Insights · The industry
Who actually runs global advertising in 2026 — the five holding groups after the Omnicom–Interpublic merger, the independents still winning on pure craft, and the consultancies that shape identity rather than campaigns.
Before you can name the best agencies, it helps to see the shape of the industry. Four layers sit on top of each other, and they answer different needs.
Holding groups are listed companies that own dozens of agency brands — they offer global reach across advertising, media buying, data, PR and production. Networks are the named agency brands inside those groups (Ogilvy, BBDO, McCann and the like), each with offices in many countries. Independents are agencies owned by their founders or staff, not by a holding group — they trade on culture and creative nerve. And brand & design consultancies work one level earlier: identity, naming, positioning and brand valuation rather than campaigns.
The distinction matters when you choose a partner. A global product launch across forty markets is a network's home turf; a single brave idea is often where an independent wins; a rebrand is the consultancy's craft. We come back to that match at the end.
For decades the industry spoke of the “Big Six”. That changed in late 2025. Omnicom completed its acquisition of Interpublic (IPG) on 26 November 2025, after approval by the US FTC and the European Commission — creating the world's largest marketing and advertising holding company and leaving five independent groups at the top. Interpublic no longer exists as a standalone holding; its flagship network McCann now sits inside Omnicom.
New York. The largest group after absorbing IPG — pro-forma revenue reported at over US$25 billion. Creative networks BBDO, McCann and TBWA; media under Omnicom Media (OMD, PHD, Hearts & Science). Also owns the Interbrand and Wolff Olins branding houses.
London. Home to Ogilvy, VML, AKQA, Grey, Burson and Landor, plus WPP Media (formerly GroupM). In February 2026 it began a deep restructure (“Elevate28”) into four divisions; FY2025 revenue fell year on year, and the group is under clear commercial pressure.
Paris. Reported FY2025 net revenue of about €14.5 billion with strong organic growth — lately the fastest-growing of the giants. Brands include Leo (Leo Burnett), Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Sapient and the data unit Epsilon.
Tokyo. Japan's largest group and one of the biggest worldwide, operating in roughly 120 countries. Known for the media brand Carat and Dentsu Creative; FY2025 net revenue was around ¥1.1 trillion.
Paris. A separate, listed company again since December 2024, when it was spun off from Vivendi onto Euronext Amsterdam. FY2025 net revenue was about €2.78 billion across three lines; its best-known creative brand is BETC.
Revenue figures are reported in different currencies and on different definitions (net revenue, revenue less pass-through, total revenue); they are size indicators for FY2025, not a like-for-like ranking.
The Omnicom–IPG merger did something the industry had not seen in a generation: it retired household network names. Announced in December 2025 and rolling out through the first half of 2026, Omnicom is consolidating its creative side onto three networks — BBDO, McCann and TBWA. FCB folds into BBDO; DDB and MullenLowe fold into TBWA. All three legacy brands cease to exist as global networks (a few local sub-brands survive in name), and the move came with roughly 4,000 job cuts.
It is a genuine marker of the moment: scale and integration now outrank heritage. For anyone reading a guide that still lists “the Big Six” with IPG and DDB as separate players, that guide is out of date.
Independence is rare at the very top, which is exactly why it is worth celebrating. Two creative independents stood out in the 2025/2026 awards season:
Be careful, though: several agencies the public still thinks of as “independent” are owned by holding groups. Droga5 has belonged to Accenture (now Accenture Song) since 2019 — and is being built up as its creative flagship. BBH has been 100% Publicis-owned since 2012. 72andSunny and Anomaly both sit inside the listed holding Stagwell. Honest positioning means naming ownership correctly — a knowledgeable client notices when it is fudged.
A separate craft sits beside advertising: identity, naming, strategy and brand valuation. These firms shape what a brand is, not just what it says in a campaign.
Pentagram and COLLINS are reminders that independent design can stand at world level — a point that matters more than ever for brands that value craft over sheer scale.
Different jobs call for different partners. A simple map:
And one honest truth the giants will not put on a slide: for many brands, a focused specialist or a small senior studio delivers network-grade thinking without network-grade overhead. What matters is the seniority of the people on your account and the clarity of the idea — not the size of the lobby. If you are weighing that decision, our companion piece on what premium marketing costs shows where the money actually goes.
For your brand
As the giants consolidate, positioning matters more than scale. A focused studio can give a brand the clarity a forty-market network rarely finds time for. If you are weighing where your brand truly stands, our work on brand strategy and positioning begins with a quiet conversation.
See the live case study →A small studio, network-grade work
Most agencies describe their craft. We prefer to show it. For a traditional craft business we built a multilingual knowledge network that is found organically around the world — no ad budget behind it, just structure, language and patience.
See it live: rohrgeruestbau.de and special-scaffolding.com (a 17-language scaffolding knowledge net). If you would like that kind of quiet, lasting visibility for your brand, Rabbit Marketing can help.
Start a conversation →FAQ
Omnicom, WPP, Publicis Groupe, Dentsu and Havas. The former “Big Six” became five when Omnicom completed its acquisition of Interpublic (IPG) on 26 November 2025.
No. IPG was fully merged into Omnicom on 26 November 2025. Its network McCann now sits under Omnicom, while the legacy brands FCB, DDB and MullenLowe are being retired through 2026.
Among the global creative elite, Wieden+Kennedy and Mother. In design, Pentagram and COLLINS. Several names people assume are independent — Droga5, BBH, 72andSunny, Anomaly — are owned by holding groups.
A creative agency makes campaigns — film, copy, social, media. A brand consultancy works earlier: identity, naming, positioning and valuation. Interbrand, Landor, Wolff Olins, Pentagram and COLLINS are consultancies; BBDO, McCann and TBWA are campaign networks.
For brand valuation and rankings, Interbrand and its Best Global Brands report. For identity and design, Landor, Pentagram and Wolff Olins are among the most respected.
Not always. Networks excel at large, multi-market media campaigns. For many brands a senior specialist studio delivers comparable thinking with less overhead — the deciding factors are the people on your account and the strength of the idea.
Sources
Research date: June 2026. Figures are industry estimates where indicated; they are illustrative, not advice, and not a promise of results. Company and brand names are used for editorial reference only and imply no affiliation with Rabbit-Marketing OÜ.
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