The World's Top 10 Digital Marketing Agencies
While many businesses have in-house teams dedicated to digital marketing, almost as many contract with specialized agencies. If working in-house isn't your thing, there are a plethora of digital marketing agencies to choose from, ranging from well-known industry veterans to hipper, start-ups that are upending the status quo in marketing. Ten of the top digital marketing firms in the world as of right now are examined in this piece. We'll cover some that you've undoubtedly heard of and some that you might not. We'll summarize each and then give you a sneak peek at some of their work so you know what to anticipate!
1. Porter Novelli
Porter Novelli at a glance:
Global communications consultant Porter Novelli was established in New York City in 1972. Of course, that takes a lot of social media and digital marketing these days! Porter Novelli focuses on purpose-driven marketing in particular. "Purpose defines an organization's authentic role and value in society [and] that allows it to simultaneously grow its business and positively impact the world," says its former CEO, Brad McCaffee. Conscience-driven marketing? We think that's a really good perspective! Conscience-driven marketing? We think that's a really good perspective!
For which campaigns are they well-known?
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a now-famous social media campaign, swept the globe back in 2014. with case you somehow missed it, people from all over the world recorded themselves dousing their heads with buckets of ice water in an effort to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a crippling illness. For weeks, social media was dominated by the Ice Bucket Challenge.
These days, a prevalent digital trend is purpose-driven marketing, which involves a firm focusing its efforts on a social cause. But that was a really novel concept in 2014. The idea for the Ice Bucket Challenge originated with two men named Pat Quinn and Pete Frates, not Porter Novelli. However, the ALS Association was unable to keep up with the campaign's rapid growth. In order to capitalize on the increased awareness of ALS on social media and sustain the campaign's momentum, they engaged Porter Novelli.
What could be better than a digital marketing agency like Porter Novelli as more workers seek to work for companies with a social purpose? With their help, the campaign raised over $220 million.
2. Cuker Agency
Cuker Agency at a glance:
Founded in 2006 in Carlsbad, California, Cuker is proof that you needn’t be a major player to make waves. A much smaller agency, born after the beginning of the internet, Cuker specializes solely in digital marketing, digital strategy, design, technology, and data analytics. Their objective? to assist their clients in competing for 24/7 internet customers. They are emblematic of numerous other nimble agencies vying for market share in the digital realm.
What campaigns are they famous for?
Redbull's "Stratos Jump" marketing campaign is arguably one of the most prosperous and successful ones ever. Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian thrill seeker, made a leap from space and then plummeted down to Earth during this high-altitude skydive. More than 8 million people watched it live, setting a record for YouTube live streaming to this day. Redbull's internal team came up with the concept, which gave the company's tagline, "Redbull Gives You Wings," a whole new meaning. However, the jump alone was unable to sustain the social media craze. Let's get Cuker in.
Source: redbull.com
Cuker developed multiple digital marketing strategies to bolster the online excitement surrounding Felix Baumgartner's leap. In order to increase brand engagement and support Redbull's intense sporting events, they created apps, online competitions, and other digital promotions. The most well-known of these was Felix Baumgartner, but they also supported other Redbull athletes, such as mountain bikers, snowboarders, surfers, and Formula One racers. Their strategy increased exposure, site traffic, and overall growth by enabling social media users to interact with Redbull in new ways.
3. Leo Burnett
Leo Burnett at a glance:
Going back to a reputable company that is currently entering the digital space. Leo Burnett was first established in Chicago in 1935 as an advertising business. Even though this is still a fundamental component of what it offers, it wouldn't have made it this far without changing with the times. With a concentration on branding, marketing, and advertising (both offline and online), it is currently among the top digital marketing agencies in the world. Of course, in the modern era, this also applies to digital campaigns.
What campaigns are they famous for?
Menstrual hygiene product manufacturer Always introduced the #LikeAGirl social media campaign in 2014. They were aware that the phrase "like a girl" was frequently used derogatorily. The campaign's goal was to undermine gender-biased language while enhancing young women's self-esteem. It entailed making a viral film in which young girls interpret the phrase "like a girl" to mean incredible things. And who is the campaign's digital marketing agency? That's right: Leo Burnett.
Source: Always website, 2015.
This campaign was so effective that it started a worldwide movement and even received a shout-out on Twitter from Michelle Obama, the US First Lady at the time. Few online advertising efforts can make that claim! One more outstanding illustration of a business supporting a charitable cause.
