We posted socially about this topic about one year ago but felt we needed to expand further as corrupt agencies are hurting our industry for everyone involved.  

81 & Sunny has been a fully independent operating digital agency for almost 5 years now.  We have partnered with businesses that have 10-15 employees, up to 5,000 employees and we continue to see and hear about “shady” agencies taking advantage of their clients by not having any real intention of making their clients money or growing their client’s businesses.  These agencies have one goal in mind, which is to get as much money out of their clients before their clients “catch on”.  The agencies conducting themselves in such poor form are typically found operating solely at the local level, working with smaller local businesses because it is easier to get away with corrupt practices. However, it can be found throughout the industry regardless of the size of the advertiser.

So, do you feel left in the dark by your agency? 

Is your current agency always telling you “things are great” but you do not really know for sure or can’t actually see/feel it when looking at your sales pipeline or bottom line? 

Below are some questions to ask yourself if you do indeed have this feeling or are simply not sure and would like to find out and hold your agency more accountable.

Q: Do you own all your ad accounts, website hosting, GA or GA4, etc. or does your current agency?

A: You should ALWAYS own your own ad accounts because…

1. This allows for 100% transparency between you and your agency to understand how every single dollar is being invested and what it is yielding for your business.
2. Demands legitimate and accurate data reporting.
3. You walk away with the data and the ad accounts when the partnership ends.  After all, it is your data!

81 & Sunny offers 100% transparency, 100% of the time!  When your agency owns your ad accounts it is because they want to keep you in the dark and not be held accountable to drive real and measurable results.  Plain and simple. 

Q: Does your current agency only report on fluffy numbers like impressions and clicks?

A: If yes, it is probably because they own your ad accounts and are avoiding being held accountable to report on how they are driving your main KPI.  Other reasons might be…

1. Your current agency is not tracking the most important data points to optimize from.  This may be because they are not technically savvy enough or they are hiding data from you. 
2. Your current agency is most likely skimming advertising investment dollars off the top, reporting as if they have invested the entire agreed amount, then inflating data while charging you a management fee on the entire agreed-upon investment amount. 

These two scenarios above are not only corrupt but are completely irresponsible and immoral when it comes to managing your digital media investment.

81 & Sunny does not shy away from or is not afraid to report on parts of the strategy with low performance because these are phenomenal opportunity areas to improve. Not every tactic within an overall strategy can be a home run. It is vital that we measure, analyze and learn from every data point while also being 100% transparent with our clients about what all the data means and how it is moving the needle toward their goals.  Anything else is a waste of time or money for both sides!

Long story short, “Shady Agencies” or “Antiquated Big Agencies (Affiliates of the Big 3 holding companies)” want to continue to keep you in the dark about how your digital investments are being managed/performing or they do not have the technical skills or willingness to invest in new technology to not only provide real value but prove it out.  81 & Sunny is on a mission to help our future partners navigate away or get out of these toxic partnerships and get down to the business of making them money! Plain and simple!

Please feel free to reach out to us if you would like to learn more about how we can help your business!