The Big 4 Marketing Companies: Who Are They and What Do They Do?

Universal McCann is a creative media agency that has a client list that includes some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, The Hershey Company, CVS Health, ExxonMobil, BMW and Sony. As part of the Interpublic network and IPG Mediabrands group, UM operates in more than 100 countries and employs over 4,800 people. Cheil Worldwide is South Korea's largest advertising agency with a turnover more than three times that of its closest domestic rival. It has 53 offices in 43 countries and 6,200 employees worldwide.

Cheil's major customers include Adidas, GE, Coca-Cola, Lego, Microsoft, Shell and more. Leo Burnett is one of the most renowned advertising agencies in the world for its long history of excellence. It is known for creating iconic branded characters such as Uncle Ben, The Jolly Green Giant, Tony the Tiger, Pillsbury Dough-Boy and Marlboro Man. Today, Leo Burnett has 85 offices and more than 8,000 employees as part of Publicis.

Walter Thompson is one of the most well-known marketing agencies in the world with over 150 years of experience in creating lasting brands. It has more than 200 offices in 90 countries and close to 10,000 employees. WPP agency is the official agency of Church's Chicken USA, Marine Corps, Subway and KPMG. Mindshare is one of the best media buying and planning agencies in the world since its founding in 1997. It is part of WPP's GroupM with 116 offices in 86 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Mindshare is the official media agency of Pandora Jewelry, TJX and Tyson Foods. DDB is one of the most prestigious advertising agencies with awards to its name. While maintaining a lower profile than other major agencies, DDB continues to work with major brands such as Heineken, Ubisoft and Volkswagen while acting as an official agency for McDonald's, Jeep and more. Dentsu is Japan's largest advertising agency offering services in eight business areas including marketing, digital sphere, promotions, media content, public relations and global business.

It works with global brands such as Facebook and offers all kinds of services from strategy to logistics through brand building and cybersecurity. Deloitte Digital is a relatively new player on the scene but it continues to acquire talent with recent acquisitions such as San Francisco-based creative store Heat and Swedish agency Acne. Engine is a marketing company made up of 14 agencies working across the spectrum of marketing disciplines. It employs more than 8,000 people in 70 offices around the world and is a subsidiary of Alliance Data Systems Corp., a loyalty and marketing services company. These big four marketing companies have grown in response to fundamental changes between their customers and media companies.

With their ability to offer all kinds of services from strategy to logistics through brand building and cybersecurity they are well positioned to continue growing ahead of the overall advertising investment market and GDP growth.

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