15 Advertising Agencies In Philadelphia To Know | Built In (2024)

No industry has been viewed with the same mixture of essentialism and disbelief quite like advertising. While some fail to see the value advertising agencies can provide, others view the craft asanecessary step to gaining more customers and building better connections between consumers and brands.

Though depictions on television can make advertising campaigns seem like a stroke of genius, what seems like effortless workfor Don Draperis actually the result of collaborations between creatives, strategists, designers, storytellers and countless other integral team members. These teams workalongside organizations to create campaigns that will capture the attention of audiences who are constantly moving on to the next thing. The following15 advertising agencies in Philadelphia know the recipe to a successful campaign.

  • 160/90
  • Brownstein Group
  • Gas Powered Shark
  • Neff
  • Seer Interactive
  • Sparks Marketing Group
  • SWELL
  • Tierney
15 Advertising Agencies In Philadelphia To Know | Built In (1)

160over90

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Founded: 2000

What they do: 160/90 is a creative advertising agency offering a full range of services to take on brand challenges and deliver exceptional work. Offices across multiple continents help 160/90 service clients in the consumer, higher education, financial servicesand boutique lifestyle industries, providing advertising, branding, PR and experiential services.

Clients include: Aviation Gin, Bud Light, Visa, W Hotels, Caterpillar and ESPN.

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701 CREATIVE

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Founded: 2017

What they do: 701 Creative has developed a reputation for helping companies strengthen internal and external branding and improve their bottom lines by delivering powerful creative executions and winning strategies. Focused on developing messaging that is simplified and presents solutions effectively, 701 Creative excels in strategic communication, graphic design, social media management, web design, advertising, branding and messaging solutions.

Clients include: CSN Philly, Opera Philadelphia, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Jefferson Health.

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Brownstein Group

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Founded: 1964

What they do: Brownstein Group uses five decades of experience in full-service marketing to provide clients with innovative solutions to the challenges their brands face. Advertising services include branding, campaign development, design, and video production, and when used in conjunction with Brownstein Group’s PR, strategy, digital and social media offerings, it leads to exciting work that elevate brands across industries.

Clients include: Lyft, Speedpay, Wawa, Comcast, La Columbe, Ikea and Wonder Ball.

15 Advertising Agencies In Philadelphia To Know | Built In (7)

Founded: 2004

What they do: DiD Agency is dedicated to creating exceptional brand experiences for companies in the healthcare industry. The agency combines thorough brand intelligence research, including market strategy, positioning, media, analytics, and research and development, with executions designed for specific channels to achieve results. Techniques utilized include campaign concepting, copywriting, design, photography and video development.

Clients include: BreatheSmart, MoveWright, Biotrue and OraPharma.

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DMi Partners

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We are hiring

Founded: 2003

What they do: DMi Partners is a full-service digital agency that takes a people-focused approach to navigating the digital landscape and believes firmly in valuing the relationship between data and creativity. Branding and interactive activations all the way through SEO and email marketing are within DMi’s wheelhouse, allowing the agency to deliver tailored solutions that have lastingimpact.

Clients include: Unilever, Georgia-Pacific, GE, Hershey’s, CNN, Kellogg’s, NBCUniversal and Mattel.

They're Hiring | View 3 JobsDMi Partners is Hiring | View 3 Jobs

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Gas Powered Shark Creative

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Founded: 2010

What they do: Gas Powered Shark powers its range of advertising solutions on the idea that creativity and innovation are the cornerstones of all successful campaigns. The agency specializes in thorough ideation, branding and communication strategies, putting the majority of its focus into refining ideas to create the strongest campaigns possible.

Clients include: Capital One, Lexus, Discover, Walmart and Novo Nordisk.

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Agency M

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Founded: 2003

What they do: M is a branding, advertising and insights agency that partnerswith local and national brands to create campaigns that promote honest, authentic and emotional experiences. Multiple channels and significant media expertise allows M to apply strategy and creativity to every execution, with services including print, direct mail, TV, radio, OOH web, social media and video campaigns.

