Top 15 Media Planning and Buying Agencies for National Brands

Media planning at scale demands precision, timing, and a creative instinct only a few agencies truly master. 

National brands face a different game: bigger budgets, broader audiences, higher stakes. 

With U.S. retail media ad spend expected to surpass $62 billion in 2025 (up more than $10 billion from last year) the competition for consumer attention has never been tighter.

You can’t just buy ad space; you need a partner who gets how to turn visibility into velocity when millions of eyes are watching.

That’s why we put together this list. 

Each agency here works with national brands, mastering everything from media buying to campaign execution across channels. 

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

• Agencies that specialize in national-level media planning and buying
• Key services and media channels they dominate
• Notable clients that prove their credibility

Let’s dive in.

P.S. Some of the best campaigns live outdoors. Take a look at our Top Out-of-Home Advertising Agencies list to see who’s making it happen.

TL;DR: Top Media Buying Agencies for National Brands

1. Fieldtrip: The best overall agency for national brands. Their integrated creative-media model scales effortlessly across markets, cuts acquisition costs by up to 70% while increasing engagement tenfold. They excel in UGC-driven paid frameworks, CTV, and omnichannel performance campaigns.

2. Brill Media: A media-buying firm that turns wasted ad spend into profit. They restructure underperforming accounts into profitable engines, and deliver measurable gains through disciplined analytics and channel precision.

3. Criterion Global: They treat ad spend like a financial portfolio, and optimize every media dollar for return. Their “Technology + Tenacity” method uses advanced ad-tech and strategy to produce quantifiable cross-market growth and uncover true ROAS drivers.

4. Zenith Media: A global performance agency that connects creative storytelling to hard ROI. They use analytics-driven media planning to increase brand engagement and sales even in flat categories.

5. Global TV Experts: Specializes in TV and CTV buying across 40+ countries with flexible, ROI-tracked airtime contracts. Their strategic campaigns deliver measurable performance while allowing rapid optimization across international markets.

What Is a Media Buying Agency?

A media buying agency operates as the strategist behind every successful ad campaign. It decides where, when, and how your message appears for maximum effect. 

The team negotiates placements, manages costs, and analyzes performance data to refine each move. Their strength comes from combining human intuition with hard numbers. Through this balance, they help brands stay visible and competitive across all media channels.

That foundation becomes powerful when applied to national campaigns.

And that brings us to the next section:

Why National Brands Thrive with the Right Media Buying Partner

When scale enters the picture, the right agency partnership turns from helpful to essential:

You Gain Access to Exclusive Media Deals

When you work with a top media buying agency, you tap into relationships that took years to build. These agencies negotiate directly with networks, publishers, and platforms that prefer working with volume buyers. 

They can secure prime slots, bonus placements, and favorable rates that single brands rarely reach alone. Instead of spending more, you spend smarter, and your campaigns stretch further across premium channels. 

For example, ads on premium publisher sites deliver 67% higher brand lift than non-premium placements, so that privileged access directly compounds your visibility gains. 

Agencies operate in circles where access equals advantage, and that edge directly fuels national visibility.

You Scale Nationally Without Losing Local Relevance

Reaching a country-wide audience demands scale, but scale doesn’t mean sacrificing regional authenticity. The best media buying agencies layer national reach with regional insight, combining sweeping media muscle with pinpointed behavioral data. 

This dual approach ensures your campaign rolls out with consistency from coast to coast, yet resonates as if tailor-made for each local market.

And the proof is in the numbers: according to a 2024 Harris Poll for Locality, 53% of viewers were more likely to purchase after seeing a locally-targeted ad, compared to just 13% for a national-only ad campaign. 

That kind of uplift in relevance and engagement is precisely what you get when you partner with a specialist media buyer.

You Stay Safe Inside Complex Advertising Regulations

Running national campaigns means navigating layers of regional, federal, and platform-specific rules. A media-buying agency already knows those boundaries: what each market allows, what language or format triggers restrictions, and how to keep every placement compliant without slowing momentum. 

They handle ad standards, disclosures, and broadcast regulations as part of daily operations. When you consider that Google alone removed over 5.1 billion ads in 2024 for policy violations, it illustrates just how complex and high-stakes ad compliance has become. 

You keep your campaigns clean and fully aligned with industry codes while staying focused on creative performance. 

