How to Hire a Digital Media Buying Agency in 2026

I was recently rereading an old post I wrote titled “How to Hire a Digital Media Buying Agency.” In it, we walked through what advertisers needed to look for in a partner at the time, focusing on fundamentals like “access to unlimited inventory,” “real-time reporting,” and the shift from “manual media buying to fully automated, programmatic buying.”

At the time, those ideas defined what “good” looked like. Programmatic was still gaining traction, DSPs were a differentiator, and being able to buy and optimize media efficiently set agencies apart.

Less than a decade later, those same capabilities have not disappeared. They have become expected. Automation is table stakes. Access is assumed. Dashboards are everywhere.

What still holds up is the core belief behind that post: the role of a digital media agency is not just buying advertising space, but ensuring a brand message reaches the right audience, at the right time.

In 2026, that idea still matters, but it is no longer enough on its own. So, if access, automation, and scale are now table stakes, what should advertisers actually be looking for when choosing a digital media partner today?

How Digital Media Buying Has Changed in the Past Decade

Over the past decade, digital media buying has transformed in three fundamental ways: where ads appear, how media is bought, and what advertisers now expect from agency partners. Together, these shifts explain why hiring a digital media agency in 2026 looks very different than it once did.

Where Ads Show Up Has Changed

A decade ago, digital media plans revolved around a relatively contained set of environments. Today, attention is fragmented across streaming platforms, retail media networks, social platforms, creator-driven content, and the open web. Streaming alone now accounts for nearly half of total TV usage in the U.S., fundamentally changing how audiences consume video content.

At the same time, retail media has emerged as one of the fastest-growing digital channels, giving advertisers direct access to shoppers at the point of purchase. U.S. retail media ad spend is projected to surpass $60 billion in the next few years.

The result is not a lack of opportunity, but an overwhelming number of choices. The challenge for advertisers is no longer finding places to advertise. It is determining which environments actually deliver value.

How Media Is Bought Has Changed

As media environments multiplied, the mechanics of buying media evolved alongside them.

Programmatic buying automated what was once a manual, relationship-driven process, enabling advertisers to access inventory at scale, define audiences using data, and optimize campaigns in real time. Today, the vast majority of digital display advertising is transacted programmatically.

However, efficiency has come with tradeoffs. Privacy regulation, signal loss, and platform restrictions have reduced the availability of deterministic data, making targeting and measurement more complex. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the majority of advertisers report that privacy changes have significantly impacted their ability to measure performance.

Data still matters, but success now depends on understanding which signals are meaningful and how to use them responsibly, not simply collecting more of them.

What Advertisers Expect From Agencies Has Changed

As where ads appear and how media is bought have evolved, so too have expectations placed on agency partners.

Automation has made execution faster, but it has also increased accountability. Campaigns can be optimized continuously, performance can be monitored in real time, and inefficiencies are easier to spot. As a result, advertisers are placing greater emphasis on performance, transparency, and measurable outcomes.

In fact, performance and efficiency are now top priorities for marketers facing tighter budgets and increased scrutiny around media spend.

Today’s agencies are judged not just by how efficiently they buy media, but by how well they interpret performance signals, reduce waste across the supply chain, balance scale with quality, and connect media investment to real business impact.

Media buying is no longer just operational. It is strategic.

Keys to Hiring a Digital Media Agency in 2026

Once you accept that access, automation, and scale are no longer differentiators, the criteria for choosing a digital media agency change.

In 2026, the strongest partners are defined less by the tools they use and more by how effectively they help advertisers make better decisions, reduce inefficiencies, and prove real impact. These are the factors that matter most.

1. Technology That Enables Smarter Decision Making

Every agency has access to a DSP. That alone no longer sets anyone apart.

What matters is how technology is used to inform decisions, surface insights, and guide strategy. A strong agency should be able to explain not just what is happening inside a campaign, but why it is happening and what should change as a result.