Clients include: Comcast, Insomnia Cookies, Bayer, Benepay and The Waldorf School of Philadelphia.

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MKJ Creative

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Founded: 2003

What they do: MKJ Creative creates bold and effective solutions to brand challenges and helps organizations across industries form genuine connections with their audiences. A full line of digital and print branding services are available to the agency’s clients, allowing brands to burst onto the scene or re-engage with existing customers with the same effectiveness.

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Neff

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Founded: 1987

What they do: Neff is a full-service advertising agency that collaborates with its clients to develop personalized marketing solutions that evokepassion in customers. Multiple integrated strategies are utilized to effectively tell and expand on brand stories, including advertising, media strategy, photography, videography, branding, PR and social media solutions.

Clients include: McCann, Arena Football League, Geno’s Steaks and DNB First.

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SEER Interactive

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We are hiring

Founded: 2002

What they do: Seer Interactive takes a data-driven approach to building stronger brands for their clients, offering digital marketing solutions to provide organizations with strategies that help them stand out to the widest net of users. Along with SEO, PPC and additional digital capabilities, the agency also offers researched design services that allow landing pages, ads and e-books to stand out and receive better results in a crowded playing field.

Clients include: Asos, Crayola, Intuit, SendGrid, BBVA Compass, Alibaba and Aon.

They're Hiring | View 9 JobsSEER Interactive is Hiring | View 9 Jobs

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SnyderCreative

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Founded: 1990

What they do: Snyder Creative is a tight-knit group of creative professionals who leverage their collective skills to create marketing solutions that are both compelling and thought provoking. Combining copywriting, design, production and project management proficiency, Snyder Creative executes campaigns to be just as thought-provoking as they are clear, leading to memorable brand experiences.

Clients include: Ivy Housing, Genex Services, American Pharmacists Association and Hall Media.

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Social Fire Media

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Founded: 2012

What they do: Social Fire Media is a digital marketing agency working with businesses across industries to allow both new brands and well-established companies to make strong impressions on customers. The agency’s long list of services include web design, graphic design, social media management, branding, and SEO, utilizing them to put clients into the right positions to succeed.

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Sparks

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Founded: 1919

What they do: Sparks Marketing Group is a global brand experience agency, skilled in bringing brands of all sizes to life and creating unforgettable moments for customers to latch onto. The agency specializes in designing activations for trade shows, at point-of-purchase, and for additional experiential moments, utilizing a bevy of technical and creative skills to create all-original moments.

Clients include: Google, Konami, Peloton, Monster, Salesforce, Adidas, Dolby and TaylorMade.

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Swell

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Founded: 2011

What they do: SWELL’s mission is to make a real and lasting impact on its clients’ businesses and deliver results through sound strategy and strong creative executions. Branding, planning, advertising, content, website, print and research services are available to build customized campaigns to meet client needs and deliver work that makes its brands proud.

Clients include: Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, P’unk Burger, Septa Key and Pennsylvania Wines.

15 Advertising Agencies In Philadelphia To Know | Built In (29)

Tierney

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Founded: 1942

What they do: Tierney believes that quality advertising requires compelling storytelling in order to truly connect brands and consumers. A large set of capabilities that include advertising, brand strategy, public relations, experiential marketing, and more allows Tierney to be innovative when determining how to tell brand stories, leading to work with global impact.

Clients include: Comcast, McDonalds, IBM, TD Bank, American Public University and QVC.

All images via social media and Shutterstock.
15 Advertising Agencies In Philadelphia To Know | Built In (2024)

FAQs

Who was the first advertising agency in Philadelphia? ›

The first advertising agency in America was set up by Volney Palmer in Philadelphia in 1841. For the next several decades the work of agencies was to broker space for advertisers in newspapers.

What are the top 10 marketing companies? ›

A Closer Look at the Top 11 Multi-Billion Dollar Marketing Agencies
  • Mindshare. ...
  • BBDO Worldwide. ...
  • Ogilvy. ...
  • TBWA. ...
  • DDB Worldwide. ...
  • McCann Worldgroup. ...
  • Epsilon. ...
  • Starcom. Starcom is a world-renowned media communications agency that harnesses the power of media, technology, and data.

