How to choose a digital ad agency in Japan – contracts, account ownership and transparency

Three types of digital ad agency

"Ad agency" covers very different setups. Sorting your options into three groups makes them much easier to compare.

• Large and mid-size agencies: strong at big budgets, multi-brand campaigns and mixing online with TV or transit ads. Sales and operations are usually separate people, and small monthly budgets are often not a priority
• Freelance ad specialists: you work directly with someone who runs search or Meta ads day to day. Costs are usually lower and communication is fast; check which platforms they really know and who covers when they are unavailable
• Small web and growth studios: ad setup plus landing pages and tracking through one contact. They tend to accept small budgets, and the person you talk to is the person doing the work

Each type suits a different situation. Write down your monthly ad budget, how many platforms you need and whether you also need pages built, and you can narrow the list to two or three candidates. If you are starting small, see running search ads on a small budget.

Common traps when hiring an ad agency

Most regrets come from how the relationship is set up. These are expensive to discover after you have signed:

• The ad account was created in the agency's name, so history and settings stay with them if you leave
• Invoices show only "ad spend + fee" as one total, so you cannot see what actually went to Google or Meta
• A long minimum term with a penalty for ending early
• Reports focus on impressions and clicks with no link to inquiries or sales
• The person who pitched is not the person running the account, and answers take days
• The landing page is outdated, and only the ad settings keep getting tweaked

All of these can be prevented with the right questions. Use the checklist below in your first calls.

Seven contract terms to check before you sign

When a quote arrives, ask about each of these and get the answers in writing. It makes side-by-side comparison much easier.

• Fee model: a percentage of ad spend (around 20% is a typical benchmark in Japan), a flat monthly fee, or a minimum fee
• Setup costs: account structure, ad copy, tag setup – and what exactly is included
• How ad spend is paid: your own card billed directly by the platform, or the agency paying and re-invoicing
• Term and cancellation: minimum term, notice period and any penalty
• Account ownership: whether the Google Ads and Meta ad accounts are in your name
• Deliverables: whether you keep the ad copy, images and landing pages after the contract ends
• Reporting and contact: how often, what is in the report, expected reply time and who your contact is

For typical fee levels and how to read a quote, see ad management fees. Compare what the fee covers as well as the percentage.

Keep the accounts in your name and the numbers in view

The real asset in advertising is the data: which keywords convert, which ads people respond to, your conversion history. It all lives inside the ad account, so own it from day one and it stays with you whoever runs it.

• Google Ads: create the account under your own Google account and give the agency access by user invite or a manager-account link
• Meta ads: set up your own business portfolio (formerly Business Manager) and add the agency as a partner
• GA4 and tags: keep the GA4 property and Google Tag Manager in your name, with an admin on your side
• Payment: pay ad spend with your own card directly to the platform, so invoices show the real amount

Set up this way, you can open the dashboards any time and check spend and results against the agency's report. If your current agency owns the account, a new account in your name and a planned switch-over is a common fix.

A simple way to compare agencies

Once you have candidates, this order keeps the comparison fair. It works the same if you are considering a freelancer.

• Write the goal in one sentence: more inquiries from next month, more online sales – one action you want more of
• Share the basics: monthly budget cap, target area, the products or services to promote, your site URL
• Ask everyone the same questions: the seven terms above, collected in one table
• Judge how specific the proposal is: which platforms and why, what gets tested in the first one to three months, any view on the landing page
• Start small: a short period or a limited campaign to test report quality and response speed

To map out which tasks to hand over in the first place, read what an ad management agency does.

How UNANOBO works: a free landing page demo first

UNANOBO is a small studio where the founder handles every project personally, from the first conversation to ongoing campaigns. That covers Google Ads, Google Shopping and Meta ads, GA4 and tag setup, and the pages your ads send people to.

Before you commit, we build a free demo of the landing page your ads would point to, based on your site and what you want more of. After you have seen it, you get a proposed platform setup and an estimate. Ad accounts, domains and GA4 stay in your name, so you can check the numbers yourself at any time. Communication runs by message, in Japanese or English.