Alan ‘Bo’ BorensteinWe initially thought that our internal marketing team could handle one of our biggest brand activations last year. But when we were in the middle of planning, we knew that we needed that extra set of hands (and fresh eyes) to meet our timeline.
Good thing, we were able to contact the best marketing agencies here in Vancouver—those that could help us streamline our strategies and execute our plans, without exhausting ourselves too much.
So if you think that you have limited manpower, or you just simply need help with branding and marketing, maybe it’s time to call these marketing agencies today!
- How we chose:
- 1. Monday Creative Inc.
- Consumer Rating: A
- Our Rating: B+
- 2. The Branded Agency
- Consumer Rating: A
- Our Rating: B+
- 3. Major Tom
- Consumer Rating: B+
- Our Rating: B+
- 4. Tiny Planet Digital
- Consumer Rating: A
- Our Rating: B
- 5. Cucumber Marketing Inc.
- Consumer Rating: B+
- Our Rating: B
- FAQs about Marketing Agencies in Vancouver
How much does a marketing agency cost in Vancouver?
The average monthly retainer cost of a small- to medium-sized marketing agency in Vancouver is around $4,300. Meanwhile, some marketing agencies also offer hourly rates that range from $150 to $250 per hour.
How we chose:
- Portfolio: We considered marketing agencies that have partnered up with reputable brands. We also checked if they were able to work across different industries.
- Creativity: We checked the marketing agencies that can provide creative strategies. Plus points for agencies that can come up with buzz-worthy and trendy campaigns.
- Availability: We considered marketing agencies that we can easily contact, either through email or phone.
- Turnaround time: We assessed how fast these marketing agencies deliver. While we don’t necessarily look for quick turnaround, we still checked if they can be reliable, especially for urgent project requirements or campaigns.
1. Monday Creative Inc.
Consumer Rating: A
| Google reviews score | 5/5 |
| Total reviews | 5/5 |
| Score consistency | 5/5 |
Our Rating: B+
| Portfolio | 4.6/5 |
| Works with various industries | 4.6/5 |
| Reputable brand collaboration | 4.6/5 |
| Creativity | 4.8/5 |
| Unique campaigns | 4.8/5 |
| Quality of visuals & copywriting | 4.8/5 |
| Availability | 4.7/5 |
| Turnaround time | 4.8/5 |
When we were planning for a big brand activation last year, our procurement team enlisted Monday Creative to prepare their pitch.
During our briefing session, they seemed polished that we honestly thought that brainstorming with them would be a little too formal compared to the others. They won the pitch, and that’s when we found out how lovely it was to work with their team.
What we liked about them is that they have assigned the same account manager that pitched their plans for the activation, which made it easier for us to coordinate about revision requests before we even started our formal planning.
They were also proactive enough in updating our calendar, especially whenever there are adjustments with our production timeline. We didn’t even have to remind them about it.
When it comes to concepts, they make sure to align it with the vibe and voice of the brand. Another thing that we liked about them is that their creative team is responsive and collaborative, which made our project coordination more seamless.
It’s also great that they set weekly meetings so that we could go over our project list from time to time.
However, they seem to work with medium to large enterprises, which also means they’re not the cheapest option out there.
Proactive team
“Working with Monday Creative is a dream every time! They listen well, ask relevant questions, and deliver intelligent, functional and actionable results. They respect time and financial budgets. Most importantly they are very kind!”
Sarah Ashton, Google Review
Highly organized and responsive
“It was my first, but definitely not last, time working with Monday. They’re a great team of creative minds who are thoughtful, organized, and responsive.”
Amie Tran, Google Review
2. The Branded Agency
Consumer Rating: A
| Google reviews score | 5/5 |
| Total reviews | 5/5 |
| Score consistency | 5/5 |
Our Rating: B+
| Portfolio | 4.8/5 |
| Works with various industries | 4.8/5 |
| Reputable brand collaboration | 4.8/5 |
| Creativity | 4.8/5 |
| Unique campaigns | 4.8/5 |
| Quality of visuals & copywriting | 4.8/5 |
| Availability | 4/5 |
| Turnaround time | 4.7/5 |
We recently collaborated with The Branded Agency, and the first thing that we noticed was that their team was attentive.
We intended to give them a basic briefing document, just to check if they’re proactive enough in digging more about our company. It’s also our way of gauging their creative skills in preparing a pitch based on a shallow brief, and they delivered!
