It’s not easy being an ad agency these days. Changing models, consultancies, procurement, performance-based marketing, in-housing, project work versus agency of record. And yet, Adweek’s inaugural Fastest Growing Agencies list proves that it’s still possible not only to rise to these challenges but to succeed wildly.
The first class of Fastest Growing Agencies saw an average growth of over 300%. While revenue numbers may be different for each, 85 of the top 100 sat between $10 million and $50 million, and 23 had revenue of over $50 million, with several clocking in at nine figures.
Remarkably, this collection of 100 agencies from around the globe accounted for 21 specific disciplines and categories—in our searchable list online—ranging from full service to experiential, b-to-b and ecommerce, direct marketing to influencers and everywhere in between.
While the growth narrative is compelling, the stories about how these agencies started, and continue to grow, are equally interesting. It also points to talented, dedicated individuals and teams that ignore the noise around them to focus on what they do best: delivering big time for their clients and brands. —Doug Zanger
To navigate the chart, click on an agency name to learn more, or sort by the agency’s age, region, size or category (the list spans everything from b-to-b marketing agencies to strategy agencies). You can also click and drag the map to view the Fastest Growing Agencies’ headquarters around the world, and click on the gold pins for their data.
Please note that bespoke profiles of agencies are for top 10 overall and regional honorees.
How we calculated our list
To be eligible for the Adweek 100: Fastest Growing Agencies list, agencies provided three years of earned revenue from 2016 to 2018 and had to have at least $250,000 of revenue in 2016. Participating agencies were required to certify the accuracy of their reported revenue figures, and we performed additional auditing to determine the accuracy of the submissions. Due to privacy, figures are not disclosed. Agency descriptions are based on submission forms.
