Original Title: There Are No Good Marketing Agencies
Original Author: Damian, aori_io Communications Director
Original Translation: Ashley, BlockBeats
Editor's Note: Marketing agencies in the crypto industry are often seen as a shortcut to enhancing brand influence, but the reality is different. This article points out that most agencies struggle to truly understand the core of a project, suitable for short-term execution rather than brand building. In contrast, excellent in-house marketing talent has more long-term value, as they can delve into the industry, learn proactively, and establish genuine industry connections. Ultimately, the success or failure of marketing depends on the initiative of the project itself, not the agency's commitment.
The following is the original content (reorganized for better readability):
Recently, I had dinner with a friend in a small town in Hungary, and we talked about marketing in the crypto industry. When communicating with peers, it's hard not to discuss crypto, as my family and old friends simply do not understand this industry—I'm sure many can relate.
This friend shared with me his painful experience working with a crypto-native marketing agency (I won't mention the name). I smiled wryly while seriously listening to his concerns, as he is not a marketing person. I felt sorry for his team wasting time and money, so I reminded him, "I told you long ago, don't hire marketing agencies because there are no 'good' marketing agencies."
I then explained to him that expecting marketing agencies to proactively produce high-quality content is a flawed expectation. They won't help you define your brand, won't understand the uniqueness of your project, and won't have enough creative drive—after all, their attention is divided among multiple clients.
As a startup, the harsh reality is that your project's priority is likely lower than that of larger clients, as they are more valuable to marketing agencies, not just because of long-term contracts. In the crypto industry, logos on websites and industry influence are a form of universal currency, and retaining the most valuable clients is one of the core strategies for marketing agencies to keep their business running.
Are Marketing Agencies Really Useless?
Not exactly. I know that most employees at marketing agencies work 8-10 hours a day, delivering for multiple clients. Their clients gain value because they already have a clear narrative direction or at least know the brand image they want to shape. The role of marketing agencies should be limited to enhancing short-term or mid-term output capacity when large-scale content production or specific marketing activities are needed.
The "McDonald's-style" Marketing Dilemma
Marketing agencies are merely tools; they are means to achieve goals, not the "X factor" that can magically make your marketing outstanding. Marketing agencies often promote their expertise in brand building and technical concepts, giving small projects the illusion that they can help them establish a foothold. But don't be fooled by those "LOGO x LOGO" collaboration cases on marketing agency websites—how do you know they didn't just collaborate for a month before terminating the agreement?
A truly excellent marketing person in the crypto industry should at least possess a technical understanding slightly less than that of DevRel (Developer Relations). However, employees at these marketing agencies often lack the motivation to delve into on-chain technology beyond their already low-paying 8-hour workdays.
Imagine if you were earning a McDonald's manager's salary but had to master complex concepts like oracles, databases, zero-knowledge proofs, MEV, AI, lending, staking, and re-staking—would you want to do that job?
Under the hierarchical structure of marketing agencies, there may be some excellent senior managers, but most of the time they won't directly interface with clients; instead, they are busy with team management and formulating strategies based on client feedback. Some managers may even be responsible for 7-8 client accounts simultaneously. And what about the poor managers? They might do nothing all day, stuck in endless conference calls.
On the other hand, junior employees within the agency, though poorly paid, may be passionate about the industry and willing to invest effort to understand clients' projects and build genuinely valuable narratives. But they are often blocked by middle management—these managers care more about KPIs and prioritize quantity over quality. If every client demands a comprehensive marketing strategy, the agency must make trade-offs in time investment, and these trade-offs are often based on the agency's own business interests rather than market demand.
This does not mean that the marketing agency model itself is completely flawed; the problem lies in the lack of accountability from managers, who fail to set reasonable expectations for clients.
Senior management certainly does not want to lose clients or have conflicts with them, but in the long run, for the survival of the agency and for the clients' own interests, managers must learn to say "no" to clients. At the same time, project teams need to realize that no marketing agency can replace an excellent in-house marketing person.
In-House Marketing is Key
Those who are truly outstanding marketers in the crypto industry have grown through their proactive learning, active participation, and industry connections. They ultimately become excellent community managers (@thisisfin_), growth leads (@0xMista), marketing directors (@lou3ee), and narrative leads (@kramnotmark). They are stronger than marketing agencies because they have genuinely integrated into the industry.
My point is, either you dive deep into the industry, or you can only linger on the fringes. If you do not understand this field and do not communicate with your audience, it will be difficult to find marketing creativity. In other words—this is marketing, and market research should be your basic skill.
The "Extractable Value" of Marketing (MEV)
If your project is considering hiring marketing support, then just hire a marketing person directly. Hiring your first excellent marketer is like appointing a new general for a legion. They will be responsible for leading the entire marketing front, deciding whether to continue expanding the team or to leverage external marketing agencies.
If you must hire a marketing agency, at least ensure that your internal marketing lead has a clear strategy. They should be able to set clear tasks and communicate them to the marketing agency to maximize the agency's execution capabilities.
For example, your marketing lead needs to publish four blog posts each month. They can have the marketing agency help write half or even all of the content—provided they supply all necessary resources and guidance. If the marketing lead can devise an excellent strategy, allocate tasks reasonably, and ultimately drive business growth, then they are an excellent marketer. And if the marketing agency can efficiently execute these tasks, then they qualify as a "competent" agency.
But essentially, the value of marketing agencies depends on the quality of the clients themselves. If your project has no highlights and has not found product-market fit (PMF), no marketing agency can save you. If your project has many stories worth telling but does not know how to express them, then the marketing agency cannot help either.
However, if your project clearly knows what it wants to achieve and only needs executors, then a marketing agency might be a good choice—provided you can manage them like an internal team, offering regular updates, guidance, and feedback. Therefore, a rule of thumb is: never let a marketing agency be your first marketing hire.
Those marketing agencies that claim to be four times better than in-house marketers are simply talking nonsense—this could even be considered a "poor marketing case" for the agencies themselves. In reality, the value they can provide is quite simple (and even a bit boring): if you need extra hands for execution and they have some industry connections, then they might be suitable for you. But in comparison, an internal team is better because you can give employees enough time to learn and grow, and once they truly integrate into the industry, there is no reason they cannot do marketing well.
Failed Communication
Ultimately, both marketing agencies and project teams share a common problem: poor communication skills, which could even be described as "dogshit level."
The essence of a marketing agency's work is communication, yet they often exaggerate, leading to clients' expectations being inflated beyond reality. Meanwhile, project teams accept these false promises, expecting the agency to deliver value far beyond what is realistic, yet they do not proactively manage the external team. This often results in a lose-lose situation.
There are no natural winners, and there are no "good" marketing agencies. Whether you choose to work with a marketing agency or not, the ultimate decision on marketing success or failure lies with you.
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