Picking an advertising agency is mostly about avoiding the wrong one. The work is creative, so it is easy to be dazzled by a reel and hard to tell who will actually move your numbers. Here is how to choose well.
Look for senior people on your account
The biggest hidden cost in advertising is junior execution sold at senior prices. Ask who will actually run your account day to day, not who is in the pitch meeting. A strong agency puts experienced people on the work and does not hand you off after you sign.
Ask for results, not just awards
Awards are nice. Leads, sales, and phone calls are better. Ask the agency to walk you through a campaign from goal to outcome, with real numbers. If they can only show you pretty pictures, keep looking.
Watch for these red flags
Be careful with agencies that lock you into long contracts before proving anything, that cannot explain their reporting in plain language, or that treat your ad budget and their fee as one blurry number. You should always know what you pay the team and what goes to the platforms.
Questions worth asking
Who runs my account? How do you measure success? What happens in the first 90 days? Can I talk to a current client? The answers tell you more than any portfolio.
If you want a straight, senior team, our Calgary advertising agency page lays out how we work. Blair and Co. has been building campaigns in this market for over a decade.