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Creative Impact Agency (ISI) was honored for exceeding expectations in the 24th Annual Webby Awards, an international online advertising and marketing awards. The company had developed and launched the Amazon Studio channel, a premium online video viewing service. It is one of the fastest growing channels on YouTube with over 1 billion views in the first few months. According to the Webby Awards, ISI had “delivered on its promise to deliver a one-of-a-kind creative impact service that leverages our clients’ media buying power.”

“We believe that creative content drives customer loyalty and trust, and enhances the experience of customers and prospects, rather than sending them away with a product or service we don’t believe in themselves,” says ISI managing director Christian Rudder. “The strategic importance of creating and delivering creative campaigns goes beyond traditional marketing strategies.” “When you have the best creative mind behind the wheel, there’s nothing that can stand out in a sea of marketing material,” says Will Sharp, VP of Sales and Marketing at ISI. “The key is to get creative with your campaigns, but stay grounded in what your company and your product are really all about.” According to The Webby Awards, ISI “achieved an emotional connection with viewers through its creative strategy and execution.”

Creating a successful campaign starts with finding the right creative agency. “Your first step should be to ask yourself how passionate you are about the business you’re working on,” says Sharp. “You’ll want to partner with a firm that feels strongly about your business’ vision and mission.” You must also “assess how well” the agency communicates with you and its various target markets. For instance, an FX marketing firm may not communicate effectively with a creative impact campaign centered on health and wellness.

When searching for the right creative impact agency, consider whether or not they have a proven track record of creating campaigns that both reach a desired audience and spark conversation. “The key to winning with an impact agency is having a great concept and a great execution,” says Sharp. “That takes work.” “The best agencies have a great deal of investment capital and understand that brand building and creative branding is a long-term proposition,” says Sharp. A creative impact agency must be willing to partner with you for the long term.

It’s important to remember that creative branding and impact campaigns are ever evolving. “If the impact agency you’re working with hasn’t been on a campaign before, they likely don’t have a very experienced or broad portfolio of projects to draw from,” says Sharp. “The best creative impact agencies will have portfolios that showcase a variety of projects and a wide range of skill sets.” You want to know that your brand will be represented and that you’ll be able to easily transition from one campaign to the next.

One way to weed out the fakes from the rest is to ask for a proposal, says Sharp. “A good proposal will demonstrate that they have expertise and can execute a campaign effectively. You don’t necessarily need to hire the firm right away, but doing so helps to establish a level of comfort and trust with them.” Ask for a proposal of at least two marketing projects from the prospective hiring firm, and use the results of those campaigns to filter out candidates.

Be sure to check their portfolio of past projects for ideas. The creative industry is notorious for churning out lots of great concepts, but not necessarily in a manner that can immediately translate into profit for the company. You should also look for examples of campaigns that the firm has executed, particularly if they work specifically for an impact agency. “An example project can really give you a sense of how they do work,” says Sharp.

A creative impact agency is only as good as the people who work within it. When interviewing potential candidates for your brand-new campaign, be sure to get to know the firm, and ask for recommendations from industry insiders. It’s especially important to ask for recommendations from people you work with and trust, since they’ll have first-hand knowledge of both the firm and the employees within. Once you’ve assembled a shortlist of candidates, evaluate them against the following metrics: the creative impact, financial return on investment, customer service, return on investment (ROI), reputation, and team building. Once you’ve chosen the best firm for the job, talk about the details of the campaign in full and chalk out a contract.