New Players Struggle To Emerge

Consolidation Opens the Door for a Wave of Hungry Young Agencies
BOSTON–Over the past several years, consolidation and contraction have held sway in the New England advertising community.
The region’s two largest mainstream players–Arnold Communications and Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, both in Boston–have been sold in recent weeks, to Snyder Communications and the Interpublic Group of Cos., respectively. At the same time, the once-thriving midsize agency ranks have been steadily depleted. While many formerly prestigious shops fight for survival, close offices or go out of business altogether, an emerging tier of young agencies struggle to break from the pack and establish themselves as the next high-fliers.
These shops basically fall into two categories.