You’ll love that they communicate well with the entire team too. They don’t just collaborate with the bosses, but they make sure they treat everyone in the team with the same level of importance.
We personally love our brainstorming sessions. We didn’t expect them to take the lead, but because of their knowledge and talent, we were able to agree with most of their ideas for our brand.
It’s also important that they prioritize your current company goals when pitching for a marketing strategy.
Last year, our goal was to increase our sales towards the end of the year, and they helped us achieve that by creating campaigns during the first three quarters.
It’s worth noting, however, that they normally work with the big leagues. So if you need campaigns that will actually work and elevate your brand, be ready to spend a significant budget with this marketing agency.
Accommodates projects with very tight timelines
“We had an amazing experience working with The Branded. The owners, Quincy and Meghan were not only professional but also very easy to collaborate with. Their communication was seamless, and they managed to accommodate our project within a very tight timeline without compromising on quality. We couldn’t be happier with the results and would highly recommend The Branded to anyone looking for top-notch branding services!”
Scott Meguid, Google Review
High attention to detail
“Our company needed a complete logo, branding, and website design and the Branded Agency really did an outstanding job. Their attention to detail is more than we excepted and they kept to their projected timelines of completion. They will be our choice for any future projects we need!”
Sara Osborne, Google Review
3. Major Tom
Consumer Rating: B+
| Google reviews score | 4.7/5 |
| Total reviews | 5/5 |
| Score consistency | 5/5 |
Our Rating: B+
| Portfolio | 4.5/5 |
| Works with various industries | 4.5/5 |
| Reputable brand collaboration | 4.5/5 |
| Creativity | 4.5/5 |
| Unique campaigns | 4.5/5 |
| Quality of visuals & copywriting | 4.5/5 |
| Availability | 4/5 |
| Turnaround time | 4/5 |
When our new marketing associate told us that her previous company has been trusting their marketing campaigns with Major Tom for over seven years, we knew that we had to check them out too.
And true enough, they were quite different from the other marketing agencies we’ve worked with during our previous campaigns. This time, we were asked the right questions, and helped us to dig deeper to our goals—both short- and long-term.
Even better, they were able to see some gaps that we had internally—those that are crucial in determining our next marketing strategies. So if you need help in refining your internal goals, this marketing agency will definitely go to the nitty-gritty of it.
We also noticed that they’re pretty straightforward when presenting their marketing plans. So if you’re too tired of too flowery or excessively creative and colorful decks (including buzzwords), then this agency is for you!
While they seem traditional, they were still able to help us with our digital marketing strategies. They were able to align our main strategy with our online presence, which definitely contributed to a solid brand voice.
We just hope that they learn to submit their pitch on time. We had to tweak our calendar just to accommodate their delays.
Quick response rate
“My organization has been partners with Major Tom and its many evolutions for the last seven years. In that time I’ve seen so much evolution and strategic growth in the way that they and every team member shows up for us and our business. They’re quick to respond, always ready to offer suggestions on how to improve and optimize, and have been reliable and trustworthy partners for a broad scope of our digital initiatives. I’ve also navigated two website redesigns with the team at Major Tom, and have been proud to collaborate with them on both. They’ve helped bring us bring our new brand to life on our digital channels and I’m excited to see what we continue to create together.”
Alex Greene, Google Review
Carefully evaluates client’s challenges and needs
“We’ve partnered with Major Tom for two years, and they’ve been wonderful to work with! Their experts in design, UX, website optimization, SEO strategy have all been professional, responsive, and great at understanding our challenges and needs. They always provide extraordinary client experiences, and they feel like an extension of our team. I would highly recommend their services.”
Victoria Yang, Google Review
4. Tiny Planet Digital
Consumer Rating: A
| Google reviews score | 5/5 |
| Total reviews | 5/5 |
| Score consistency | 5/5 |
Our Rating: B
| Portfolio | 4/5 |
| Works with various industries | 4/5 |
| Reputable brand collaboration | 4/5 |
| Creativity | 4/5 |
| Unique campaigns | 4/5 |
| Quality of visuals & copywriting | 4/5 |
| Availability | 4.3/5 |
| Turnaround time | 4.3/5 |
When we needed help with our digital presence, one of my friends recommended Tiny Planet Digital.
As soon as we signed up with them, they requested for a full audit of our digital channels, which allowed them to create concrete digital marketing plans and strategies.
What’s great about them is that they were able to pin down our current problems just by checking all the strategies and executions we’ve created over the past few months. They were also able to explain the analytics, which was pretty vague for most of us.
