Table of contents
How we vet every listicle
Every agency featured on Web Tonic passes our 84-point editorial review before a single listicle goes live. This is how we vet each pick:
Verified client outcomes: We require real case studies with measurable KPIs — revenue, ROAS, CPA, retention — tied to the exact category being ranked. No cherry-picked wins, no unverifiable numbers.
Independent reputation: We cross-check Clutch, Google, G2, and Trustpilot ratings, and screen for review-bombing or suspicious patterns. Only operators with a consistent, verifiable track record make the cut.
Beyond that, every listing goes through a quarterly re-audit. We check 84 criteria across 6 pillars to make sure it still holds up — here are some of the checks we run:
A programmatic and CTV advertising agency buys ad inventory through automated auctions and private deals inside a demand-side platform, and places video inside streaming TV apps alongside display, native and digital audio rather than booking it with a station rep.
Platform badges and reseller logos counted for nothing here. We kept only firms whose own site sells programmatic, connected TV or OTT as a named service, then read the address behind the claim: seven of the eight publish a Seattle address and Vision Media works the market from Mercer Island (Seattle metro). One publishes what it charges.
What does a programmatic and CTV advertising agency in Seattle actually deliver?
Inventory decisions and audience decisions, not a rate card. The buyer picks the platform, negotiates the deals, caps frequency and reports what streaming and display actually returned. Eight external firms serving Seattle cleared our checks, seven publish a Seattle-area address and three credit a client we could verify.
1. Web Tonic
About: Web Tonic keeps the Seattle buy, the creative it runs and the measurement that judges it under one team, so nobody hands off a blended number at the end of the month. Platform seats, private deal IDs and audience lists stay registered to your company from the first flight, and the reporting goes down to app and placement level.
Key Services: Growth Marketing, Paid Social, PPC, Meta Ads, SEO, Google Ads, Snapchat Ads, Amazon Ads, Reddit Ads, TikTok Ads, TikTok Shop, GEO-AEO, Webflow Design, Shopify Design, WordPress Design, UGC, Social Media Management, Pay Per Click Management, Marketing Analytics, Analytics Implementation & CDPs, Performance Branding, Performance 360° Audit, Programmatic Ads, OOH Ads, HR Marketing
Industries Served: eCommerce, SaaS, B2B, Construction Professionals, Home Services, SMEs, Health Spa & Wellness, Retail, Legal & Judicial Services, Food & Beverages, Pets, Fitness, Family & Children, Finance & Insurance, Travel, Non-Profits & Organizations, Furniture & Decoration
Notable Clients: WorldRemit, Jack & Jones, Ardene, L’Oréal, Sendwave, Nestlé, Airbnb. Serve Fortune 500 companies and smaller fast-paced startups.
Locations: HQ in San Francisco with notable offices in New York, Chicago, Miami, Toronto, Montreal, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney and more. Offices on five continents.
Pricing: Starting at USD $3,000 per month. Flexible and scalable plans at any time according to your enterprise needs. Book a call to learn more.
Great For: Mid-market to enterprise-level businesses requiring ongoing, on-tap growth and performance marketing services.
Website: Web Tonic
2. Add3
About: Add3 is a Seattle digital marketing agency at 500 East Pike Street that runs search, social, retail media and programmatic campaigns. It lists dedicated programmatic and Connected TV services built on demand-side platforms including DV360. Nuun is the client named in a testimonial on its own site.
Key Services: Programmatic Advertising, Connected TV (CTV) Advertising, PPC Search Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Advertising, Display Advertising, Retail Media
Industries Served: DTC, eCommerce, Retail, Beauty, Fashion, CPG
Notable Clients: Nuun
Locations: Seattle
Pricing: Quote-based
Great For: Not publicly stated
Website: Add3
3. Crown Social Agency
About: Crown Social Agency is an independent social-first creative and media shop at 1122 E Pike Street in Seattle, with a second location in Los Angeles. Its paid media practice covers programmatic display, video, audio, DOOH and OTT/CTV alongside paid social. Its published client list includes Amazon Alexa, Brooks Running, Zillow and DocuSign.