That kind of legal fluency protects your brand’s reputation and saves you from costly missteps when the audience scales nationwide.

You Spend Less Than Building the Same Power In-House

Running media buying internally looks simple until the real numbers surface. You’d need analysts, negotiators, data tools, and platform access across every channel…plus the constant training to keep them sharp. 

Agencies already carry that infrastructure. They’ve got the systems, rates, and relationships ready to deploy from day one. 

Instead of paying to build an engine, you’re fueling one that already runs at full speed. 

That difference turns overhead into output and keeps your spend focused where it delivers results, which is why brands that collaborate with specialist media-buying partners report an average ROI increase of around 22% compared to managing everything in-house.

You’ve seen why it matters, now see who’s doing it best:

An In-Depth Look at Leading Media Buying Agencies for National Brands

The following list spotlights the agencies that know how to turn exposure into dominance.

1. Fieldtrip

Fieldtrip is one of the top media buying agencies for national brands, recognized for running large-scale campaigns that combine precise targeting, strong creative, and disciplined performance management.

The agency integrates strategy, creative, media, and measurement within a single agile framework designed for brands with significant market presence. 

Their cross-functional teams monitor creative performance and live analytics continuously, making real-time adjustments that keep campaigns efficient and aligned with business goals. Every decision connects back to measurable outcomes, ensuring each dollar moves the needle instead of disappearing into general spend.

Fieldtrip’s model supports multi-region scalability, producing consistent yet locally relevant creative for digital and traditional channels alike.

Fieldtrip’s media buying capabilities span Google Ads & Meta Ads, TikTok Spark Ads, programmatic display, CTV, and OOH placements, ensuring national reach without losing performance efficiency. 

They are equally adept at combining UGC, influencer content, and branded storytelling into paid frameworks that strengthen brand identity and reduce acquisition costs.

Proven results:

• Bluehouse Salmon: Delivered 500+ influencer assets and achieved a 1900% increase in followers within one year.
• Greenpark: Launched app with high-performing TikTok UGC ads, cutting CPI by 70%, driving 6× more daily installs, and scaling spend by 300%.
• Genomelink: Built a continuous UGC system that reduced CAC by 73%, increased registration completion by 124%, and lowered cost per registration by 27%.

Industries: Consumer Packaged Goods, Fashion, Beauty, Technology, Wellness, Sports, Gaming, Food and Beverage, B2B, Mobile Apps

Client Portfolio: OpenAI, New Balance, Hurom, Miro, Nestlé, Hello Fresh, 7-Eleven

Core services:

• Media Planning and Buying
• Out-of-home Advertising
• Digital Advertising
• Paid Social Media Campaigns
• Search Advertising Solutions (e.g., SEM)
• Programmatic Display Video Ads
• Connected TV (CTV) Advertising
• Influencer Media Placements
• Lead Generation
• Podcast Production
• Video Content Production
• Social Media Management

Why work with Fieldtrip: You get a partner that cuts your acquisition costs by up to 70%, boosts engagement by over 1000%, and scales campaigns nationally without losing efficiency across every media channel.

2. Brill Media

Brill Media operates as a full-spectrum media-buying agency that knows how to make national campaigns perform like local ones. 

They connect traditional placements with programmatic, CTV, social, and search to deliver unified campaigns that stay consistent. 

Their platform even helps other agencies through white-label buying, complete with dashboards, deep analytics, and over 500,000 custom audience segments.

When a network of 55+ flower shops across the U.S. was burning $85,000 each month in wasted Google Ads spend, Brill Media stepped in. 

They restructured campaigns into 283 smart ad groups, shifted toward CPA goals, and eliminated low performers. 

Three months later, the brand went from heavy losses to $36,000 in profit.

Industries: Tourism / Travel & Hospitality, Legal / Professional Services, Entertainment / Live Ticketing, B2B / Technology & Data Services, eCommerce / Direct-to-consumer

Client Portfolio: n/a

Core services:

• National media buying across traditional and digital channels (print, TV, social, programmatic)
• Media strategy & audience demographic planning
• Campaign execution including negotiation, placement, monitoring & optimisation
• Performance measurement and analytics / dashboards
• White-label media buying services for agencies (brandable dashboards, full campaign management)

Why work with Brill Media: You get a national media-buying partner that builds performance into every channel.

3. Criterion Global

Criterion Global approaches media buying like portfolio management, where every dollar is treated as an investment expected to return. 