4. Carat
Carat at a glance:
Founded in London in 1968, Carat boldly describes itself as ‘the world’s first media agency’ and it has thousands of employees in over 100 countries. Whether or not this is hyperbole isn’t important—the agency is huge and very successful. Don’t take our word for it: in 2021, they were ranked the world’s number one agency for the sixth year running according to RECMA (a research company that evaluates the media agency industry). Many digital marketing professionals would give their right leg to land a job with them.
What campaigns are they famous for?
Leo Burnett may have created one of the most moving viral videos ever on women's issues, but they don't have the exclusive say in the field. To emphasize this, Carat adopted a somewhat more lighthearted stance toward menstruation hygiene in 2012 (prior to the launch of #LikeAGirl).
A man on Facebook had shared a mocking post complaining that tampon provider Bodyform’s ads misconstrued the reality of periods. The post subsequently went viral. While it could easily have ended there, in response, Carat conceived a spoof reaction video from the fictional ‘CEO of Bodyform’ (in reality, Bodyform is a brand of P&G). With the response video also going viral, Bodyform earned accolades from consumers and industry alike.
This is an ideal example of responsive digital marketing. Carat had to conceive the video, create the script and film it in an incredibly short timeframe, all to ensure they maintained the conversation while it was still fresh. It might not have been on the scale of the Always campaign, but in our opinion, it still puts Carat up there with the best digital marketing agencies!
5. Spark Foundry
Spark Foundry at a glance:
Back to a new player (sort of!) Spark Foundry was officially founded in 2017. That said, it has its roots in a long line of advertising agencies that have merged and changed over the years. With big support behind it, Spark Foundry is now a start-up supported by the clout of its parent organization, Publicis Media. It has over 3,000 employees in 50 countries and it specializes in numerous areas, including digital and social, research, and data analytics.
What campaigns are they famous for?
As you’ll likely already know, Facebook recently rebranded as Meta. As part of this, the social media behemoth sought out a new global media business partner to support them in reconnecting with their audience. And guess who they picked? You got it: Spark Foundry. Although it’s early days, according to Meta, Spark Foundry will be responsible for strategic thought leadership, media innovation, planning and investment, cross-channel approaches, tools, tech, and operations. Easy as pie!
OK, so stepping up to this challenge will be no mean feat: Facebook/Meta has faced a great deal of bad publicity in recent years and Spark Foundry is relatively new in its current form. But with a team of experts behind it who have experience creating social engagement and awareness marketing campaigns, Spark Foundry will likely step up. Watch this space!
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6. Wieden+Kennedy (W+K)
Wieden+Kennedy at a glance:
Founded in 1982 in Portland, Oregon, W+K is an independent creative marketing agency with eight global offices and 1,400 employees. They have offices in Amsterdam, the UK, China, India, and Brazil, as well as the US. They also specialize in everything from digital marketing to advertising, design, and technology. And they’ve done some fantastic work with their clients, including this genius piece for KFC.
What campaigns are they famous for?
Undoubtedly, W+K’s most famous client is Nike. At the beginning of the pandemic, with sport on the backburner, Nike shared an inspiring tweet of unity that quickly went viral. Later, as the world emerged from lockdown, they followed this message up by reasserting the importance of sport as a metaphor for human resilience in the face of adversity. This time though, it was accompanied not by a single tweet, but a whole new #YouCantStopUs video (the third such video for this campaign).?
Source: Nike
Coinciding with the start of the MBAs and a renewed sense of hope, W+K produced an inspiring short film to accompany the campaign, voiced by Megan Rapinoe. Touching on themes of racism, gender, and equality, it’s no surprise that the video went viral on social media.?
Of course, this is only what we see on the front end of the campaign. Behind the scenes, W+K also supported other aspects of digital marketing, including analytics, strategy, and engagement. All this on top of trawling 4,000 hours of sports footage just to make the video the seamless wonder that it is…Genius or hard work? Probably a bit of both.
7. Twitter ArtHouse
Twitter ArtHouse at a glance:
Not all digital marketing agencies come from the advertising industry. While many well-established ad and marketing agencies have moved into digital, Twitter has approached from the other direction. In 2019, they launched Twitter ArtHouse, a team of creatives focused on helping brands and agencies create campaign content, while connecting them with creators and influencers. A pretty novel approach. After all, who knows the target audience better than social media companies themselves?
What campaigns are they famous for?