Key Services: Strategy & Intelligence, Brand & Identity Systems, Creative Production & Content Systems, Social & Creator Ecosystems, Performance Media & Growth, Executive Communications & Thought Leadership, Digital Products & Experience Design, Integrated Campaigns & Activations, Packaging & Spatial Design
Industries Served: Hospitality, Gaming, Healthcare, CPG, Apparel, Clean Finance, Technology, Entertainment
Notable Clients: Amazon Alexa, Brooks Running, Zillow, DocuSign, 1 Hotels, Blue Nile
Locations: Seattle
Pricing: Quote-based
Great For: Not publicly stated
Website: Crown Social Agency
4. Actuate Media
About: Actuate Media is an advertising agency founded in Seattle in 2016 that plans and buys programmatic display, video and CTV/OTT alongside search and paid social. Its site publishes two addresses, 532 1st Avenue South in Seattle and 100 East Pine Street in Orlando, Florida. It is one of the few firms here that publishes its fee: 20% of ad spend or a flat retainer.
Key Services: Programmatic Advertising, Connected TV (CTV/OTT), Display Advertising, Video Advertising, Google Ads / Paid Search, Social Media Advertising, SEO, Website Design
Industries Served: Not publicly stated
Notable Clients: No client publicly named on the firm's own site
Locations: Seattle (also publishes an Orlando, Florida address)
Pricing: 20% of ad spend, or a flat-rate retainer (published on its own site)
Great For: Not publicly stated
Website: Actuate Media
5. Vision Media
About: Vision Media is an independent media-only planning and buying agency at 7525 SE 24th Street on Mercer Island, just east of Seattle. It buys programmatic, OTT/CTV, streaming audio, linear TV, OOH and print, and describes 24 years of work with national advertisers. Its site names Coca-Cola, Camping World and Banner Health as clients.
Key Services: Media Planning & Buying, Audience Research, Analytics & Reporting, Digital Advertising, OTT/CTV Advertising, Digital Display Advertising, Paid Search Advertising, Programmatic Advertising, Social Media Advertising, Traditional Advertising, Linear TV Advertising, Out-of-Home OOH Advertising, Print Advertising, Radio Streaming Audio Advertising
Industries Served: Financial Services, Healthcare, Senior Services, CPG, Consumer Goods, Hospitality, Tourism, Technology
Notable Clients: Coca-Cola, Camping World, Banner Health
Locations: Mercer Island (Seattle metro)
Pricing: Quote-based
Great For: Not publicly stated
Website: Vision Media
6. PrograMetrix
About: PrograMetrix is a programmatic-only media agency that plans and buys display, video, CTV, audio and native inventory for B2B companies, DTC brands and other agencies. It publishes a five-city presence led by Seattle, and pairs buying with its own multichannel measurement process. No street address is published on the site.
Key Services: Programmatic Display, Connected TV (CTV) and OTT, Programmatic Video, Programmatic Audio, Native Advertising, Campaign Measurement and Attribution
Industries Served: B2B, DTC, Ad agencies
Notable Clients: No client publicly named on the firm's own site
Locations: Seattle
Pricing: Quote-based
Great For: Not publicly stated
Website: PrograMetrix
7. Thrive Advertising
About: Thrive Advertising is a woman-owned media planning and buying shop with offices in the Seattle and Spokane areas. It buys traditional media alongside programmatic, native, search, display and social. No street address and no client names are published on its site.
Key Services: Media Planning, Media Buying, Digital Advertising, Programmatic Advertising, Social Media Advertising, Native Advertising, Remarketing, Search Advertising, Display Advertising, Traditional Media Buying
Industries Served: Not publicly stated
Notable Clients: No client publicly named on the firm's own site
Locations: Seattle
Pricing: Quote-based
Great For: Not publicly stated
Website: Thrive Advertising
8. Creative Media Alliance
About: Creative Media Alliance is a Seattle full-service marketing and advertising agency that pairs creative and video production with media buying. Its service list includes programmatic advertising and CTV/OLV campaigns. It publishes no street address and no verifiable client names.
Key Services: Programmatic Ads, CTV/OLV Ads, Media Buying, Marketing Strategy, Video Production, Web Design
Industries Served: Not publicly stated
Notable Clients: No client publicly named on the firm's own site
Locations: Seattle
Pricing: Quote-based
Great For: Not publicly stated
Website: Creative Media Alliance
9. Seattle Times Media Solutions
About: Seattle Times Media Solutions is the in-house marketing services arm of The Seattle Times, selling campaigns to regional advertisers rather than operating as an independent agency. Its service menu leads with programmatic audio, display and video alongside search, social and email. Buyers who want a media owner's first-party audience data in the mix should shortlist it.
