The Ultimate List of Agency Holding Companies & Their Affiliates

Updated December 2021: Navigating the advertising ecosystem is complicated. Agency holding companies expand and acquire entities at a rapid pace. If you’re targeting agencies, it’s important to know which house they’re under, which brand accounts they’re responsible for, and who the decision-makers are. Here’s a cheat sheet to understand the many agency/brand relationships, how advertisers place their ads, and the technologies they’re using.  

We’re expanding beyond the “big four” with our selection of the six most profitable agency networks in 2021. Check out our ultimate list of agency-holding companies and their affiliates (with at least $5 million in revenue) below.

1)  WPP

The British multinational advertising and public relations company creates campaigns through integrated communications, experience, commerce, and technology:

• Q3 2021 revenue: $4.45 billion
• Headquarters: London, UK
• Notable clients: NASA, Microsoft, Intel, Tencent, Ericsson, Alibaba, Vodafone, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, HSBC, Colgate, Heineken, Ford, FIFA, and Nestle
• Disciplines: Media buying and planning, digital, full service/integrated, creative/advertising, public relations, market research
• Agencies below: Group M, Essence, MediaCom, MediaCom Canada, Mindshare, Wavemaker, Grey Group, Ogilvy, OgilvyOne Worldwide, VMLY&R, WPP Group Inc., Wunderman Thompson, JWT Toronto, Wunderman Health, AKQA, BCW, GTB, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Hogarth, Kantar, Kantar Milward Brown, The&Partnership

2)  Omnicom Group

The American global media, marketing, and corporate communications holding company employs 77K+ employees in over 100 countries worldwide.

• Q3 2021 revenue: $3.43 billion
• Headquarters: New York, NY
• Notable clients: Apple, Adidas, McDonald’s, Nissan, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Exxon Mobil, Unilever, Mars, and Volkswagen
• Disciplines: Full service/integrated, creative/advertising, public relations, multicultural, media buying and planning, direct/relationship, shopper, promotions
• Agencies below: BBDO, The CDM Group, FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, Porter Novelli, RAPP Worldwide, DDB, OMD, Track DDB, Tribal Worldwide, Interbrand, Omnicom Media, PHD, The Integer Group

3)  Publicis Groupe

As the oldest and also one of the largest holding companies in the world, all agency brands share an operational backbone, which allows them to compete and better connect to clients throughout different markets.

• Q3 2021 revenue: $2.96 billion
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Notable clients: Verizon, USAA, Humira, Disney, Kraft Heinz, Samsung, Hulu, Advil, Visa, Dunkin’, Bank of America, Dawn, Pfizer, and American Family Insurance Group
• Disciplines: Full service/integrated, creative/advertising, public relations, media buying and planning, digital, direct/relationship
• Agencies below: Arc Worldwide, Leo Burnett, MSL Group, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi, Spark Foundry, Starcom Worldwide, Zenith Media, Digitas, Epsilon, Hawkeye, Publicis.Sapient, Razorfish, Publicis Health

4)  Interpublic Group of Companies

IPG covers the entire spectrum of marketing disciplines and specialties, from public relations and consumer advertising to mobile search engine marketing. With more than 54,000 employees, IPG operates in over 100 countries across the globe.

• Q3 2021 revenue: $2.26 billion
• Headquarters: New York, NY
• Notable clients: Accenture, American Express, Coca-Cola, Fitbit, GoPro, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss & Co, Mattel, and Spotify
• Disciplines: Creative/advertising, full service/integrated, direct/relationship, media buying and planning, digital, promotions, public relations, customer experience, design
• Agencies below: FCB, Acxiom Corporation, Initiative, IPG MediaBrands, Magna Global, MRM/McCann, McCann, Momentum Worldwide, MullenLowe, Mediahub, Universal McCann, Weber Shandwick, Powell Tate, Huge Inc., R/GA

5)  Dentsu Inc.

The Japanese international advertising and public relations company is currently the largest advertising agency and the fifth largest advertising agency network in the world in terms of worldwide revenues.

• Q3 2021 revenue: $2.25 billion
• Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
• Notable clients: American Express, Asahi Breweries, Canon, Disney, Hershey, Kao, Marriott, Shiseido, Subway, The Coca-Cola Company, Toyota, and United Airlines
• Disciplines: Creative/advertising, SEO/SEM, digital, event and sponsorship marketing, media buying and planning
• Agencies below: Dentsu International, iProspect, Isobar US, Fountainhead MKTG, Vizeum

6)  Havas

The French multinational advertising and public relations company operates in more than 100 countries and is one of the largest global advertising and communications groups in the world.

• Q3 2021 revenue: $668 million
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Notable clients: NFL, Dr. Pepper, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Icy Hot, Gold Bond, Invesco Ltd., Allegra, Cortozone 10, Land O’Lakes, Canada Dry, Comfort Inn, and Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
• Disciplines: Creative/advertising, digital, media buying and planning, full service/integrated, direct/relationship
• Agencies below: Havas Health & You, Havas Helia, Havas Media Group, Havas New York, Havas Tonic

If you liked this blog post, check out:

1. The Complete List of Interpublic Group (IPG) Agencies
2. The List of Agencies in the Omnicom Network
3. Social Media Ad Spend is Climbing: 10 Advertisers Behind the Spike