Revenue of the world's largest ad agency groups 2022

Based on revenue generated in 2022, the largest advertising agency group worldwide was WPP with 17.8 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. The Japanese agency Dentsu ranked seventh that year, generating 9.5 billion dollars in revenue.

WPP: from a wire basket and teapot maker to a global marketing giant

WPP is a London-based company that offers services in communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce sectors. WPP started as a humble maker of wire baskets and teapots, but over time transformed into a global marketing powerhouse through acquisitions. In 2022, the company was the most creative media holding worldwide, beating its competitors such as Omnicom Group, Interpublic Group, Havas Group, Dentsu, and Publicis Groupe.

Global advertising spending is on the rise, North America leads the way

Global advertising spending has been growing steadily since 2009. The only exception was 2020, when COVID-19 made the market shrink by some 24 billion dollars. By the end of 2024, the expenditure is likely to reach approximately 885 billion U.S. dollars. In 2022, Canada and the United States accounted for over 40 percent of the ad market with an ad spend of roughly 300 billion dollars. The Asia-Pacific region (APAC) region and Europe followed.