Key Services: Programmatic audio, display and video, SEO and SEM, Social media, Email marketing, Research and data services, Web services, Direct mail and print
Industries Served: Not publicly stated
Notable Clients: No client publicly named on the firm's own site
Locations: Seattle
Pricing: Quote-based
Great For: Not publicly stated
Website: Seattle Times Media Solutions
Quick Comparison Table
| Agency | Key Specialty | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Web Tonic | Full-Service Performance Marketing | USD $3,000/mo | Mid-market to Enterprise |
| 2. Add3 | Programmatic Advertising | Quote-based | Not publicly stated |
| 3. Crown Social Agency | Strategy & Intelligence | Quote-based | Not publicly stated |
| 4. Actuate Media | Programmatic Advertising | 20% of ad spend, or a flat-rate retainer (published on its own site) | Not publicly stated |
| 5. Vision Media | Media Planning & Buying | Quote-based | Not publicly stated |
| 6. PrograMetrix | Programmatic Display | Quote-based | Not publicly stated |
| 7. Thrive Advertising | Media Planning | Quote-based | Not publicly stated |
| 8. Creative Media Alliance | Programmatic Ads | Quote-based | Not publicly stated |
| 9. Seattle Times Media Solutions | Programmatic audio, display and video | Quote-based | Not publicly stated |
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a Seattle programmatic proposal name before I sign it?
The demand-side platform, who the seat belongs to, and what comes off the top. A working budget passes through platform fees, data fees and the agency's own margin before a single impression is bought, so a single blended monthly figure hides the part you most need to negotiate. Ask for the split in writing, and ask whether the deal IDs and audience lists stay yours if the relationship ends after one quarter.
Is connected TV just online video under a fresher name?
No, and you judge it differently. Streaming spots are bought against households and programming, run unskippable inside most apps and rarely earn a click, so reach, frequency, incremental site visits and lift testing are the honest measures rather than click-through rate. The creative rules sit closer to broadcast too: audio loudness, safe areas and file specs get checked before a flight clears.
Which of these firms can I verify before the first call?
Three of the eight name clients on their own sites. Add3 names Nuun, Crown Social Agency names Amazon Alexa and Brooks Running, Vision Media names Coca-Cola and Camping World. The rest publish nothing, which is usually a contract clause rather than evasion. Push the proof to the call instead: ask for one campaign in your category, the platform it ran on, the frequency cap it used, and what they would cut first if the budget were halved.
Two Puget Sound quotes for the same brief came back thousands apart. Why?
A programmatic quote bundles at least five things that rarely line up between agencies. Compare the share of spend that reaches inventory after fees, whether audience data is rented or built from your own lists, who holds the platform seat, how many creative cuts and sizes are produced, and whether reporting reaches app and placement level. Those five answers usually explain the entire gap.
Does the agency actually need a Seattle address?
The auction does not care where the buyer sits, so an address earns its keep only when the plan leans on regional inventory relationships, in-person reviews, or real knowledge of Puget Sound retail and commuter behaviour. Seven of the eight here publish one; Vision Media runs Seattle campaigns from Mercer Island (Seattle metro), a short drive east. Judge the seat, the reporting and the named contact ahead of the postcode.
Choosing a Programmatic and CTV Partner in Seattle
Seven of the eight external firms here publish a Seattle-area address, so geography barely separates this shortlist. What does separate them is whether the buy is explained platform by platform or handed over each month as one number with no inventory behind it.
Only one publishes what it charges, and three credit a client you can check. Treat every other figure you are quoted as scope-dependent, and settle seat ownership, data costs and placement-level reporting before you compare proposals.
The most disciplined buyers hand you a shorter inventory list, not a longer one. Ask which apps or publishers were dropped last quarter, what frequency cap the plan assumes, and which single number should move first if the flight is working as intended.
One firm here is a newspaper's own ad desk and another buys nothing but programmatic, so read the business model before the deck. However the brief lands, keep the buy, the creative and the measurement under one owner. If you would rather have the media plan, the search budget next to it and the video built for the buy answerable to one team, read our latest analysis or see how we work in Seattle.