In today’s environment, technology should support smarter audience modeling, contextual intelligence, and privacy-safe measurement. It should help advertisers adapt as signals shift and make confident decisions in real time, not simply automate execution.

If an agency cannot clearly articulate how its technology improves outcomes, the technology itself is secondary.

2. Control and Transparency Across the Media Supply Chain

Access to inventory is easy. Control over where and how media dollars are spent is not.

Advertisers should expect agencies to have a clear point of view on media quality and to actively manage supply paths. That includes understanding how inventory is sourced, which environments deliver real value, and where waste is likely to occur.

A modern media agency should be proactive about brand safety and suitability, deliberate about avoiding low-quality or made-for-advertising environments, and transparent about how buying decisions are made.

Scale still matters, but only when it is paired with accountability and clarity.

3. A Strategic Approach That Goes Beyond Channels

Media performance does not exist in a vacuum. A strong agency understands how channels work together and how media decisions support broader business goals.

That means designing strategies around outcomes rather than tactics, knowing when to test and when to shift, and being willing to challenge assumptions when the data calls for it.

In 2026, advertisers need partners who can connect planning, activation, and measurement into a single, cohesive approach rather than treating each channel as a standalone line item.

4. Reporting That Drives Understanding and Action

Real-time dashboards are now standard. Insight is not.

Reporting should do more than summarize performance. It should highlight patterns, explain tradeoffs, and clearly outline what actions should be taken next. Advertisers should come away from reporting with a stronger understanding of what is working, what is not, and why.

The true value of reporting lies in interpretation and guidance, not in the volume of metrics presented.

5. Hands-On Partnership and Knowledge Sharing

Automation has changed how media is bought, but it has not replaced the need for strong collaboration.

Advertisers should expect an agency that works closely with internal teams, communicates clearly, and helps build understanding over time. That includes explaining strategy, sharing learnings, and ensuring stakeholders feel confident in the decisions being made.

Support should feel proactive and embedded, not transactional.

6. Pricing Models That Reflect Efficiency and Value

Price will always factor into the decision, but it should never be the sole driver.

In 2026, choosing a digital media agency means understanding how pricing connects to performance, quality, and the level of strategic support involved. Different approaches come with different outcomes, and advertisers should evaluate cost in the context of what an agency is actually responsible for delivering.

Rather than focusing on lowest fees or cheapest impressions, a strong agency helps advertisers weigh tradeoffs such as:

• How investment levels affect media quality and efficiency
• Where cost reductions may limit performance or flexibility
• How pricing aligns with the scope of planning, optimization, and ongoing support

The goal is not to minimize spend at all costs, but to ensure that every dollar works harder toward meaningful results.

An agency that can clearly articulate how its approach drives impact will deliver more long-term value than one competing purely on price.

7. Proven Experience Navigating Today’s Realities

Certifications and credentials can help establish trust, but they are no longer sufficient on their own.

What matters most is whether an agency can demonstrate experience navigating the challenges advertisers face today, including privacy changes, fragmented media consumption, and rising expectations around performance and accountability.

Look for partners that can clearly explain how they approach modern media buying and how they help advertisers succeed in practice, like Digilant, which focuses on performance-driven strategy, transparency, and smarter media decision-making.

What This Means for Advertisers Today

Hiring a digital media agency in 2026 is no longer about finding someone who can simply buy media at scale. It is about choosing a partner who can help you navigate complexity, adapt as the landscape shifts, and turn media investment into measurable impact.

The fundamentals may have evolved, but the goal remains the same. Reach the right audience, in the right moment, with a strategy built to perform.

Start the Right Conversation

If you are rethinking what you need from your media strategy or questioning whether your current approach is delivering real value, it may be time for a different conversation.

Reach out to the Digilant team to explore what a modern media partnership can look like today. We will help you connect the dots between strategy, media, and performance, and build an approach designed for how advertising actually works now. Let’s start the conversation today.