Adweek’s top large agencies think big and do big work to prove it. These shops represent both U.S. and international regions and speak to worldwide audiences. Here are the Fastest Growing large agencies (over 200 employees) by percent change in revenue.
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Neil Patel, a marketing consultant and trusted source of all things SEO, has been tapped by some of the world’s biggest advertisers—Amazon, Facebook and Google, to name a few. But after being overwhelmed by client demand, Patel decided to start his own agency in 2017.
So, working alongside co-founder Mike Kamo, he introduced NP Digital, which has grown from a consulting firm to a one-stop-shop for performance marketing services like SEO, paid social media and paid search. The company is not beholden to shareholders, which CEO Michael Gullaksen says has contributed to its ability to innovate and grow.
“Coming from a consultancy background to a media background is a very unique way to approach performance marketing,” he says. “Not being tied to legacy, nondigital heritage helps us grow a little bit faster than performance agencies that are part of holding companies.”
Clients of NP Digital, which brands itself as the “alternative to the agency status quo,” include Adobe, Party City and Fiji Water. The company expects 2021 revenue to hit $70 million, a 112% increase from 2020.
“Over the last few years, agencies have been so focused on profitability, which has created a difficult relationship with clients,” says Gullaksen. “We deliver a high-quality product while focusing on client satisfaction and our employees.” —E.L.
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Wpromote challenges every client to think like a challenger—even century-old Whirlpool, which the agency is helping accelerate as a direct-to-consumer business. Wpromote has built that mindset through the development of its talent, investing in every employee to turn them into subject matter experts through training and mentorship.
Chief relationship officer Mike Stone says Wpromote prides itself on giving employees clear career growth. They, in turn, recruit more talent, which results in Wpromote building teams that clients like Avail, Spanx and Transunion love. And all that leads to 1,550% growth over the past three years. The agency is growing rapidly, with nearly 700 current employees, and it projects to grow to 800 by the end of 2021 and hit about 1,000 during 2022.
“We’re able to bring in a lot of high achievers, and we can give them a path for growth within our business,” says Stone.
Wpromote’s success with talent, he says, goes hand in hand with tech. Its Polaris tool fuels the agency’s nimbleness, helping automate tasks like monitoring the pacing and planning of media budgets and how well creative is performing across platforms.
Ultimately, that leads employees to think more about the strategy and less about work that could burn them out. “[Polaris] leads to more strategic conversations with the client to get to a better growth outcome,” Stone says. —Jameson Fleming
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Power Digital helps brands—including new clients Houseplant (Seth Rogen’s cannabis brand) and Black-owned hair care brand Mielle Organics—scale revenue sustainably and increase profits by using data and analytics to guide strategy. Its proprietary, machine-learning platform SPRnova analyzes business growth opportunities and provides a corresponding road map of how to execute and track progress across marketing channels. —K.C.
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Oliver’s “inside-out” focus for its clients has fueled growth since its 2004 founding. Having created more than 300 built-for-purpose agencies, Oliver’s priority is a “shared roof” perspective, which enables it to operate with speed and nimbleness. Completely devoted to designing, building and operating bespoke in-house agencies for brands, Oliver has thrived on the strength of its focused offering. —K.C.
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Media.Monks offers digital advertising and marketing services in 31 countries. Its strategy revolves around creating digital marketing solutions that embrace data, content and digital media. Like many companies, the primary sources of Media.Monks’ growth in 2021 came from helping brands quickly adapt to a digital-first world when at-home audiences suddenly became an urgent priority. —A.C.
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Several acquisitions in 2019 spearheaded growth at Bounteous, a digital experience consultancy that started in 2003. Despite the fiscal challenges of 2020, Bounteous continued its 20% compound annual growth rate, with over $100 million in revenue, and the firm won several multiyear, co-innovation accounts, exceeding its business development goals. The agency also recently acquired Lister Digital. —A.C.
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Drive focuses most of its efforts on driving trackable ROI for its partners. The agency has developed a proprietary tracking platform called Marketing Milk that allows clients to log in remotely to view real-time reports on the ROI and RoAS of their social media campaigns. This focused approach is helping accelerate the company’s growth. —A.C.
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Fingerpaint is biopharma’s analytics-enabled commercialization partner for integrated solutions. The health and wellness marketing firm is known for its innovative, data-driven approach to providing integrated marketing solutions to a growing roster of health care clients. In 2020, Fingerpaint gained 24 new clients—a 41% growth rate, and growth from existing clients grew 59%. —A.C.
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PMG is a global independent digital agency with a roster of clients including Apple, Athleta, Beats by Dre, Glossier, McDonald’s, Old Navy, TikTok and Sephora. The company, which was named Adweek’s Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year for 2021, racks up top industry kudos every year, with accolades from Cannes Lions, Deloitte Inc. and Entrepreneur, and has a more than 90% client retention rate. —C.W.
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Digital marketing agency Dept began in 2015 with a goal to expand to 10 countries and reach $ 117.4 million (100 million euros) in revenue within three years—it achieved it in two. Since then, it has grown into a 13-country global enterprise with a client roster that includes Samsung, Patagonia, Google, Netflix, Tesla, Philips and Bose. —C.W.