Without the goal of scaling: why digital agency CF.Digital is strengthening its creative department

Why does a digital agency need a creative department?

Iryna: Our agency is 17 years old. We started with digital development, which became our unique and strong edge on the Ukrainian market. Over the years, we've built crowdfunding platforms, marketplaces, web auctions, and numerous e-commerce projects.

It was logical to add a performance marketing approach, focusing on business goals and financial KPIs within a set timeframe.
Our KPIs are not just about traffic and brand awareness, but also test drive sign-ups that convert into sales.

Eventually, we realized we needed to enhance this area — that’s how creative performance was born, led by Yana Bakun.

Our goal is not just to add creativity as a standalone service, but to enhance existing work with it.
For example, we’ve long worked in the automotive sector, with 19 car brands in our portfolio.
One of the recent ones is Jeep, for which we’re running a sales-focused digital campaign.
By adding a creative layer to a technical sales process, communication effectiveness increased by 30%.

Is CF.Digital repositioning from digital to creative/marketing agency?

Yana: “Transformation” is a trendy word now — and rightly so. Company structures are aging, and launching new verticals is natural.
Classic service models will remain, but experimental formats offer new opportunities and improvements.

We now have a Creative Director, and plan to expand the creative team.
Right now, we're in the formation stage, focusing on efficiency and measurability.
We are open to collaborating with other agencies to create a quality product.

Iryna: Our focus now is on building business processes in the creative direction.
Creative performance is a new approach to client business and to the market.
We’re not just expanding digital — everything is becoming digital.

We are not planning to become a marketing agency.
Our goal is not scaling, but deep work with a few clients, handled by a small team of experts.

Promotion strategy — how will you communicate the new direction?

Yana: We have a strategic vision in mind and will formalize it soon.
We hope that client requests will help shape our creative performance strategy.
Most importantly — we focus on client insight.
Without it, we risk creating something that doesn’t meet their needs.

How are responsibilities shared between Yana and Philip?

Iryna: Philip oversees the entire creative direction. We deeply study client business processes and involve business developers.
Creative ideas must be realistically implemented.

Yana: I manage creative performance, which includes strategy, branding, and client promotion.
Our mission is to go beyond what the client wants — we ask why they need it and what business problem it solves.
Our team includes experts capable of solving even the most non-standard challenges.

Who is your target client?

Iryna: We have diverse clients — we choose them based on how much we can help and how much they trust us.
We’ve helped grow startups like small bakeries and work with big brands like Samsonite, whose global goal is full digitalization.

Our job is to automate and bring everything into a unified ecosystem.
We also have vast experience in the automotive sector, exploring how people buy cars through digital channels.

With some clients, we've worked for nearly a decade, helping build their business from scratch.
We even have an Effie-winning real estate case where we turned a client's idea into a full real estate agency.

If CF.Digital were a product, what marketing would you build?

Yana: First, we must know why we work and where we're headed.
In both the agency market and client market, we must present ourselves smartly.
We offer clear services, and our work is fully visible.

Instead of SEO or ads, we promote ourselves via educational content, events, and competitions.

Iryna: Our best marketing is successful case studies, client feedback, and our experience.
We avoid spamming Facebook with self-promo.

What has changed in the ad/communication market in 17 years?

Iryna: 17 years ago, “digital” didn’t even exist as a word.
We launched our first website — no automation, just a static image with a visitor counter. That was the "big data" back then.

Today, we can reverse-engineer a site, track user behavior in detail, and solve client issues with measurable data.

How have consumers and clients changed?

Iryna: We live in a world of short attention spans.
You only have a few seconds to grab attention. Brands must use diverse tactics to stay relevant.

Yana: In the past, relationships were built on trust first.
Today, you must capture attention quickly, bring the user to your platform, and only then build trust.

Iryna: Relationships between clients and agencies have changed.
As we dive deeper into client business, we form partnerships — unlike 10 years ago, when it was all "I’m the boss, I pay".
Now, it's different.

Originally published on mmr.ua