Their “Technology + Tenacity℠” approach utilizes advanced ad tech and a worldwide media infrastructure, giving brands the tools to scale across borders and categories. 

From global media planning and performance uplift to multilingual search, retail networks, OOH, and TV, they align every channel to business impact.

Here’s what that looks like in action:

For Hallmark’s holiday campaign, digital revenue climbed 18.8% year over year despite a 20% budget cut, while in-store sales fell 61%. 

Criterion Global analyzed the media mix and found that brand campaigns drove up to 15.61% more in-store visits versus 10.82% from performance media alone. 

Their strategy delivered a 3.21x in-store ROAS and exposed how brand-focused channels can outperform conversion-only tactics when done right.

Industries: Financial Services & Fintech, eCommerce & Retail, Luxury Travel & Hospitality , B2B, Non-profit & Advocacy campaigns, Life Sciences & Healthcare

Client Portfolio: Hallmark, GoDaddy, California Grapes

Core services:

• Global media buying & multi-market campaign management
• Media strategy using advanced ad-tech & data analytics (Technology + Tenacity℠)
• Performance marketing (particularly customer acquisition and expansion)
• Retail media networks, out-of-home, video/TV, radio/broadcast buying
• White-label media buying partner for agencies and CMOs
• Paid-media consulting and budgeting advisory for advertisers and institutional clients

Why work with Criterion Global: You’ll partner with a team that treats ad spend like investment, using media-mix modeling to uncover where every percentage point of ROAS truly comes from.

4. Zenith Media

Zenith calls itself “The ROI Agency” for a reason. 

Their focus sits on accountable performance instead of media volume, using analytics, data-tech, content, and performance marketing.

With more than 6,000 specialists active across roughly 95 markets, they manage to combine global scale with local precision in campaign execution.

Their work for Max Factor captures what this means in practice. 

They built a cinema-led campaign that played into the brand’s Hollywood-glamour roots and tied it to two major film releases. 

Through bespoke tutorials and on-screen activations aimed at 35-45-year-olds, Zenith achieved standout results: 80% of cinema viewers who recalled the content engaged with the brand, 20% purchased, and value sales increased by 3.5% in a category facing decline.

Industries: CPG & FMCG, Technology & telecommunications, Retail & eCommerce, Financial services / Fintech, Healthcare / Life sciences

Client Portfolio: Max Factor, Sally Hansen, Western Union, ALDI

Core services:

• Media strategy, planning & buying across channels (traditional + digital)
• Data & analytics, audience insight, value optimisation techniques
• Performance marketing and commerce‑driven campaigns
• Content and media integration (connecting creative and media outcomes)
• Global/local execution model (95 markets, global intelligence hub)

Why work with Zenith Media: You’ll collaborate with an agency that translates heritage storytelling into performance, proven by 3.5% value-sales growth and above-average purchase intent.

5. Global TV Experts

Global TV Experts runs as a turnkey international media-buying partner managing campaigns in 40+ countries across every continent. 

They handle the full AV spectrum: linear, BVOD, and streaming.

Their strength lies in how they link media spend directly to ROI, tracking the TV effect from first visit to final sale, and negotiating airtime to stretch every budget.

Their partnership with Visit Malta shows that precision in execution matters as much as reach. 

They restructured the tourism board’s European TV plan by securing pan-territory airtime contracts with no-penalty cancellation clauses, allowing quick budget shifts as COVID-19 conditions evolved. 

The campaign covered the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria, with expansion already underway into additional territories.

Industries: Consumer brands, Direct-response advertisers using TV and CTV, Entertainment / Streaming services, Travel / Hospitality, Retail / eCommerce

Client Portfolio: Visit Malta, uCool, PlayOJO

Core services:

• International media buying across TV, CTV and VOD channels
• Media planning and market selection for multi-country campaigns
• Negotiation of regional placements, budgets and reach optimisation
• Connected TV and data-driven targeting in global market contexts
• Out-of-home (OOH) and cross-platform media coordination internationally

Why work with Global TV Experts: You’ll work with a partner that connects global airtime buying to performance tracking and delivers flexibility proven across eight European markets.

6. Mediagistic

Mediagistic delivers national-scale media buying with a local pulse, giving brands the power of big-budget campaigns and the control of precise targeting. 

