Advertising agencies are companies dedicated to creating, planning and managing advertising, and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for their clients. At the top of the industry pyramid are a small number of holding companies, such as WPP, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, Interpublic and Dentsu. These five major international groups control a large number of different agency brands spread around the world. Advertising agencies work with their clients to design and initiate advertising campaigns, using media including online advertising, television and radio advertising, mobile marketing, out-of-home advertising (such as billboards) and more.
The size of the global advertising market is estimated at $532.5 billion, with growth stemming from global economic prosperity and brand demand for digital transformation. The most prominent advertising companies in the Omnicom Group are BBDO Worldwide, DDB Worldwide, DAS Group of Companies, Omnicom Media Group and TBWA Worldwide. Department of State, WPP of the United Kingdom and Publicis of France are also major players in the industry. Media services (or media investment services) is the term generally used to describe the process of delivering the message created by an advertising agency through the media.
There have been many ads that have surprised the public because it was not normal for them to see it in an ad of that nature. Havas operates in more than 100 countries and is one of the largest advertising and communication groups in the world. South Korea's largest advertising agency, Cheil Worldwide, is more than three times larger in turnover than its closest domestic rival. A key development in recent years has been the creation of dedicated vertical agencies within holding companies, created specifically to manage the marketing requirements of individual multinational clients, and the hiring of staff and resources of the other multi-client agencies in the group. Traditionally, advertising agencies tend to be able to lead projects, but the results are better when there is a more collaborative relationship.
