What is co-managed advertising?

The term is borrowed from IT services, where co-managed IT describes an internal IT team that stays in place while an outside provider takes on agreed responsibilities. Advertising technology platforms use the same three-way split for connected TV and programmatic buying: self-serve, managed service and co-managed. In brand marketing the same idea is usually called a hybrid model, and it is now the norm: in one 2026 industry survey, 84% of brands with an in-house media team still worked with at least one agency.

What these uses share is more important than the label. The client keeps ownership and direct access. The outside team adds skills and capacity the client lacks. And the split of responsibilities is written down.

• Access. You add the agency to your ad account as a partner or member. You can remove that access at any time.
• Before launch. You submit ads and landing pages; the agency checks them against the platform's policies and returns a clear yes or a list of fixes.
• While ads run. The agency monitors policy and account health, and tells you early when something needs attention.
• When something goes wrong. The agency explains the rule, proposes a fix or files the appeal.
• Every month. You receive a health report, a review log and a statement that reconciles spend with what you paid.

On some platforms an agency can also set up an ad account that it administers on your behalf, with a prepaid budget. That is an option, not the definition. On platforms such as ChatGPT Ads, the account must be opened by the advertiser, so co-managed is the only way an agency can work with you.

It fits when you have someone who runs campaigns day to day but no one to cover policy, appeals, measurement and finance; when you advertise on several platforms and want one team across them; or when you are building an internal team and want support while it grows.

It does not fit when nobody in your business can run campaigns. In that case a fully managed service is the honest answer. It also does not fit if what you want is access to an ad account without a service around it.

It is not renting an ad account. If a provider offers access to an account with no written scope of work, no review of what you run and no reporting, that is account access, not co-management. Platforms treat it very differently, and so should you. A real co-managed service can always work in an ad account that you own.

Co-managed services are usually priced as a share of ad spend with a monthly minimum, and cost less than a fully managed service because your team does the building. Our fees are 5% of ad spend for Co-Managed, 8% for Growth and 12% for Fully Managed, with monthly minimums of $300, $800 and $1,500. At $20,000 a month in ad spend that is $1,000, $1,600 or $2,400. Ad spend is always shown separately from the service fee. See plans and fees.

Unclear roles. When both sides assume the other is watching something, nobody is. Ask any provider for the split of responsibilities in writing, the response times they commit to, and what you receive each month.