Their “PowerBuy” programs pool dealer and retailer contributions, amplifying leverage across internet, broadcast radio, cable, and direct mail for stronger reach at lower cost. 

On top of that, proprietary tools like SimpliSocial® and SimpliClaims™ streamline digital presence management and co-op fund tracking for multi-location businesses.

In their collaboration with Metz Air Control, Mediagistic restructured sales processes and KPIs through a “Tech-Generated Leads” system that transformed standard service calls into HVAC replacement opportunities. 

The results were tangible: Google Ads conversions rose 80%, and brand-search volume jumped 50% year over year.

You can check out the full story in their video case study:

Industries: Automotive, Consumer Goods, SaaS, Home‑Services, Professional Services

Client Portfolio: Metz Air Control, Griffith Energy Services, Custom Air Company

Core services:

• Mass‑media buying (broadcast TV/cable, radio, out‑of‑home, cinema, billboard advertising)
• Normalized group & co‑op program management to pool national and partner budgets
• Digital marketing and mar‑tech enablement (including platforms like SimpliSocial® and SimpliClaims®)
• Performance analytics and campaign monitoring to optimize national reach and local influence 

Why work with Mediagistic: You’ll get a partner that multiplies co-op budgets and turns service calls into conversion channels.

7. IndoorMedia

IndoorMedia connects brands with shoppers at the exact point of purchase - on grocery receipts and carts across nearly 9,500 stores. 

As a Nielsen-Connected partner, they tie every campaign to verified third-party reporting, giving brands confidence in the real impact of each placement.

Their long-term client Renova Smiles sums it up best: 

“We are seeing a good return on our investment and recommend this program to other businesses like ours! We've been with IndoorMedia for 4 plus years now. We are renewing all of our stores as the dental exclusive in Safeway. It has brought us many new patients from the 19 locations.”

That kind of retention speaks volumes about consistent returns and practical reach.

Industries: CPG / FMCG, Retail & Supermarket brands, Automotive, Home Services / Local-to-national network brands, Quick-serve Restaurants and Retail chains, Financial services

Client Portfolio: Renova Smiles, Keller Williams, Ellis Law, Great Clips

Core services:

• National receipt coupon advertising programs (in‑store/grocery receipt backs)
• Multi‑store national network media buying (9,000+ distribution points)
• Region‑tailored messaging within a national campaign (zip‑code to market customisation)
• Analytics & measurement support via Nielsen‑connected data
• Hybrid national‑regional campaign execution

Why work with IndoorMedia: You’ll tap into a system that brings in-store ad recall to life, with multi-year client renewals.

8. Digital Dialog

Digital Dialog uses AI-driven targeting and hands-on media buying experience to run national campaigns that stay focused on ROI. 

Their team uses real-time bidding and behavioural data to fine-tune audience targeting, manage budget allocation, and align media channels in the moment.

You get the flexibility to run across addressable TV, DOOH, digital audio, in-store placements, and traditional formats without losing strategic control.

One campaign for Bottega Verde shows how this works in action. 

Targeting women 25+ in Germany and Spain, they built a channel mix around email, Facebook, and Pinterest, layered with behavioural segmentation and continuous optimisation. 

The results: 500 new orders and 6,000 new email sign-ups, all within a tightly managed campaign structure.

Industries: Travel and Tourism, Hotels and Hospitality, Retail and eCommerce

Client Portfolio: Trusted Shops, Bottega Verde, Geneva International Motor Show, Experience Oxfordshire

Core services:

• Media buying & planning across digital-first environments (display, video, programmatic). 
• Broadcast advertising advisory including Smart TV, audio, podcasts and radio. 
• Omnichannel strategy combining digital and traditional media channels. 
• AI-powered audience and channel optimisation to target at the right cost.

Why work with Digital Dialog: You’ll get a partner that uses AI to make every channel count, proven by 500 orders and 6,000 sign-ups.

9. EXL Media

Since 1994, EXL Media has specialized in full-service media planning and buying across digital, broadcast, print, and out-of-home channels. 

Their structure consists of big-agency negotiating strength and boutique-level service, which gives clients scale and personal involvement. 

They also carry certification as a woman-owned business, aligning their operations with a strong commitment to diversity and representation.

Their campaign for the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority shows how that mix translates into performance. 

With a $300,000 media spend between January and June 2019, EXL Media ran digital, DOOH, and radio ads across the Sacramento–Bay Area corridor. 