When the pandemic arrived and the world locked down, Amazon’s profits grew by nearly 200%, while many smaller players went out of business. Social media was abuzz with the injustice. Hoping to buck the trend of global corporations ruthlessly pursuing profit, credit card giant Amex UK launched their tenth annual #ShopSmallUK campaign. They hoped to connect with the social conversation around local businesses while drawing attention to their ten-week Shop Small cashback offer.?
In support, Twitter ArtHouse created an attention-grabbing video incorporating the names of some genuine small businesses in the UK. The video production also supported small business owners, namely the artists who took part in creating it. While it’s still early days for Twitter ArtHouse, this is an interesting model for digital marketing agencies. Let’s see what the future holds for this kind of approach
8. Grey Group
Grey Group at a glance:
Founded in New York City in 1917, Grey became one of the world’s most renowned advertising and marketing organizations of the 20th century. It now operates in 96 countries and has 2,400 employees. While advertising is still their bread and butter, the blurring of lines between digital/social and offline marketing means they remain well placed to succeed.
What campaigns are they famous for?
One of Grey’s most famous clients is P&G, the company behind the Gillette brand. Following the #MeToo movement, Gillette (which has long lived by the slogan ‘The Best a Man Can Get’) acknowledged that some of its past advertising was perhaps not quite in line with changing social attitudes towards gender. So they employed Grey to create a short film, ‘We Believe: The Best Men Can Be’. This shows men carrying out acts often associated with ‘toxic masculinity.’ More importantly, though, it progresses to highlight how men can play a part in calling out gender inequality by preventing sexist or toxic masculine behavior.
Source: YouTube
Not too surprisingly, this ad proved pretty divisive and caused quite an outcry on social media. Some called it feminist propaganda, while others embraced the message. But as they say, no publicity is bad publicity. Thanks to Grey’s ad, over a few days, Gillette racked up 1.5 million mentions on various blogs, social media sites, news outlets, and other digital sources. Proof that even (or especially) controversial content can be quite the game-changer in digital marketing.
9. TBWA\Media Arts Lab
TBWA\Media Arts Lab at a glance:
TBWA\Media Arts Lab is one agency with one client: Apple. You read that correctly. This is Apple’s very own bespoke advertising and marketing agency. In 1984, TBWA helped launch Apple’s first home computer. And as the brand grew, Apple realized they needed a dedicated and confidential agency they could trust. TBWA\Media Arts Lab was born. It now focuses on advertising and marketing strategy, website design, performance marketing, PR, data, social media production, and more.
What campaigns are they famous for?
The answer to this one is basically any Apple campaign you’ve come across! However, one of their greatest is probably the “Shot On iPhone” campaign. Aimed at promoting Apple’s line of iPhones, the campaign combines both digital and offline marketing, but its digital presence is where the real success lies. Launched in 2015 to accompany the new iPhone 6, the campaign quickly took on a life of its own and has been running under its own steam ever since. Consumers still use the hashtag #shotoniphone all over social media.
Source: instagram.com
The success of this campaign lies in how it harnessed user-generated content on Instagram. Users can upload photos and share them to promote Apple’s products. Apple can easily find images to use in its advertising. The hashtag has even spawned its own memes. While these gently mock the campaign, they’re still forms of promotion. Not bad going for a humble campaign that was only supposed to support the launch of one new product!
10. LOLA MullenLowe
LOLA MullenLowe at a glance:?
The final entry on our list is the Madrid-based digital marketing agency, LOLA MullenLowe. Despite being relatively new to the agency world, it’s ranked as one of the Top 10 European agencies of the decade, according to the Cannes Lions 2020 Report. Founded in 2006, it claims to be the most creative agency in Spain with a focus on creating fully-integrated omnichannel marketing campaigns that put people first.
What campaigns are they famous for?
Beauty brand Dove has been promoting equality and body positivity since its #RealBeauty campaign in 2004. They later partnered with Getty Images to produce over 10,000 diverse stock images of women of all shapes, ethnicities, and sizes. Over 2,000 companies downloaded these images to use in their marketing, helping tackle advertising’s reliance on thin, white women models.?
Source: dove.com
With support from LOLA MullenLowe, Dove’s new #ItsOnUs campaign takes this work even further, with the brand actually paying other companies to use more diverse faces in their advertising.?
The agency produced a promotional video for social media with diverse models describing the negative treatment they’ve received at casting calls and explaining how Dove is helping to overcome this by paying for companies to use them as models. It’s a very clever strategy. By raising awareness of the issue, brands that aren’t engaging will be named and shamed by social media users. Meanwhile, Dove gets kudos for trying to tackle the problem. There are few better ways to build brand loyalty. You can read more about the campaign here.
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