our media team works alongside SEO, web design and strategy, and why our fee model is explained openly on How we charge.
