Fracas Editorial • Apr 2026 • 14 min read
Core difference explained simply
Marketing agency success metric: brand awareness, media mentions, follower growth. Marketing builds the stage and writes the script.
Growth agency success metric: active users, TVL growth, transaction volume, revenue. Growth fills the audience and makes them act.
Simplest test: Marketing agency says we got you 50K Twitter followers. Growth agency says we got you 5K active wallet users and £2M TVL.
What marketing agencies deliver
Brand foundation: clear positioning, visual identity, narrative design, tone of voice.
Content production: explainer videos, founder interviews, educational posts, Twitter threads.
Media relations: CoinDesk coverage, podcast appearances, conference speaking slots.
Event presence: booth design, swag, side events, sponsorship activation.
What growth agencies deliver
User acquisition: wallet connections not followers, first transactions not sign-ups, retention not just acquisition.
Community activation: turn lurkers into contributors via ambassador programs, gamified onboarding, Discord engagement loops.
On-chain growth: TVL strategies, transaction volume campaigns, active wallet acquisition, protocol usage optimization.
Performance marketing: A/B testing, attribution tracking, funnel optimization, ROI modeling.
When to hire which type
Hire marketing if: pre-launch needing brand foundation, have product-market fit but low awareness, repositioning after pivot, need media legitimacy for institutional investors.
Hire growth if: have awareness but no users, need measurable ROI investors care about, launching token or product needing Day 1 momentum, community exists but is not engaged.
Hybrid agencies rare but valuable. Fracas Digital started growth-focused but added content production and brand strategy.
Pricing comparison shows different focus
Marketing agency: £10K-£50K brand strategy, £3K-£15K monthly content, £5K-£20K monthly PR. Total £20K-£80K first 3 months.
Growth agency: £10K-£30K community setup, £15K-£50K user acquisition campaign, £20K-£100K DeFi on-chain growth. Total £30K-£100K first 90 days.
ROI expectations differ: marketing harder to measure directly, growth has clear cost per acquired user metric.
In-house versus agency decision
Marketing in-house needs content creator, social media manager, PR manager. Cost £150K-£300K yearly for 3-person team.
Growth in-house needs community manager, growth marketer, partnership BD, data analyst. Cost £200K-£400K yearly for 4-person team.
Recommended hybrid: 1-2 in-house for strategy and daily execution, agency for campaigns and specialized skills. Cost £100K-£150K in-house plus £30K-£60K agency.