Company lists · Data refreshed September 2026

Top 25 Ad creative agencies based in Chicago, United States

Name: Ad creative agencies based in Chicago, United States
Creator: RevenueBase
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Compiled by the RevenueBase Data Team Data refreshed Sep 28, 2026 593 companies tracked

RevenueBase identified 593 ad creative agencies headquartered in Chicago, United States as of September 2026 and tracks 12,468 professional contacts across them, including 2,288 with verified work emails. Across the United States, New York is the largest hub for this category (2,060 companies); Chicago has 593.

This list covers ad creative agencies headquartered in Chicago, United States, matched on what each company actually does as described in its own words. Ranked by team size, largest first. Every row shows the company's own description, its RevenueBase Smart Search rating, and when it was last checked. Data refreshed September 28, 2026.

Published by RevenueBase, a B2B data infrastructure company. This list was built with RevenueBase Smart Search, the natural-language company search RevenueBase customers use to build their own targeted lists and unlock verified emails and direct dials at the companies on them. How these lists are built and judged.

How to read this list HQ checked on every row RevenueBase Smart Search rating on every row Refreshed Sep 28, 2026 86% judged on-target in blind review

593Companies

12,468Contacts tracked

2,288Verified emails

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The 25 largest ad creative agencies based in Chicago, United States

Ranked by team size

Top 25 of 593 ad creative agencies based in Chicago, United States, ranked by team size, largest first. Data refreshed Sep 28, 2026. RevenueBase Smart Search rates how each company's information relates to ad creative agencies: strong evidence (its own description names it), partial (names part of it), indirect (matched on the rest of its profile rather than the description shown). Click a contact count to view that company's people.
#	Company	RevenueBase Smart Search	Headquarters	Employees	Contacts
1	LEO Burnett	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	5,001-10,000	5,385 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Leo Burnett is a communications agency powered by its HumanKind operating system, with the belief that creativity, data and technology work together to transform human behavior…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
2	Cramer-Krasselt	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	201-500	299 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Cramer-Krasselt is one of the largest independent agencies in the US with nearly $50 million revenue, with more than 80% of that revenue coming from digital and social.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
3	Abelsontaylor Group	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	201-500	253 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “With AbelsonTaylor Group, ROI is what you’ll get.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
4	Empower Media	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	201-500	215 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “We are Empower® America’s largest woman-owned media agency From the day we opened our doors in 1985, Empower has challenged the media status quo.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
5	Manifest	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	201-500	183 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “At Manifest, we drive growth by starting in the messy middle, where customer consideration widens and momentum is at greatest risk.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
6	Current Global	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	201-500	180 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Through cultural insight, strategy and creativity, Current Global helps brands connect with the people who matter most-meeting them where they are with what they value.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
7	Optimus	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	157 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Optimus is a collective of award winning filmmakers, storytellers, and artists working with agencies and brands to develop and produce engaging and effective creative content.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
8	Energy Bbdo	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	201-500	151 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Energy BBDO is a global creative agency known for energizing people and brands.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
9	Highdive	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	136 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Highdive (highdiveus.com) is an independently owned, EMMY-nominated, full-service creative agency located in Chicago (HQ) and New York City.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
10	HY Connect	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	102 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “HY Connect is now part of the MERGE Network, which in 2018 combined five agencies: HY Connect, MERGE Design + Interactive, Partners & Simons, Avid Design, and Dodge Communications.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
11	The Food Group	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	97 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “The Food Group is a premier full-service agency that blends food, culture and marketing expertise to deliver powerful integrated ideas that feed our clients’ success.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
12	Kindle Communications	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	89 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Kindle Communications is a Chicago-based, women-owned event production and creative communications agency made up of a diverse collective of talent and expertise and fueled by a…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
13	Upshot Agency	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	84 contacts →
	Partial evidence “We use creativity, digital fluency, and cultural agility to lead brands through a world of change and unleash their full potential.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
14	Scale Marketing	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	74 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Scale is a marketing laboratory.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
15	RPM Advertising	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	72 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “We want to laugh.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
16	AL Media Strategy	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	71 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Recognized nationally for our award-winning creative and break-through victories, AL Media has taken on some of the highest profile, against-the-odds challenges in electoral…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
17	Envisionit	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	69 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Envisionit is an award-winning, full-service digital marketing agency headquartered in Chicago with in-house Media, Creative, Tech, Strategy and Analytics teams.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
18	Otherwise Incorporated	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	11-50	68 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Otherwise Incorporated is a boutique Chicago creative agency specializing in branding, visual identity, website design and development, social media marketing, graphic design and…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
19	Eicoff	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	65 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Transform your marketing into a growth engine.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
20	The Motion Agency	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	62 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Motion is a results-driven creative agency giving brands the power they need to accelerate growth.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
21	Flowers Communications Group	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	11-50	57 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Our DNA is Multicultural.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
22	Point B Communications	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	11-50	51 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Point B is an independent, full-service, mid-sized branding and advertising agency in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
23	Fluent360	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	51-200	49 contacts →
	Partial evidence “fluent360 is a forward-thinking, full-service agency fueled by deep audience expertise and fearless creativity.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
24	OKRP	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	501-1,000	48 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “BarkleyOKRP is one of the largest full-service independent agencies in the U.S.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026
25	True Star Media	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 28, 2026	n/a	44 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “True Star is a media company and digital agency led by youth.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 28, 2026

RevenueBase Smart Search

RevenueBase Smart Search assesses information from a company’s LinkedIn profile, information supplied directly by the company, its website, and other publicly available sources. It uses that information to rate how closely the company relates to this list’s category: ad creative agencies. Every row carries its rating and the description the rating was read from, so each one can be checked rather than taken on trust.