They can also handle simple social media management for you. So if you think you need to focus on your operations more, you can just give the social media ball to these marketing experts.
Another thing that we liked about them is that they remain proactive in answering all our follow up questions. We appreciate that they address all our concerns right away, ensuring that we’re sticking to our production timeline.
They’re also a great match for non-profit organizations that wish to promote on social media channels. So if you need help in gaining more awareness and traction to make your next event a success, you may consider connecting with these guys too.
Impressive long-term marketing strategies
“Julie and her team are fantastic, I would highly recommend her to any company. We hired Julie to support us on SEO and SEM. She started with an audit, which was very thorough and had actionable items, with quick wins and longer term strategies. She delivered on all items in a timely fashion. I was particularly impressed at her ability to lead meetings and ask the right questions. The team is process and results oriented, which is exactly what I was looking for.”
Michelle Chang, Google Review
Provides detailed reports
“Having a small internal marketing team, we appreciate the work that Julie and the Tiny Planet team continues to do for us in supporting our digital ad campaigns — and taking that workload and internal resource off our plate. We have nothing but positive interactions and coordination with the team, and can see the commitment they put into helping us build consistent promotional outreach while ensuring they are optimizing and reporting in efficient manner. At the end of the day, we trust their team to oversee digital ads execution of our overall marketing strategy where we don’t have to worry or think about it on a daily basis!”
Hosea Cheung, Google Review
5. Cucumber Marketing Inc.
Consumer Rating: B+
| Google reviews score | 4.8/5 |
| Total reviews | 5/5 |
| Score consistency | 5/5 |
Our Rating: B
| Portfolio | 4.2/5 |
| Works with various industries | 4.2/5 |
| Reputable brand collaboration | 4.2/5 |
| Creativity | 4/5 |
| Unique campaigns | 4/5 |
| Quality of visuals & copywriting | 4/5 |
| Availability | 4.8/5 |
| Turnaround time | 4/5 |
Not all brands need a buzz-worthy campaign to succeed. Sometimes, all it takes is a clear and straightforward marketing plan, and Cucumber Marketing, Inc. should be able to provide you with the traditional marketing framework that you need.
Let’s admit it, some old brands may seem stuck with their traditional plans, but they still work. But don’t worry, this marketing agency can still give you that straightforward approach that you need—with a little more creativity and strategic thinking this time!
Our most favorite part of the planning phase was when they observed the consumer behavior. While this phase took much from our timeline, we were glad that we were able to pin down the marketing efforts that will resonate more with our audience.
When it comes to communication, you’ll love that they’re always approachable. They even responded to our queries, and provided us updates, even on a weekend.
Yes, this marketing agency can accommodate different schedules. So if you have projects that require frequent coordination on weekends and even on holidays, they’re the perfect fit for you.
You can also request for online coaching and meetings if you need to maximize your time well. We liked that we felt the same level of attention and care, whether we opted for an in-person or online meeting.
Provides a traditional framework
“Helen provides a structured and straightforward approach to marketing, making her coaching ideal for those who appreciate clarity and a traditional framework. She is highly punctual and efficient, ensuring that sessions stay on track and progress smoothly. Helen communicates directly and concisely, which can be beneficial for clients who prefer a no-nonsense approach. Her program offers flexibility, with options for both online and in-person coaching, accommodating different schedules and preferences. Helen is focused on guiding clients through her framework efficiently, maintaining a steady pace toward completion. For those who thrive within a structured and conventional marketing approach, Helen’s coaching can provide a clear and methodical pathway to success.”
Agathe Holowatinc, Google Review
Fun and collaborative team
“We’ve been working with Cucumber Marketing for 4 years and highly recommend them! You can tell they have a passion for marketing. They are amazing storytellers and strategists rolled into one dynamic team. What sets them apart is their dedication to understanding our needs and goals. They take the time to listen, learn, craft tailor-made strategies, and they proactively reach out with fresh ideas. Being a small owner-operated business, this is so helpful because I often feel like I don’t have enough to properly devote to a marketing plan. But Cucumber makes it easy for me! Some of our meetings are online and some are in-person. Their office culture is infectious, filled with laughter, collaboration. Working with them feels easy and fun. I feel like Helen and her team really cares about my business being successful and I trust Cucumber Marketing with our brand. Do yourself a favour and give them a call. Your business will thank you later!”
Sara Moshurchak, Google Review
