advertising agency

American  

noun

1. an agency employed by advertisers to plan, design, place, and supervise their advertisements or advertising campaigns.

---

advertising agency British  

noun

1. an organization that creates advertising material, contracts for publication space, and sometimes undertakes market research on behalf of its clients

---

Etymology

Origin of advertising agency

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

Not every midsize agency in the Midwest is thriving, and not every large holding company is struggling, said Mollie Rosen, president of member experience for advertising agency trade group the 4As.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

Nicknamed the “Binoculars Building” and once the headquarters for advertising agency Chiat/Day, this building faces Main Street in Venice.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

Dan Kim, a creative director at New York advertising agency McCann, has considered leaving his mid-range club, Dumbo House, an outpost of Soho House in Brooklyn.

From Salon • May 30, 2025

Mr Crozier became the Royal Mail's chief executive in 2003, following roles as boss of the Football Association and the advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2024

The advertising agency and the tobacco company were delighted by the unpaid publicity and were only too happy to confess to the error in the coda, “What do you want, good grammar or good taste?”

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker