Company lists · Data refreshed September 2026

Top 25 Big advertising agencies based in Chicago, United States

Name: Big advertising 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 23, 2026 373 companies tracked

RevenueBase identified 373 big advertising agencies headquartered in Chicago, United States as of September 2026 and tracks 19,181 professional contacts across them, including 3,792 with verified work emails. Across the United States, New York is the largest hub for this category (1,133 companies); Chicago has 373.

This list covers big advertising 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 23, 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 23, 2026 86% judged on-target in blind review

373Companies

19,181Contacts tracked

3,792Verified emails

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The 25 largest big advertising agencies based in Chicago, United States

Ranked by team size

Top 25 of 373 big advertising agencies based in Chicago, United States, ranked by team size, largest first. Data refreshed Sep 23, 2026. RevenueBase Smart Search rates how each company's information relates to big advertising 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	Starcom	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	5,001-10,000	5,520 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
2	LEO Burnett	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	5,001-10,000	5,385 contacts →
	Indirect 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 23, 2026
3	Marketing Werks	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	n/a	2,182 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Marketing Werks has become Product Connections, a fully integrated engagement agency specializing in omnichannel solutions that build relationships between brands and consumers.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
4	Cramer-Krasselt	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 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 23, 2026
5	Abelsontaylor Group	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	201-500	253 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “With AbelsonTaylor Group, ROI is what you’ll get.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
6	Fusion92	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	201-500	244 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Fusion92 is the independent growth partner for highly regulated, multi-location brands.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
7	Empower Media	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 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 23, 2026
8	Manifest	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 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 23, 2026
9	Current Global	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	201-500	180 contacts →
	Indirect 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 23, 2026
10	Burrell Communications	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	51-200	171 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Burrell is a full service marketing and communications agency known for its leadership, solid strategic approaches, creative astuteness, and forward thinking.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
11	Energy Bbdo	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	201-500	151 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Energy BBDO is a global creative agency known for energizing people and brands.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
12	Highdive	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	51-200	136 contacts →
	Indirect 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 23, 2026
13	HY Connect	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 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 23, 2026
14	The Food Group	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 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 23, 2026
15	Upshot Agency	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	51-200	84 contacts →
	Indirect 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 23, 2026
16	Mabbly	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	51-200	83 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Mabbly is a Chicago-based intelligence-driven digital marketing agency and go-to-market partner for modern brands navigating the messy middle of growth.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
17	Dsplus	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	51-200	77 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Founded in 2010 as a three-person startup, DSplus has grown into a data-driven, integrated agency helping clients solve challenges with innovation that adds up.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
18	RPM Advertising	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	51-200	72 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “We want to laugh.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
19	Envisionit	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	51-200	69 contacts →
	Indirect 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 23, 2026
20	Otherwise Incorporated	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	11-50	68 contacts →
	Indirect 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 23, 2026
21	Eicoff	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	51-200	65 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Transform your marketing into a growth engine.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
22	The Motion Agency	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	51-200	62 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Motion is a results-driven creative agency giving brands the power they need to accelerate growth.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
23	Flowers Communications Group	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	11-50	57 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Our DNA is Multicultural.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
24	Zapwater Communications, INC	Indirect evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	11-50	51 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Zapwater is an award-winning integrated communications agency specializing in lifestyle brands.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
25	Point B Communications	Partial evidence	Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 23, 2026	11-50	51 contacts →
	Partial 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 23, 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: big advertising 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 big advertising agencies.
Partial evidence: Its own public description names part of big advertising agencies, so it works in or next to the category without describing itself that way.
Indirect evidence: The description shown does not name big advertising 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 373 big advertising agencies based in Chicago, United States

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Big advertising agencies based in Chicago, United States at a glance

As of Sep 23, 2026

19.8%Verified-email coverage

51.4Average contacts per company

1-10Median size (employees)

Sep 23, 2026Page data refreshed

Companies by employee count

1-10

212

11-50

104

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 373 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 big advertising 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 “big advertising 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 big advertising 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 big advertising 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, 3,792 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 23, 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.

Big advertising 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 big advertising 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 big advertising agencies are there based in Chicago, United States?

RevenueBase identified 373 big advertising 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?

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

Which city in the United States has the most big advertising agencies?

New York leads the United States with 1,133 headquartered companies, followed by Los Angeles (725) and Chicago (373).

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 3,792 verified decision-maker contacts tracked across these 373 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 23, 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.