The campaign increased online revenue by 55% and lifted website traffic by 15% year over year (22% in target markets). 

Industries: Tourism & Hospitality, Transportation, Healthcare & Financial services, Non-profit Organisations and Public service campaigns

Client Portfolio: Palisades Tahoe, Ocean Prime, Riverside Luxury Cruises

Core services:

• Strategic media planning/buying
• Media buying (digital, broadcast, out-of-home, print) including negotiating, placement and optimisation
• Performance management: analytics, dashboards and optimization of campaign KPIs
• Consulting services: past plan audits, budget forecasting, audience segmentation and cross-channel campaign support

Why work with EXL Media: You’ll collaborate with a certified woman-owned agency that specializes in full-service media planning and delivers results.

10. M+C Saatchi Performance

M+C Saatchi Performance treats media buying as an active performance driver. They incorporate strategy, negotiation, and execution across search, social, programmatic, and streaming TV. 

Their footprint stretches globally with offices in London, New York, Singapore, and several other markets, which gives them the reach and cultural context to manage complex cross-border campaigns. 

Their collaboration with beIN SPORTS highlights how precision and timing create impact.

During the Carabao Cup Final, they launched a programmatic campaign optimized for attention, which increased ROAS by 38% and generated 4.4x more subscribers than the control group in March. 

Industries: eCommerce & Direct-to-Consumer Brands, Fintech / Financial services, Entertainment & Streaming services, Mobile apps / gaming & software-led businesses, Technology and Consumer tech brands

Client Portfolio: beIN SPORTS, Maya Bank, Rodd & Gunn, Headspace

Core services:

• Media strategy & planning (audience definition, budget setting)
• Media buying (social, search, programmatic, streaming, affiliate, digital advertising)
• Platform analysis & omnichannel coordination (ensuring cross-platform alignment) 
• Price negotiation via global partner network and media vendor relationships
• Reporting & analytics - performance dashboards, continuous optimisation
• Web design & development

Why work with M+C Saatchi Performance: You’ll team up with a globally awarded agency that achieved a 38% ROAS lift and 4.4× subscriber gain through attention-optimized buying.  

11. Very Media

Very Media is an independent media planning and buying agency based in London, founded in 2013 to serve brands that want top-level strategy without corporate red tape. 

They handle both B2C and B2B campaigns across TV, VOD, radio, OOH, programmatic digital, and retail media.

Their independence allows them to make decisions driven entirely by performance outcomes rather than network bias.

Their campaign for Together, a specialist lender, is a strong showcase of their data-led approach. 

By combining BVOD, digital video, paid social, trade media, and third-party data, they targeted two distinct audiences while maintaining message consistency. 

Results showed strong improvement across key brand metrics, including higher unprompted awareness, increased brand preference, stronger prompted awareness, and a clear lift in brand consideration.

Industries: Travel & Leisure, Retail, Utilities & Public sector, Healthcare

Client Portfolio: Together, The Mole Resort, Conrad Energy

Core services:

• Media planning and buying across channels: TV, VOD, radio, digital, OOH, print.
• Performance‑driven digital media: programmatic display, PPC, paid social, native formats.
• White‑label media services (for other agencies needing a media department)
• Retail media and international planning/buying support for brands scaling beyond the UK.

Why work with Very Media: You get a media partner that plans and buys across every major channel and uses data-led strategy to deliver high-performing campaigns for both B2C and B2B audiences.

12. Havas

Havas Media Network positions itself as a “Media Experience Network.” They deliver full-funnel media, including buying and planning, analytics, e-commerce strategy, sports activations, and tech-driven measurement. 

Their framework connects data, creativity, and commerce in one system designed to handle audience fragmentation and performance pressure at scale.

This comes to life in their collaboration with PUMA for the “Forever. Faster. – See The Game Like We Do” campaign. 

The initiative ran across 22 markets using TV, OOH in high-visibility areas like Madrid’s Gran Vía and London’s Piccadilly Circus, plus online video and TikTok activations. 

The result reinforced PUMA’s identity as the fastest sports brand in the world.