Strong evidence: The company's own public description of its business names ad creative agencies.
Partial evidence: Its own public description names part of ad creative agencies, so it works in or next to the category without describing itself that way.
Indirect evidence: The description shown does not name ad creative agencies. The match rests on the rest of the company's public profile rather than the one sentence quoted here, so this is the rating to check first.

RevenueBase Smart Search is how these lists are built: RevenueBase's data engine and AI assemble the companies that match a category defined in a user's own words, so a list can be about what companies actually do rather than about whichever industry code they were filed under.

Showing 25 of 593 ad creative agencies based in Chicago, United States

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Ad creative agencies based in Chicago, United States at a glance

As of Sep 28, 2026

18.4%Verified-email coverage

21.0Average contacts per company

1-10Median size (employees)

Sep 28, 2026Page data refreshed

Companies by employee count

1-10

396

11-50

135

51-200

201-500

501-1,000

5,001-10,000

Email recency for this list is measured across the whole United States list rather than for Chicago, so it is reported there. Company counts and contact totals on this page are exact for Chicago, over 593 companies.

How this list was built

Company categories are rarely black and white. RevenueBase reads each company's own description of its business to decide whether it belongs among ad creative agencies, so some rows will be adjacent to the category rather than pure plays. The description and RevenueBase Smart Search rating on every row are there so you can check each match yourself.

Source: The RevenueBase company graph: 60 million companies and 398.9 million professional contacts resolved from primary sources, queried with RevenueBase Smart Search, the natural-language company search available to every RevenueBase user.
What qualifies: Companies headquartered in Chicago, United States whose own description of what they do matches “ad creative agencies”. Matching reads each company's description, not its industry code or its name.
RevenueBase Smart Search: RevenueBase Smart Search is how this list is assembled and how each row is rated. RevenueBase's data engine and AI assess a company's LinkedIn profile, information supplied directly by the company, its website and other publicly available information, then relate it to a category defined in a user's own words. Each row is rated strong evidence (its own description names ad creative agencies), partial evidence (it names part of the category) or indirect evidence (the description shown names none of it and the match rests on the rest of the company's profile). The description supporting each rating is quoted on the row.
What we exclude: Companies whose own description does not clearly place them among ad creative agencies, and records with no verified work email. Companies headquartered outside Chicago are excluded even when they keep an office there.
Match quality: In blind human judging of this matching method, 86% of matched companies were on target. Expect roughly 1 in 7 rows to be adjacent to the category rather than a pure play. Every row shows the company's own description and its RevenueBase Smart Search rating so you can judge each match yourself. Read the full methodology: how the lists are built, how the judging worked, and what the figure means.
Ranking: Team size, largest first: companies are ordered by the number of professionals RevenueBase tracks at each one. Employee ranges shown are reported bands, for context.
Verification: Every listed company carries at least one verified work email, 2,288 across the full list. Contacts re-verify on a rolling cadence, and each contact's own verification date is shown inside RevenueBase.
Refresh: This page's figures were pulled from the company graph on September 28, 2026. Lists refresh periodically as the graph is re-checked.
Corrections: Wrong category, wrong headquarters, or a company that has closed? Use “Report an issue” on any row. Reports go to the RevenueBase Data Team and feed back into the company graph.

Ad creative agencies by metro in the United States

Frequently asked

What is RevenueBase Smart Search?

RevenueBase Smart Search is how RevenueBase decides which companies belong on this list and how strongly each one fits. Its data engine and AI assess a company's LinkedIn profile, information supplied directly by the company, its website and other publicly available information, then relate it to the category the list is about. Each row is rated strong evidence when the company's own description names ad creative agencies, partial evidence when it names part of the category, and indirect evidence when the description shown names none of it and the match rests on the rest of the company's profile.

How many ad creative agencies are there based in Chicago, United States?

RevenueBase identified 593 ad creative agencies headquartered in Chicago, United States as of September 2026, matched on each company's own description of what it does rather than its industry code.

What is the largest company on this list?

LEO Burnett, headquartered in Chicago, tops this list with the largest team on record.

Which city in the United States has the most ad creative agencies?

New York leads the United States with 2,060 headquartered companies, followed by Los Angeles (1,653) and Miami (623). Chicago has 593.

How do I get contact information for these companies?

A free RevenueBase account lets you run this exact search and work the top results, verified emails and direct dials included. Upgrading unlocks all 2,288 verified decision-maker contacts tracked across these 593 companies.

How current is this list?

The list refreshes periodically as the company graph is re-checked. This page's figures were pulled on September 28, 2026.

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About this data

RevenueBase is a B2B data infrastructure company. Its company graph covers 60 million companies and 398.9 million professional contacts, with emails verified on a rolling cadence rather than scraped once and left to decay. These company lists are generated directly from that graph with RevenueBase Smart Search, the same natural-language company search every RevenueBase user has: describe a market in plain words, get the companies that match, and add verified emails and direct dials for the people at them. It is the same data that powers RevenueBase's B2B data products, and a free account includes 500 credits to start. How these lists are built and judged.