In today’s digital marketing space, many leaders focus on scaling from behind a desk. Instead, Dmitriy Makarov, founder and CEO of a 100-person international agency, built his success by learning every process firsthand. From client outreach to campaign execution, Makarov insists that being in the trenches early on made him the leader he is today.
“In the beginning of my career, I did everything myself: from acquiring clients to launching campaigns and reporting,” he explains. “It was the time of full immersion in every single process.”
Before launching his agency, Dmitriy Makarov worked independently between 2015 and 2017, consulting for startups and emerging brands across several countries. During that period, he did not just deliver projects, instead, he tested ideas, optimized campaigns and learned from trial and error. The lessons from that time became the blueprint for his agency’s data-driven, results-oriented approach.
As a solo consultant, Dmitriy Makarov handled everything from influencer deals to paid media planning. That holistic involvement helped him develop a campaign framework that still drives the agency today: define goals, research the market, test, refine, and scale. It is a system that emphasizes outcomes over buzz, and it is one that clients now expect.
Today, Makarov’s agency has launched more than 500 campaigns with a combined reach of 2.6 billion people. Among its global clients are BMW, Domino’s Pizza, NIVEA, Durex and Intel. And the common thread in many of these projects is smart, targeted influencer marketing.
“I believe influencer marketing to be the most effective tool today,” he says. “Especially when you know how to do it right.”
One campaign for BMW’s i3 featured real users showcasing their daily experience: charging the car, commuting, even racing it. It generated more than 500,000 organic views and built a positive impression. For Durex, a campaign using popular streamers earned 3.3 million views and 38,000 clicks. Tech enthusiasts helped promote Intel’s NUC by sharing personal stories, driving 3.5 million views and 400,000 likes.
“We do not pick celebrities relying on their star power,” Dmitriy Makarov says. “Instead, we find the right voice that truly resonates with the target audience.”
The main focus areas of the Makarov’s agency include:
- Influencer marketing – creating partnerships with creators that align with client goals
- Performance marketing – running PPC campaigns, testing funnels and optimizing for conversions
- Content and production – developing creative materials, from video to audio ads
- Strategic planning and R&D – performing market analysis, projecting ROI and building media plans
That full-spectrum knowledge is what makes Dmitriy Makarov stand out in a fast-paced, often siloed industry. He is not just a strategist, he is a builder who understands the mechanics behind every campaign.
“We have worked with over 1,000 influencers,” he says. “We know how to choose the ones who drive results. We often guarantee success, or otherwise we make it right at our own cost.”
That promise reflects the same values the entrepreneur held as a solo consultant: own the outcome, solve the problem, deliver the result. In a business where marketing trends shift quickly and attention spans run short, he remains committed to one long-term strategy: doing the work that earns trust.
