Digital that’s actually held to a number.
Digital advertising covers pay-per-click, paid social, programmatic display, native advertising and web development — VCM owns the strategy, channel mix and client relationship, while our specialist partner Refine handles the technical execution, so you get one point of contact and one accountable team rather than a fragmented set of vendors. PPC, paid social, programmatic, native advertising and web development — delivered with our trusted digital partner Refine. Real performance reporting, real conversations, real accountability.
Our partnership with Refine
Refine is a UK digital agency we’ve worked alongside for years. They handle the technical execution — the bid management, the audience builds, the tag deployment, the reporting dashboards — while VCM owns the strategy, the channel mix, and the relationship with you. You get one point of contact and a team that’s specialised in what they do best.
What we cover
Pay-per-click (Google Ads)
Search, Performance Max, Shopping, YouTube. Full-funnel campaign architecture, conversion tracking, budget pacing and ongoing optimisation.
Paid social
Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, TikTok and Pinterest. Audience builds, creative testing, conversion-API setup, monthly performance reviews.
Programmatic display
Open-exchange and private-marketplace display advertising. Real-time bid management against your audience and conversion goals. For the bigger picture on where budgets are moving, see how UK digital ad spend is shifting in 2026.
Native advertising
Branded content that earns its place in the feed. From Outbrain and Taboola distribution through to publisher-direct sponsored content on the FT, Guardian, Telegraph and trade press. Genuine engagement, not interruption — built around content people actually want to read.
Web development
Through our trusted development partners. WordPress sites, landing pages, conversion-focused build, and ongoing maintenance. From a single campaign landing page through to full website rebuilds — briefed by us, delivered to spec, accountable to one point of contact.
How it works in practice
You meet James for the strategy conversation and the commercial relationship. You meet Danny for the monthly performance reviews. Behind the scenes, the Refine team is running the day-to-day execution. One contract, one invoice, one team.
We've been working with VCM to manage our Google and Meta advertising, and the impact has been excellent. From the outset, they took the time to properly understand our niche market and commercial objectives, which is crucial in a specialist sector like ours. Their approach is not just about driving traffic, but about delivering qualified leads and measurable results. Communication has been clear and proactive throughout, with regular updates, insights, and a genuine willingness to refine and improve performance over time. It feels like a partnership rather than a service. What stands out most is their ability to combine technical expertise with practical, commercial thinking, ensuring ad spend is used efficiently and strategically. Overall, we've seen strong improvements in both lead quality and consistency, and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend VCM to any business looking to take their digital advertising seriously.
Why VCM works with a partner instead of building in-house
The same logic that keeps creative production with a trusted partner network applies to digital execution. Bid management, audience builds, tag deployment and reporting dashboards are highly specialised and fast-moving disciplines — Refine does nothing else, all day, every day. VCM's core expertise is planning and buying across every channel, including the ones digital-only agencies don't touch: print, out-of-home, radio and TV. Partnering keeps both sides sharp instead of asking one team to be excellent at everything.
You still deal with one commercial relationship: James for strategy, Danny for the monthly performance reviews, with Refine's team running day-to-day execution behind the scenes.
Digital alongside traditional media
We don't start with a channel shortlist — we start with the brief, and digital is one option among print, OOH, radio and TV rather than the default. That matters because UK digital ad spend and retail media are growing fast, but so is connected TV and programmatic DOOH — the right mix depends on the objective, not which channel is currently fashionable. Programmatic display in particular sits well alongside TV and OOH bursts, retargeting people who've already been reached by the wider campaign.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between VCM and a digital-only agency?
VCM plans and buys across every channel — print, out-of-home, radio, TV and digital — not just digital. Digital execution is delivered through our partner Refine, so you get specialist digital delivery without losing the traditional media expertise a digital-only agency can't offer.
Do you run PPC and paid social in-house?
Digital execution — PPC, paid social, programmatic and native — is delivered through our partner Refine, with VCM owning the strategy, channel mix and client relationship. You get one point of contact and one accountable team.
What budget do I need to see results from digital advertising?
Budgets are set against the objective and channel mix rather than a fixed rate card, but as a rough guide, £1,000–£2,000 a month is typically the starting point where digital can begin to show measurable results. Get in touch for an honest view on what a given budget can realistically achieve.
How is programmatic different from paid social advertising?
Programmatic is a buying method — automated, real-time bidding for ad space based on audience data — not a platform or format. Paid social (Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok) is a specific set of platforms you can buy on directly or programmatically. You're not choosing one instead of the other; programmatic is often how the buying itself happens.
Can digital advertising work alongside TV, print or OOH?
Yes, and we'd usually recommend it. Digital captures and retargets the audience that a TV, print or OOH campaign has already reached, which is why we plan channel mix from the brief rather than treating digital as a separate silo.
Want digital that earns its budget?
Book a free 30-minute audit of your current digital activity. We'll be honest about what's working and what isn't.