What are the 4 biggest ad agencies? ›

The advertising world is dominated by the 'Big Four' agencies: WPP, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe and Interpublic Group of Companies.

What are the top 5 advertising agencies worldwide? ›

According to our research, the top ad agencies in the world are:
  • Ogilvy & Mather.
  • Leo Burnett Worldwide.
  • Publicis Groupe.
  • BBDO.
  • WPP.
  • Dentsu.
  • Omnicom Group.
  • McCann.
Apr 17, 2024

What is the oldest advertising agency? ›

In 1869, Francis Ayer, at the age of 20, created the first full-service advertising agency in Philadelphia, called N.W. Ayer & Son.

Who is the father of advertising agencies? ›

The correct answer is David M Ogilvy. David M Ogilvy is known as the father of Advertisem*nt. The "Father of Advertising" was a British advertising tycoon by the name of David Mackenzie Ogilvy. He founded Ogilvy & Mather.

What are the big 7 in marketing? ›

The seven functions of marketing are marketing information management, financing, product and service management, pricing, promotion, selling, and distribution.

Who are the Big 4 in marketing? ›

Summary. The advertising world is dominated by the 'Big Four' agencies: WPP, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, and Interpublic Group of Companies.

Who are the Big Five marketing firms? ›

What are the top 5 advertising agencies? In terms of sheer size, WPP plc leads the pack when it comes to global advertising spend (see figure 1). It accounts for nearly half of total spending, followed closely by Publicis Groupe, Omnicom Group, Interpublic Group of Companies, and Dentsu Inc.

What does WPP stand for? ›

In 1985 Sir Martin Sorrell took a controlling stake in a small UK manufacturer of wire baskets and teapots called Wire and Plastic Products, as the foundation on which to build an international advertising and marketing services group. The company was renamed simply “WPP”, with Sir Martin as its Chief Executive.

Which ad agency is the most profitable? ›

Here are the top global advertising agencies and marketing firms, ranked by 2022 revenues, per Zippia: WPP (London, UK), $17.9 billion: A global leader in advertising offering communications, technology, and commerce services. Known for its creative transformation strategies.

Which company is the best at advertising? ›

  • McCann Erickson India Pvt. ...
  • Mullen Lowe Lintas Group. ...
  • Growth Hackerz Digital. ...
  • Schbang.
  • Dentsu Aegis Network.
  • FCB Ulka Advertising Pvt. ...
  • Group M Media India Pvt. ...
  • In Conclusion:
Jan 29, 2024

What companies do the most advertising? ›

Top 10 National TV Advertising Spenders
RankParent CompanyAd Spending June 2023
1Procter & Gamble$109.3M
2Abbvie$81.4M
3GSK$52.8M
4Walt Disney$47.0M
6 more rows
Dec 8, 2023

How do I find a good advertising agency? ›

How to choose an advertising agency
  1. Understand your business goals. ...
  2. Create a list of potential providers. ...
  3. Create a questionnaire. ...
  4. Decide when and how you will interview ad agencies. ...
  5. Invite the best ad agencies to pitch their services.
May 30, 2023

When was the first advertisem*nt with a photograph in Philadelphia? ›

1843. The first advertisem*nt with a photograph is published in Philadelphia.

Who were the first American advertising agents? ›

The first American advertising agencies were newspaper space brokers, individuals who purchased space in newspapers and sold it to various merchants.

Was the first advertising agency was opened by Volney B. Palmer in Philadelphia? ›

Volney B.

Yet despite his apparent ignorance, Palmer did, in fact, forever revolutionize business in the United States when he founded the nation's first advertising agency in Philadelphia in 1841. The business of selling newspaper space for advertisem*nts was far from a novel idea in the 1840s.

Who set up the first newspaper in Philadelphia? ›

December 22 The American Weekly Mercury, the first newspaper established in the Middle Colonies, was issued at Philadelphia by William Bradford.

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