Largest Ad Agency Holding companies and the agencies they own
By Zion Rufus
The advertising agencies market consists of revenue earned by entities that dominate marketing activities such as planning, developing, creating and managing advertising campaigns and promotional activities in newspapers, radio, television, websites and social media sites.
These agencies are organized to provide a full range of services such as creative services, account management, production of advertising content, media planning, and buying.
Leading the global advertising market are the “Big Six”, which refers to agency holding companies, and major players in the advertising agencies market including WPP, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, Interpublic, Havas, and Dentsu.
With hundreds of smaller agencies under their wings, these companies have maintained their positions as the world’s leading advertising companies, employing thousands of advertising professionals.
In a visual mapping of top agency holding companies in the world, programmatic ad platform Eskimi ranks the Big Six based on their revenue data in Q3 2022 and the number of agencies they own https://www.eskimi.com/blog/advertising-agency-holding-companies
Publicis Groupe leads the pack with over 100 smaller agencies under its wing, while WPP and Havas follow with 97 and 94 agencies, respectively. Right behind them is Dentsu with 91 agencies and Interpublic with 89.
WPP
Founded: 1971 (entered advertising in 1985) HQ: London, UK
Top clients: Adidas, NASA, Coca-Cola, Dell, Mars, P&G, Shell, Sony, Uber, Nestlé, FIFA.
Revenue (Q3 2022): $4,309 million
Revenue growth (Q3 2021 vs. Q3 2022): +2.7%
WPP is one of the largest advertising company groups headquartered in London, UK. It’s a multinational player specializing in communications, advertising, PR, technology, and commerce.
WPP is the owner of many smaller companies that work in the same or similar field, including big names like AKQA, BCW, Mindshare, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Ogilvy, Grey, Wavemaker, CMI Media Group, Essence Global, Finsbury, and many more. As of 2022, the WPP advertising network employs around 100,000 people globally and operates smoothly in different markets worldwide.
Publicis Groupe Founded: 1926 HQ: Paris, France
Top clients: Disney, Samsung, L’Oréal, Hulu, Dunkin’, Orange, Verizon, Kraft Heinz, Visa, Bank Of America, Pfizer.
Revenue (Q3 2022): $3,471 million
Revenue growth (Q3 2021 vs. Q3 2022): +23.5%
Publicis Groupe is one the oldest marketing and communications agencies in the world that is approaching a solid 100 years in the industry. Historically, it’s always been a leader in advertising industry expansion, and it looks like it’s still keeping its position high. Some of the biggest names that you can find under Publicis Groupe’s wing are Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis, Leo Burnett, Digitas, BBH, MSL Group, Spark Foundry, Epsilon, Razorfish, and Arc Worldwide. The Parisian advertising giant currently employs over 16,000 employees in around 110 countries and remains one of the top players when it comes to digital advertising activities.
Omnicom Founded: 1986 HQ: New York City, USA
Top clients: Apple, Adidas, McDonald’s, Nissan, Pfizer, Unilever, PepsiCo, Volkswagen.
Revenue (Q3 2022): $3,443 million
Revenue growth (Q3 2021 vs. Q3 2022): +7.5%
Headquartered in New York City, Omnicom Group Inc. is an American global media, marketing, and corporate communications holding company, and the second-largest advertising agency holding group (after WPP). The companies it owns provide services in advertising, customer relationship management, PR, and specialty services. Among some of the best recognizable names, Omnicom Group has BBDO Worldwide, OMD, PHD, Ketchum, FleishmanHillard, Tribal Worldwide, DDB, Porter Novelli, and more. Based on the latest data, Omnicom Group employs nearly 72,000 digital advertising professionals and operates in more than 100 countries around the world.
Havas Founded: 1968 HQ: Paris, France
Top clients: NFL, Dr. Pepper, Goodyear, Allegra, Fidelity Investments, Icy Hot, Invesco Ltd., O’Lakes.
Revenue (Q3 2022): $2,764 million
Revenue growth (Q3 2021 vs. Q3 2022): +4.1%
Havas, headquartered in Paris, France, is a multinational advertising and PR company that operates in more than 100 countries around the world. Havas group offers a wide variety of communications services, including advertising, digital, direct marketing, media planning and buying, corporate communications, and more. Havas is also one of the agency holding companies that has the highest number of smaller agencies and companies under its giant umbrella, among which you can find such names as Arnold, Boondoggle, Buzzman, One Green Bean, BETC, Conran Design Group, and many more. Havas operates in around 150 countries and employs over 9,000 people that aim to create the best media experience.
Interpublic Founded: 1930 HQ: New York City, USA
Top clients: American Express, Coca-Cola, Fitbit, GoPro, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strass & Co, Mattel, Spotify.
Revenue (Q3 2022): $2,300 million
Revenue growth (Q3 2021 vs. Q3 2022): +1.5%
Interpublic Group was always one of the top global advertising agency companies, founded in 1930 and headquartered in New York City, United States. It consists of six major networks – Mediabrands, McCann Worldgroup, MullenLowe Group, FCB, IPG DXTRA, and Marketing Specialists, as well as a number of specialty agencies. Some of the areas that Interpublic Group specializes in are advertising, of course, media buying and planning, public relations, sports marketing, customer experience, and design. Interpublic Group has 58,500 employees in all major markets worldwide and positions itself as a values-based, future-facing, and client-centric holding company.
Dentsu Founded: 1901 HQ: Tokyo, Japan
Top clients: Canon, Disney, Marriott, Shiseido, Subway, Coca-Cola, Toyota, United Airlines, Asahi Breweries.
Revenue (Q3 2022): $2,095 million
Revenue growth (Q3 2021 vs. Q3 2022): +7.7%
Dentsu, an international advertising and PR company, originated in 1901 in Japan (and you thought that Publicis Groupe was old…). It’s the largest advertising agency locally that does business with almost every major institution locally and accounts for about 28% of national Japan’s advertising budget. Among the top names of the agencies Dentsu owns are Dentsu International, iProspect, Isobar US, Fountainhead MKTG, and Vizeum. As of the latest data, Dentsu Group employs approximately 65,000 people in 145 countries worldwide.
The global advertising agencies market size hit $372.55 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to $391.6 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1%, according to an in-depth global analysis shared by The Business Research Company.
Projected to reach $463.83 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 4.3%, this limited growth projection is driven by the high cost of hiring an advertising agency, especially during tough economic times.
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