Company lists · Data refreshed September 2026

Top 25 Big six advertising agencies based in Johannesburg, South Africa

RevenueBase identified 197 big six advertising agencies headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa as of September 2026 and tracks 1,645 professional contacts across them, including 474 with verified work emails. Johannesburg is the largest hub.

This list covers big six advertising agencies headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, 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
197Companies
1,645Contacts tracked
474Verified emails
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The 25 largest big six advertising agencies based in Johannesburg, South Africa

Ranked by team size
Top 25 of 197 big six advertising agencies based in Johannesburg, South Africa, ranked by team size, largest first. Data refreshed Sep 23, 2026. RevenueBase Smart Search rates how each company's information relates to big six 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.
#CompanyRevenueBase Smart SearchHeadquartersEmployeesContacts
1Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202651-200166 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“We are Clockwork – an award-winning, globally recognised, independent creative and communications agency with headquarters in Johannesburg, Cape Town and London.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
2Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202651-20077 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Proudly South African Integrated Creative Agency | Financial Mail Agency of the year “22 | Johannesburg | Cape Town | Lagos”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
3Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202651-20072 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“HKLM is a global agency specialising in branding, marketing, and communications to create impactful change through brands.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
4Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202651-20064 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Level 1 B-BBEE status holder as a large entity.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
5Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 2026501-1,00063 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“The Up & Up Group (formerly M+C Saatchi Group South Africa) is one of the African continent’s leading independent creative group of companies and is 100% South African owned.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
6Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202651-20048 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris is a global Agency which provides full-service communication services to clients across the globe.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
7Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5035 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“We have a challenger mindset and through this have made more brands ‘go viral’, globally, than any other agency in Africa.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
8Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5031 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Halo.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
9Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 2026201-50029 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Aqua is an integrated marketing agency with strong entrepreneurial roots.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
10Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202651-20024 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Founded in London in 1990, we were the first media agency to offer strategic and creative planning at a time when the industry was about buying cheaply and quickly.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
11Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5021 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“We are a dynamic full-service agency offering end-to-end solutions for our diverse range of clients.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
12Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 2026201-50020 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Part creative agency, part consultancy and part technology company, we inspire growth for ambitious brands.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
13Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5019 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Clearwater connects people to content: Across platforms Across devices Across markets Over 20 years of working closely with internationally recognised brands, we know that no two…”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
14Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5017 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“At The Cheese Has Moved (TCHM), we don't just follow trends, we set them.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
15Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5016 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Through unrestrained, diverse, brand-led thinking, we create authentic connections that bring you closer to your audience.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
16Partial evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5015 contacts →

Partial evidence

“Alvi Gordon advertising and marketing group is your brand’s connection to African consumers.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
17Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202651-20015 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Switch is a multi-disciplinary consultancy specialising in Branding, Communication and Design.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
18Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5014 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Worx Group is a leading virtual and live creative agency in growth mode and future bound.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
19Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5012 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“WE ARE CREATIVE, INNOVATIVE AND PASSIONATE.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
20Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5010 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Welcome to the no-hot-air, low-maintenance creative agency that delivers the goods, smartly.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
21Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5010 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“We're a digital-first creative partner and innovation consultant to brands, production companies and agencies working across all media and technology platforms to create…”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
22Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-5010 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Flashing Lites Studios is a leading South African based Digital Creative Agency.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
23Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 202611-507 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Since 2003, MCD Magic Factory has partnered with brands to help them find a distinct voice that turns attention into engagement and engagement into advocacy.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
24Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 20261-107 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Homeland Media is a complete communications solutions provider to both the public and private sector with core competencies in strategy development, implementation, brand…”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026
25Indirect evidenceJohannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 23, 20261-107 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Previously known as Ginger Bug Designs, ZenZero is a creative agency here to offer you fantastic design and marketing services, with a difference.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 23, 2026

Showing 25 of 197 big six advertising agencies based in Johannesburg, South Africa

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Big six advertising agencies based in Johannesburg, South Africa at a glance

As of Sep 23, 2026
28.8%Verified-email coverage
8.4Average contacts per company
1-10Median size (employees)
100.0%Largest-city concentration · Johannesburg
Sep 23, 2026Page data refreshed

Companies by employee count

1-10
124
11-50
49
51-200
16
201-500
5
501-1,000
1
1,001-5,000
2

Email recency for this list is measured across the whole South Africa list rather than for Johannesburg, so it is reported there. Company counts and contact totals on this page are exact for Johannesburg, over 197 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 six 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 Johannesburg, South Africa whose own description of what they do matches “big six 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 six 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 six advertising agencies, and records with no verified work email. Companies headquartered outside Johannesburg 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, 474 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 six advertising agencies by metro in South Africa

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 six 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 six advertising agencies are there based in Johannesburg, South Africa?

RevenueBase identified 197 big six advertising agencies headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa 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?

Clockwork, headquartered in Johannesburg, tops this list with the largest team on record.

Which city has the most big six advertising agencies?

Johannesburg leads with 197 headquartered companies, followed by Cape Town (137) and Pretoria (38).

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 474 verified decision-maker contacts tracked across these 197 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.