CREATIVE & PERFORMANCE AGENCY

SUCCESS FEE MARKETING

Success Fee Marketing

It is an outcome-based marketing model that brings high-level creative and performance marketing together in one end-to-end system. We develop the strategy and original campaign concept, design and produce the work, launch and manage the paid media, and continuously optimise performance to maximise measurable revenue. Our fees are linked directly to the measurable revenue those campaigns generate.

Simply put: when our clients win, we win.

 

01 — We Build The Campaign

We develop the strategy and original creative concept, art direction, design and production, then launch, manage and continuously optimise the campaign through paid media. Depending on the campaign, distribution may include Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Google Search and Display, TikTok Ads, YouTube and LinkedIn, supported where appropriate by CRM pipelines, email marketing and automation. We select the channel mix according to the audience, campaign objective, available media budget and where the strongest measurable return is most likely to be achieved.

 

02 — The Client Funds Media Spend

Clients fund the media spend directly through their own advertising accounts, giving them full transparency, ownership and control of their advertising budget.

03 — We Optimise And Scale What Performs

Campaign performance is tracked continuously through live reporting, giving clients 24/7 visibility of results. We monitor and optimise performance on an ongoing basis, typically making adjustments daily as data comes in. When something is performing strongly, we may recommend increasing media spend to scale the opportunity. Where performance is weaker, spend can be reduced or reallocated. Material changes to media spend are agreed with the client before proceeding. Once a month, we review performance together, discuss key learnings and align the strategy, creative and media priorities for the following month.

 

04 — CREATIVE & PERFORMANCE, IN ONE MODEL

BREATHE operates as both a high-level creative agency and a performance marketing agency within the same system. Our creative approach follows the standards of leading international creative agencies, combining strategic thinking, original campaign concepts, art direction, design and production. Our performance capability operates at the same level, covering paid media strategy, campaign management, testing, optimisation and scaling. The same agency that creates the campaign is also responsible for how it performs. The creative is designed to capture attention, drive action and strengthen long-term brand equity, while performance marketing ensures it reaches the right audiences and is continuously improved using real data. Creative quality and performance are not separate services; they operate as one system. Success Fee Marketing also aligns this commercially, with part of BREATHE’s remuneration linked directly to the measurable revenue generated by the campaigns we create and manage.

 

05 — We Win When The Client Wins

Partnerships typically include a minimum monthly retainer of AED 20,000, followed by a 10% success fee on measurable revenue generated through the paid-media campaigns BREATHE creates and manages. Part of BREATHE’s remuneration is therefore linked directly to measurable commercial outcomes rather than agency time alone. Success Fee Marketing uses a revenue-linked commercial structure, but differs from standard Revenue Share Marketing by combining original strategy and creative, campaign production, paid media management and continuous optimisation within one end-to-end model. BREATHE does not take a percentage of a client’s total, existing or unrelated revenue. Additional revenue generated by our campaigns through direct traffic, organic sales or bookings, and repeat-customer activity remains entirely with the client. The more successful the campaign becomes, the more both sides benefit.

View the Success Fee Marketing case study →

 

Selective Partnerships

Because our success is tied directly to yours, we only partner with businesses we genuinely believe we can help grow. Success Fee Marketing works best where results can be measured clearly and the business has the margins, media budget and operational capacity to support growth. We look for genuine partnerships rather than short-term tests, which is why Success Fee Marketing partnerships require a minimum six-month commitment. This gives us the time to develop the creative, launch the campaign, gather meaningful performance data, optimise what works and scale intelligently.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Success Fee Marketing?

Success Fee Marketing is BREATHE Creative’s outcome-based marketing model that combines high-level creative and performance marketing within one end-to-end system. BREATHE develops the strategy, original campaign concept, art direction, design and production, then launches and manages the paid media and continuously optimises performance. Part of BREATHE’s remuneration is linked directly to measurable revenue generated by the campaigns it creates and manages.

Learn more about what Success Fee Marketing is →

How is Success Fee Marketing different from performance marketing?