Industries: Consumer Goods & Retail, Technology / Telecommunications, Automotive, Entertainment & Sports, Financial Services & Fintech, Travel & Hospitality

Client Portfolio: PUMA, Dove, Carrefour

Core services:

• Media planning & buying (traditional + digital) across markets
• Data-driven audience insight and segmenting
• Activation of media campaigns including retail/e-commerce integration
• Measurement frameworks, dashboards, AI-powered optimisation
• Content, entertainment & sports activation (sponsorships, partnerships)

Why work with Havas: You work with a media partner built to manage scale, using an integrated system of data, creativity, and commerce to deliver full-funnel campaigns.

13. Dentsu

Dentsu delivers end-to-end media buying, planning, and integrated business acceleration across every major market. 

Their “AI for Growth” approach connects automation, data identity, and analytics to enhance campaign precision and performance. 

This system turns media operations into engines for scale and real revenue impact across digital, broadcast, and commerce channels.

Their collaboration with Apipet, a pet-health startup, shows how data-led execution can change trajectory fast. 

Through 120+ ad groups, 30+ SEO articles, and a review-driven social strategy, Apipet recorded 65% more new users, a 52% higher conversion rate, and 154% more transactions year over year. 

Industries: Consumer Goods & Retail, Technology & Telecommunications, Automotive & Mobility, Media, Entertainment & Sports, Financial Services & Insurance, Healthcare and Life Sciences

Client Portfolio: Apipet, Mastercard, Pride, The Code

Core services:

• Media planning & buying across traditional and digital channels
• Data & analytics-driven audience insight and optimisation
• Creative, content and experience development
• Consulting & transformation (business, digital, media)
• Global integration and local market execution

Why work with Dentsu: You gain access to a network that uses data identity, AI automation, and integrated media execution to scale campaigns quickly and drive real business outcomes.

14. The7stars

the7stars turns national media buying into a full-spectrum discipline that extends beyond ad placements. 

Founded in 2005, they’ve become the UK’s largest independent media agency by prioritising transparency and independent negotiating power. 

Their service offering spans media planning and buying, insights, analytics, creative production through their in-house Supernova studio, and tech-driven commerce infrastructure that connects creative and performance seamlessly.

Their campaign for Cunard shows what independence and creativity can deliver together. 

To reframe perceptions of luxury cruising, the agency recorded authentic in-situ audio interviews aboard ships, using real passenger stories to bring the experience to life. 

The campaign delivered stronger engagement than typical industry levels, including higher sound-on viewing, improved completion rates, increased brand consideration, and a noticeable rise in enquiries, contributing to Cunard becoming one of the more considered cruise lines.

Industries: Retail & Consumer brands (FMCG, fashion), Entertainment, Music, Media & Leisure, Travel & Transport (rail, cruises), Financial Services & Fintech, Charity & social purpose campaigns

Client Portfolio: Cunard, DeepHeat, CALM, KA

Core services:

• Paid media campaigns
• Data & analytics (econometrics, marketing mix modelling, insight teams) driving improved campaign effectiveness.
• Partnerships and content creation via their in-house “Supernova” studio, including talent & licensing, branded content, and integrated production.

Why work with The7stars: You’ll team up with an agency that turns creative insight into data-backed performance.

15. OMD

OMD defines its approach with the line “We create what’s next,” uniting creative, cultural, and commercial insights to help brands move forward with intent. 

As part of the Omnicom Media Group, OMD operates across 100+ countries with a network of over 12,000 specialists, giving it both global reach and local agility. 

The agency’s size never overshadows its precision, each campaign is built on deep audience understanding and market intelligence.

They deliver full-service media planning and buying from start to finish, covering strategy, cross-channel activation across TV, digital, social, streaming, retail media, and OOH, alongside AI-led optimization and performance tracking. 

This end-to-end model ensures each campaign carries creative power and data accountability in equal measure.

Industries: Consumer Goods & Retail, Technology & Telecommunications, Automotive & Mobility, Media, Entertainment & Sports, Financial Services & Insurance, Travel & Hospitality

Client Portfolio: n/a

Core services:

• Global media planning & buying across channels (traditional and digital)
• Audience insight, data analytics and measurement
• Creative media solutions (format innovation, cultural relevance)
• Omnichannel campaign design (integrated across broadcast, digital, social, OOH)
• Transformation consulting (helping brands evolve media-operating models)

Why work with OMD: You’ll collaborate with a global agency of 12,000 experts that uses creativity and data to deliver connected campaigns across 100+ markets.

