# Compare marketing models

> Side-by-side comparisons of marketing management models. Agency vs consultancy, in-house vs outsourced, boutique vs full service, and more.

Canonical: https://www.pivotal-consulting-group.com/compare

Side-by-side breakdowns of the ways a company can get paid media run, and which one fits which situation.

- [Agency vs. consultancy](https://www.pivotal-consulting-group.com/compare/agency-vs-consultancy) — How they actually differ once budgets cross $100K/mo. Agencies are paid to run programs. Consultancies are paid to be right. Different business models, different incentives, different outcomes. A CMO can usually tell which they need within an hour of the diagnostic.
- [In-house vs. outsourced paid media](https://www.pivotal-consulting-group.com/compare/in-house-vs-outsourced) — When building a team works, and when it doesn't. Bringing paid media in-house sounds like the mature move. It is the right move at one specific scale and the wrong move at almost every other scale. The honest math is below.
- [Agency vs. freelancer vs. consultancy](https://www.pivotal-consulting-group.com/compare/agency-vs-freelancer-vs-consultancy) — Three ways to access senior paid-media talent. The freelancer market expanded sharply after 2022. Some are excellent. The difference is straightforward to spot, once you know what to look for.
- [Boutique vs. full-service agency](https://www.pivotal-consulting-group.com/compare/boutique-vs-full-service) — Specialization vs. breadth. Full-service agencies pitch the one-stop shop. Boutique agencies pitch depth. Both can be right. The real question is whether your program needs orchestration or surgery.

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**Pivotal Consulting Group** — founder-led performance marketing. Paid search, paid social, paid LLM.

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