How to choose a creative and digital agency: what the best ones have in common

How to choose a creative digital agency: six things to look for

1. Creative, advertising and engineering in one agency
2. Developers in-house, not outsourced
3. Deep knowledge of enterprise platforms
4. Clients who stay for years
5. Senior people doing the work
6. Outcomes measured, not just activity

1. Creative, advertising and engineering in one integrated agency

The biggest risk in a campaign is the handover. When the idea comes from a creative agency, the ads from another supplier, and the website, landing pages and integrations from a development shop, each one passes work to the next with gaps in it. Ideas get diluted, budgets stretch, and nobody owns the final result.

The strongest agencies put strategists, creatives, engineers and developers in one team from day one. The people who come up with the campaign and the advertising sit with the people who build the digital experience behind it, so the idea that’s pitched is one the team knows it can deliver across every channel.

For example, Tonic has done all the digital and creative work for LG Electronics Australia and New Zealand for 10 years, across the entire business. That covers its consumer, business, channel and online store divisions, from campaign ideas through to the pages on LG’s online store.

Ask: Who will create the campaign and the ads, who will build the digital side, and do they work in the same team?

Integrated agency or separate suppliers?

An integrated creative digital agency plans and delivers the campaign and the platform in one team. Separate specialist suppliers can suit a single, well-defined need, but you take on the coordination between them.

2. Developers are in-house, not outsourced

Many agencies design in-house and send the build offshore or to freelancers. That works for simple websites. It breaks down when a project involves integrations, custom logic or sensitive data, because the people who understand the brief aren’t the people writing the code.

An agency with its own engineering team can build custom platforms, apps and integrations, and support them for years after launch. Tonic’s developers, for example, built the FleetPartners Scoreboard dealership credit platform in Node.js and integrated Biomedica’s Adobe Commerce store with MYOB EXO.

Engineering depth also decides whether customers can find you. Search is shifting to AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, and visibility now depends on technical work such as site structure, schema markup, page speed and content that AI can read and cite. Because Tonic’s developers build websites and platforms every day, the team understands AI, SEO, AEO (answer engine optimisation) and GEO (generative engine optimisation) at the code level, not just the content level. For ActronAir, for example, Tonic delivered the UX/UI, copy, SEO and development of its website.

Roy Morgan research shows 13.6 million Australians, or 58% of people aged 14 and over, used AI tools in an average four weeks in early 2026, with ChatGPT alone used by 10.5 million.

Ask: Will your own team write and maintain the code, and can we meet the lead developer before we sign?

3. They know enterprise platforms in depth

If your business runs on Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Commerce, HubSpot, Salesforce Marketing Cloud or Marketo, your agency needs to know those platforms in depth, not just have used them once. A lot of a platform’s value depends on how well it’s set up, integrated and managed after launch.

The right partner can run content at scale in AEM, connect an Adobe Commerce store to the systems behind it, and set up and manage your marketing automation. Tonic, for example, manages Adobe Experience Manager work for LG, built Adobe Commerce sites for Nature’s Way, Skin Doctors and Biomedica, and integrates HubSpot, Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Marketo.

Ask: Which clients do you manage on our platform today, and what have you integrated it with?

4. Clients stay for years

How long an agency keeps its clients tells you more than any award. Agencies that win work with a strong pitch but don’t deliver tend to lose clients after the first project. Agencies that deliver keep the same clients for years.

At Tonic, the average client relationship runs more than 8 years. We’ve done all the digital and creative work for LG Electronics Australia and New Zealand for 10 years, across its entire business, and built and supported the Sydney Festival website for over 15 years.

Ask: How long have your three biggest clients been with you, and can we talk to one of them?

5. Senior people do the work

In many agencies, the senior team runs the pitch and a junior team does the work. Layers of account managers sit between you and the people making decisions, and every change has to pass through each of them.

A lean agency puts experienced strategists, designers and developers directly on your account. Tonic’s team, for example, brings more than 2.75 million hours of combined creative and technical experience. Decisions happen faster, and feedback reaches the people who can act on it.

Ask: Who exactly will work on our account each week, and how senior are they?

6. They measure outcomes, not activity

Reports full of impressions, posts and deliverables can look busy while the business stands still. The best agencies agree on the business result up front, whether that’s leads, sales, conversions or time saved, and report against it.

That focus should show in their case studies. Look for the problem the client had, what was built, and what changed for the business as a result. A list of outputs isn’t enough.

Ask: What will success look like for us in 12 months, and how will you report on it?