What to Look for in a High-Performing Media Buying Agency

You know that strong partners align brand strategy with execution and show how media work connects to campaign development, marketing techniques, and measurable outcomes. So, we’re skipping the usual checklist about testimonials and niche experience. This section covers what really separates pros from placeholders. 

Ask for Transparent Cost Structures and Actual Media Breakdowns

A serious media buying agency gives you full clarity on where every dollar goes. You should see detailed media plans, CPMs, and mark-ups in plain numbers, rather than vague bundles labeled “optimization fees.” That includes line items for programmatic targeting technology, search engine marketing, and social media advertising, plus any performance-based deals tied to results.

That transparency matters especially because, according to the ANA’s 2024 Programmatic Transparency Benchmark, only about 44% of programmatic ad dollars end up reaching actual consumers. 

Ask to see a sample invoice or a post-buy report before signing. A good one will clearly separate platform spend from agency margin. 

A red flag? When an agency resists sharing cost breakdowns or hides behind “proprietary methods.” The best partners show their math.

Confirm Their Global Buying Reach and Adaptability

A top-tier media buying agency scales across borders while staying relevant in each market. 

They manage rates, formats, and regulations that shift country to country, ensuring your campaigns land right wherever they run. Ask which regions they’ve handled and how they adapt creative for cultural and legal nuances.

With 84% of businesses attributing their revenue growth to localization and 72% of social media brand engagement happening on local pages, it’s clear that success depends on how well your agency can translate a global message into a local voice. 

Red flag: If all their wins sit in one region, they’re not ready for national brands expanding worldwide.

Ensure Senior Strategists Actually Manage Your Account

A national campaign deserves people who’ve already been through the fire, the kind who know when to push, when to pull back, and how to read numbers beyond dashboards. Senior strategists bring that balance of instinct and data discipline that juniors simply can’t replicate yet.

Ask who’ll manage your account day-to-day. Request names, titles, and past campaign examples. A strong agency pairs you with veterans who’ve led multi-million-dollar buys, collaborated with ad buyers across channels, and aligned media strategy & buying with revenue targets like eCommerce revenue, SEO rankings, and growth in social media followers.

Nearly 26% of marketers admit they waste budget on the wrong strategies and channels, often because no one senior is steering campaign decisions in real time. 

If leadership only shows up in the pitch deck, your media investment just became a training ground, and that’s never a smart trade.

Wrapping Up

You’ve seen the agencies shaping national media success, the ones turning large-scale buying into real brand visibility. Each brings proven systems, experienced strategists, and access that moves campaigns further and faster.

Hiring a strong media buying partner means stronger outcomes across every metric: higher reach efficiency, better ROI, cleaner data, and campaigns that hit goals without wasted spend. That’s how potential partners should outline value: clearly, with numbers and proof. 

If you’re serious about impact, start with Fieldtrip. They understand how to connect national strategy with real-world execution. Their work proves how the right placements and smart buying decisions can shift perception and performance faster than any in-house setup.

You’ve got a clear shortlist and the insights to back it up. The next move is yours: pick the partner that aligns with your growth path and push your campaigns further than ever.

P.S. Looking to scale beyond media buying? Our Best Digital Marketing Agencies for Large Companies roundup covers full-stack partners built for complex campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a media buying agency do?

A media buying agency secures ad placements across TV, digital, print, and every platform that drives attention. It handles pricing, timing, and placement strategy to make sure your campaigns reach the right audiences efficiently. These agencies negotiate with publishers, monitor performance, and adjust buys for stronger results.

How much do media buying services cost?

Pricing depends on campaign scale, media platforms, and market size. Most agencies charge a percentage of your ad spend, usually between 10-20%. Some work on retainers or flat fees for national campaigns with complex reporting. Expect costs to rise with audience reach and frequency. 

Why should you hire a media buying agency?

Hiring one gives your brand leverage, reach, and data access beyond internal capacity. Agencies bring negotiation power, market insight, and connections that multiply your visibility. They manage performance in real time, cutting waste before it affects ROI. You get proven systems without the overhead of building them yourself.

What’s the difference between a generalist agency and a media buying agency?

A generalist agency handles many areas. A media buying agency specializes in one craft: securing and managing ad placements for maximum value. Their teams understand channel pricing, reach models, and market timing at a granular level. That focus creates sharper campaigns with cleaner reporting. When budgets scale nationally, this specialization pays off in precision and results.