Performance marketing focuses on measuring, testing and optimising marketing activity against defined results. Success Fee Marketing goes further by combining original strategy, creative concept, art direction, design and production with paid media management and continuous performance optimisation, while also linking part of BREATHE’s remuneration directly to measurable revenue.

Learn more about performance-based marketing →

How is Success Fee Marketing different from Revenue Share Marketing?

Revenue Share Marketing describes a commercial model where an agency or marketing partner receives an agreed percentage of measurable revenue. Success Fee Marketing is BREATHE’s specifically defined approach, combining high-level creative, campaign production, paid media management and continuous optimisation within one integrated model.

Learn more about Revenue Share Marketing vs Success Fee Marketing →

What is an outcome-based marketing agency?

An outcome-based marketing agency plans and evaluates marketing around defined business outcomes such as revenue, sales, bookings or qualified leads, rather than focusing only on activity or deliverables. The commercial model can vary, with some agencies using fixed fees and others linking part of their remuneration to performance.

Learn more about outcome-based marketing →

What is results-based marketing?

Results-based marketing focuses on measurable business results rather than marketing activity alone. Those results might include revenue, sales, bookings, subscriptions, qualified leads or another agreed conversion, depending on the business and campaign.

Learn more about results-based marketing →

Can a marketing agency be paid on results?

Yes. Agency fees can be linked to measurable outcomes through structures such as performance fees, revenue share, fees per lead or sale, or hybrid models that combine a monthly retainer with a results-linked fee. The right structure depends on attribution, margins, customer value, sales cycle and how much control the agency has over the final result.

Learn more about how a marketing agency paid on results works →

How do BREATHE’s Success Fee Marketing fees work?

BREATHE’s current standard structure starts from a minimum monthly retainer of AED 20,000, plus a 10% success fee on measurable revenue generated through the paid-media campaigns we create and manage. The exact structure depends on factors such as attribution, margins, media investment, customer value and the level of commercial responsibility involved.

Learn more about performance-based agency pricing →

Can Success Fee Marketing work without a monthly retainer?

Yes. Success Fee Marketing can operate without a monthly retainer, with the agency earning entirely from measurable results. BREATHE’s current standard structure, however, combines a monthly retainer with a success fee so both sides share commercial risk while supporting the creative, production and performance resources required to run the campaign properly.

Explore alternatives to agency retainers →

Is Success Fee Marketing the same as no-win, no-fee marketing?

In its pure form, yes. BREATHE can operate with no monthly retainer and typically earns a 20% success fee on measurable revenue generated through paid media. If the campaign generates no measurable revenue, BREATHE earns no agency fee. The client still funds the media spend directly through its own advertising accounts.

Success Fee Marketing can also operate as a hybrid model, combining a monthly retainer with a lower success fee.

Why is attribution important in Success Fee Marketing?

Attribution determines which revenue can reasonably be connected to the campaigns BREATHE creates and manages. Clear attribution allows both BREATHE and the client to agree which results qualify for the success fee, keeping the commercial relationship transparent and fair.

BREATHE does not take a percentage of a client’s total, existing or unrelated revenue.

What types of businesses are best suited to Success Fee Marketing?

Success Fee Marketing works best where the path from marketing activity to revenue can be measured clearly and the business has healthy margins, proven demand, sufficient media investment and the operational capacity to fulfil increased demand. E-commerce, online booking and other businesses with trackable digital customer journeys are often particularly well suited.

When does Success Fee Marketing not work well?

Success Fee Marketing is less suitable where attribution is unclear, sales cycles are very long, conversions depend heavily on offline sales teams, margins cannot support a revenue-linked fee, or the agency has limited influence over the final commercial result. It can also be difficult where the business does not have the operational capacity to fulfil additional demand.

What should you look for in a Success Fee Marketing agency?

Look beyond the fee structure itself. A strong Success Fee Marketing partner should have genuine capability across strategy, original creative, production and performance marketing, together with clear attribution, transparent reporting and strong commercial understanding. The best partnerships combine creative quality, performance capability and commercial accountability rather than treating them as separate services.

Who invented Success Fee Marketing?

BREATHE Creative developed the Success Fee Marketing model and was publicly using the term by January 11, 2021.

Read more about the origin of Success Fee Marketing →