Media Execution Partner for Agencies

At Pathlabs, we offer the best media activation, optimization, and analytics services for agencies and in-house teams. If you want to grow your clients’ business, we want to be your media execution partner.

Diagram illustrating the components of the MEP model, with sections for Technology, People, and Workflows, connected to a central Pathlabs MEP system, showing various roles and functions within each area.
Cover of a guide titled 'Pathlabs: The Independent Agency's Guide To Scaling Media Execution' featuring a photo of two men working on computers in an office, with one man standing and pointing at the computer screen.

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The Problem.

Today’s mid-sized ad agencies are forced to navigate a messy, confusing, and expensive digital media ecosystem with too many tools and not enough solutions. While many platforms, analytics tools, and measurement systems are available, most are costly, complicated, undifferentiated, yet still overwhelming. 

To run a successful digital media campaign, you should leverage both tools and technology. But, in addition, you also need a team of people - helping to execute everything from account management to analytics to ad operations and more. And building such a team is expensive and increasingly difficult to manage with the pace of change in the industry.

Diagram showing various digital marketing services and tools connected to a central circle labeled 'Your Agency', including categories like planning, paid search, digital audio, connected television, analytics, online video, execution, paid social, optimization, display, native, programmatic, audience identification, affiliate marketing, and Dooh.

The Current Situation

Right now, there are two ways for mid-sized ad agencies to execute digital media campaigns.

Green button with white text reading '1. VENDORS'.
A line connecting different text bubbles.

One way to execute a digital media campaign is by using various vendors. While this can be a cost-effective way to buy digital media, the major downside is that minimal service comes as part of these relationships. You likely still need your own people to traffic ads, set up tracking, and manage both ad servers and reporting software. A single vendor doesn’t always care about your clients’ overall business objectives and will push into a singular technology (theirs). The reality is that you will need to engage many different vendors, which is expensive and a pain to manage.  If quality and campaign performance are not a concern, this can be a lucrative way to run digital media campaigns. Unfortunately, happy clients and a happy media team are not a likely outcome. Using vendors is just media teams wrangling cats and not doing strategic work.

Green checkmark icon followed by the word PROS in green text.

Potentially cost-effective  

Pink circle with a white X inside it, followed by the word 'CON' in pink text

Less control

Not Cross-Platform

Very time consuming to vet and implement multiple partners across multiple channels

Blue button with rounded edges, containing the text '2. IN-HOUSE' in white capital letters.

Traditionally, planning and buying in-house has been a great strength for agencies. But, executing modern media campaigns takes increased resources, as the process is becoming increasingly complex with rising costs and rapid change in technology. To do it well, you need people. A lot of people with very specific skills. Hence, agency commissions are being starved while resource costs are increasing. The margin for error is low, and you could end up in a low-quality situation. Sending media directors on wild goose chases to accomplish this on a shoestring budget. So while executing digital media campaigns in-house can be an excellent way to do the actual work, it tends to be unprofitable due to today’s labor costs and demands. We’re here to tell you that there’s a different way.

A label with a green circle and white check mark, followed by the words "PROS" in green

Potentially high-quality

More control  

Pink circle with white X inside, next to the word 'CON'S' in pink text.

Expensive due to recruiting, training, and retention of team

Cash flow risk due to media purchases

Can distract from high-value money-making activities that grow the agency

Lack of purchasing scale for all but the biggest agencies

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Introducing Media Execution Partnerships (MEP)

What Is an MEP?

An MEP gives you access to all the best-in-class tools and technologies. MEPs combine the best of both worlds between in-house teams and vendors. With MEPs, you get a full digital media team to plan, launch, optimize, and report on your campaigns. You gain access to the best-of-class tools and technologies to execute successful digital media campaigns. All the while, maintaining the amount of control that works best for your team. This is a partnership, after all.

A Venn diagram showing how Managed Equipment Provider (MEP) integrates with vendors and in-house resources. The left circle labeled 'VENDORS', the right circle labeled 'IN-HOUSE', and the overlapping center labeled 'MEP'.

How Are MEPs Priced?

How you pay for a media execution partner is similar to paying a media vendor as a pass-through cost. As a result, MEPs allow agencies to focus on the more strategic components of media execution while reducing staffing costs, limiting financial risks, and ultimately delivering more successful digital media campaigns for your clients. Best of all, the time saved by using an MEP gives you more time to focus on scaling your agency.

Flowchart illustrating the benefits of pass-through cost for an agency. Starts with 'Your Agency', then arrows to a box labeled 'Pass-Through Cost' with benefits listed: reduces staffing costs, reduces technology costs, limits financial risks, allows time to focus on successful campaigns. An arrow then points to 'Your Client'.

Hear It From Our Customers

  • Katie Glaisyer

    "We're spending more time with clients than ever before. With Pathlabs, my team spends 50% less time managing media."

    — Katie Glaisyer, VP, Media Director, Merlino Media Group

  • Andy Brunn

    "Pathlabs is the best digital media partner I've worked with. They consistently deliver results for our agency -- and give our clients better performance for the same dollars."

    — Andy Brunn, Media Director, CCF

  • Chelsea Kauss

    "Pathlabs is more than a vendor. They're part of our team! Providing new ideas & insights - we're thrilled to have them on board."

    — Chelsea Kauss, Director of Account Services, The Partnership

  • Ashley Nix

    "Pathlabs came to us at the perfect time. We were eager to launch a campaign in a matter of a week, and Pathlabs worked effortlessly to meet our deadline. That's when we knew they were going to be an excellent long-term partner."

    — Ashley Nix, Digital Strategist, The Partnership

  • Nicole Kirsch

    “Their dynamic reporting provides real-time, omni-channel dashboards in a clean, simple design – making Pathlabs incredibly easy to work with.”

    — Nicole Kirsch, Media Director & Principal, Firehouse

  • Geoff Peddicord

    "For me, Pathlabs has transcended the concept of a typical vendor. They are incredibly transparent on every level and make it crystal clear that their #1 priority is our organization’s success.”

    — Geoff Peddicord, Vice President, Marketing - First Security Bank

  • Graham Oleson logo

    "Working with Pathlabs delivery team has been the highlight of my career."

    — Media Director, Graham Oleson

  • Partners Creative logo

    "I've become an all-knowing, all-seeing omnipotent master of media."

    — Director of Media, Partners Creative

Quote from Clay Deal, Associate Media Director, on a pink background with a circular photo of a man with a beard and dark hair. The quote praises the team at Pathlabs, highlighting their capabilities and digital media approach.

Learn How Pathlabs Seamlessly Supports Simantel’s Media Team

Simantel was challenged with servicing a Fortune 100 client with a reduced workforce.

With Pathlabs, Simantel solved the short-term resource crunch— and serviced this high-profile client without a hitch. This resulted in 20hrs of leadership time saved every week—and exciting new opportunities to scale the agency

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