Advertising agencies in New York: creative, media and performance shops compared

Ten New York ad agencies listed alphabetically from their own websites, with a plain explanation of creative vs media vs performance agencies and how to brief each.

New York is still the center of the US ad industry, and the range of advertising agencies in New York reflects that: century-old global networks, independent creative shops, giant media buyers and social-first studios. The hard part isn't finding one. It's knowing which kind of agency you need, and how to brief it so you get work you can measure.

This page lists ten New York ad agencies whose details we checked on their own websites, explains the difference between creative, media and performance agencies, and covers briefing, pricing and red flags.

Disclosure: Appryze compiled this list. We're a performance marketing team in New Delhi with no New York office, and we're not on the list. Agencies appear alphabetically, not ranked. Nobody paid to be included. We haven't included ratings, fees, awards or client names. Addresses and descriptions come from each agency's website as of November 2026.

Creative, media or performance: three kinds of ad agency

Before you compare New York City advertising agencies, decide which job you're hiring for. The three types do different work and are paid differently.

Big brands often hire all three. A startup or mid-sized company usually needs one first, and it's most often performance, because that's where spend turns directly into customers. If that's you, start with our guide to choosing a Google Ads agency.

Ten advertising agencies in New York City, alphabetically

Droga5

A creative agency whose New York office runs its D5 in 10 training program for aspiring creatives.

Giant Spoon

Established in 2013, with a second office in El Segundo, California. Services cover media, strategy, creative and design, content and marketing, and experiential.

Grey

Its New York office lists creative, experiential, social, digital, commerce and health and wellness expertise.

Horizon Media

Founded by CEO Bill Koenigsberg and describes itself as an independent growth partner. Capabilities include strategy and consulting, paid media, full-service creative, customer experiences and unified measurement.

Johannes Leonardo

Describes itself as a New York creative agency known for long-term brand ideas that invite consumer participation.

McCann

Founded in 1912. Says it focuses on building brands rather than one-off campaigns.

Mother New York

Mother was founded in London in 1996 and opened its New York office in 2003. Describes itself as independent, with services from brand building, design and production to media and PR.

Ogilvy

Founded by David Ogilvy in 1948 and part of WPP. Capabilities are advertising, health, PR and influence, relationship design and consulting.

VaynerMedia

Calls its New York office the place where it all started. Offers creative, media, social, influencer and talent, PR, commerce, consulting and analytics, with offices across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.

Wieden+Kennedy New York

The New York office (WKNY) was founded in 1995 and describes itself as a full-service creative agency with standalone media planning and buying, social and design teams.

Several of these agencies belong to large holding groups, while others describe themselves as independent. That affects pricing, access to media buying scale and how senior your team is likely to be, so ask about it directly.

How to brief a New York ad agency

A weak brief produces beautiful work that solves the wrong problem. A good one fits on two pages:

1. Business problem. What has to change: sales in a new segment, awareness before a launch, a perception problem.
2. Audience. Who you need to reach and what they believe today.
3. Single-minded message. The one thing you want people to take away.
4. Proof. Why that message is true: product facts, data, reasons to believe.
5. Channels and budget. Working media budget and production budget, stated separately.
6. Measurement. How success will be judged, agreed before work starts.
7. Mandatories. Legal claims, brand guidelines, timing and approvals.

Ask agencies to play the brief back to you in their own words before they pitch ideas. Those that sharpen it are worth the time.

Running a simple agency selection process

Large advertisers run formal pitches with consultants. You don't need that, but a light structure keeps the decision honest and saves weeks.

1. Long list of six to eight. Filter by type (creative, media or performance), budget fit and relevant category experience.
2. Credentials call, not a pitch. Thirty to sixty minutes each: who they are, how they work, who would be on your team, and two pieces of work with the results they produced.
3. Shortlist of two or three. Send the written brief and give them a couple of weeks.
4. Strategy, not finished ads. Ask for their read of the problem, an approach and a rough plan with costs. Polished creative at this stage mostly shows how much they're willing to spend to win.
5. Chemistry meeting with the actual team. You'll be working with these people weekly; make sure they're the ones in the room.
6. Paid first project. Where possible, start with a defined project before committing to an agency-of-record retainer.

If you do ask for speculative creative, consider paying a pitch fee. It signals you're serious and tends to get better work from senior people.

How advertising firms in New York charge

• Agency of record retainer: a monthly fee for an ongoing relationship, usually scoped by headcount or deliverables.
• Project fee: a fixed price for one campaign or launch, common for first engagements.
• Media fees: media agencies typically charge a fee or percentage tied to the media they plan and buy.
• Production costs: shoots, edits, talent and music, billed separately and often larger than expected. Ask for estimates early.
• Performance fees: some agencies add bonuses tied to agreed results.

Holding-company agencies in Manhattan usually have higher minimums than independent shops. That's not a reason to rule them out; just make sure the budget you have matches the client size they're set up for.

Red flags when hiring New York ad agencies

• Speculative creative before understanding the problem. Ideas shown in a first meeting were made before the agency understood your business.
• No measurement plan. Even brand work can be measured with brand-lift studies, search demand and sales trends.
• Vague production budgets. Agree estimates and approval steps before anything is shot.
• Media bought in the agency's name without transparency. Ask how media is contracted and whether you can see platform-level reports.
• Senior people on the pitch, juniors on the work. Name the team in the contract.

Pairing brand advertising with performance

Brand advertising makes people more likely to click and buy later; performance campaigns catch that demand. The two work best when they share data: branded search volume, conversion rates by region, and creative that's adapted for paid social and video ads rather than just resized. If you're also comparing digital-first firms, see our list of digital marketing agencies in New York, or go national with digital marketing agencies in the USA.

Where Appryze fits

Appryze isn't a creative or media agency. We're a performance team in New Delhi that runs Google Ads, Meta, Amazon and app campaigns for clients in the USA, UK, UAE and India, often alongside a brand agency. Accounts stay in your name, updates are written and weekly, and call times overlap US business hours. Read more on our performance marketing page.

Frequently asked questions

What are some well-known advertising agencies in New York?

Agencies with New York offices include Droga5, Giant Spoon, Grey, Horizon Media, Johannes Leonardo, McCann, Mother New York, Ogilvy, VaynerMedia and Wieden+Kennedy New York. They range from global creative networks to independent creative shops, a large media agency and social-first agencies, so the right choice depends on the job you need done.

What is the difference between a creative agency and a media agency?

A creative agency develops the brand idea and makes the ads: campaigns, video, out-of-home and social content. A media agency decides where and when those ads run and negotiates and buys the space across TV, streaming, audio, out-of-home and digital. Large advertisers usually hire both; smaller ones often start with a performance agency instead.

How much does it cost to hire an advertising agency in New York?

New York ad agencies usually work on retainers, project fees or media-linked fees, with production costs such as shoots, talent and editing billed separately. Large network agencies tend to have higher minimum budgets than independent shops. Ask for estimates that separate agency fees, production costs and working media.

How do I brief an advertising agency?

Keep it to about two pages: the business problem, the audience and what they believe today, one single-minded message, proof that the message is true, budgets for media and production, how success will be measured, and any legal or brand requirements. Ask the agency to play it back before they present ideas.

Should a startup hire a New York ad agency?

Most early-stage startups get more from a performance agency first, because paid search, paid social and app campaigns turn budget directly into measurable customers. A creative or brand agency becomes more useful once you have product-market fit and enough budget to build awareness at scale.

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