Five of the ten facts & figures here; all ten, with infographics, available via the link below.
U.S. agency revenue rose 4.4% to $48.3 billion in 2016, according to Ad Age Datacenter’s bottoms-up analysis of more than 700 agencies, networks and companies for Agency Report 2017. Revenue broke a record, but growth was the slowest since 2013.
Digital reeled in 46.6% of U.S. agency revenue. But growth is moderating there, too.
Four consultancies rank among the world’s biggest agency companies: Accenture Interactive (No. 6), PwC Digital Services (7), IBM iX (8) and Deloitte Digital (9). Combined revenue: $13.2 billion. IBM was first of the four to make the list, in 2008—and the first to crack the top 10, in 2014.
GroupM and Dentsu top Ad Age’s first ranking of the world’s five biggest media agency groups, followed by Omnicom Media Group, Publicis Media and IPG Mediabrands. Top five 2016 revenue: $16.7 billion, up 8.6%.
U.S. ad agency employment in December reached its highest level (202,700) since the dot-com bubble in 2001. Ad agency staffing last year grew 2.7%, tracking with ad agency revenue growth of 2.8%.