Best Advertising Agencies in Atlanta (2026)

Introduction

Atlanta's advertising scene combines network offices owned by Omnicom, WPP and Publicis with a group of long-running independents, and the 11 agencies below are among the strongest of them in 2026. Several of them work for brands headquartered in the city, including The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, Delta and UPS.

The network map has thinned and shifted. Omnicom completed its acquisition of IPG at the end of 2025, and BBDO Atlanta remains its main advertising office in the city. WPP runs VML and AKQA from offices in the Old Fourth Ward, while Publicis's Atlanta presence centres on Digitas. Several familiar names no longer list Atlanta offices: Ogilvy, McCann and Huge leave the city off their current office pages, and Moxie's web address now redirects to Formerly Known As (FKA), which publishes no Atlanta address. Among independents, 22squared's parent company now operates as Chalkboard Ventures, home to both 22squared and the content agency Trade School.

Every agency here has an active Atlanta-area office in 2026, with Roswell included. Integrated idea shops and smaller creative independents have their own page, our list of the best creative agencies in Atlanta. This list runs in no fixed order of merit, since the right choice depends on your brief, budget and how much of the media plan you want one partner to own.

The best advertising agencies in Atlanta

1. BBDO Atlanta

Omnicom · Buckhead · bbdoatl.com

BBDO Atlanta works from 3500 Lenox Road in Buckhead and describes its brief as doing "big things for everyday people in real America", with a strategy team that publishes on rural culture, food and sport. The office says it has won 14 Effie awards over five years, including five golds and a Global Best of the Best. The wider BBDO network was named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list for 2026.

The Home Depot is its best-known client, with recent work ranging from a holiday campaign that follows each tree's journey home to "If You Give a Girl a Power Tool" and a Kids Workshop tie-in with Roblox. Other clients include the Georgia Lottery, ReliaQuest, Sanderson Farms, Bayer and Street Grace, and in 2025 it ran AT&T's March Madness work. The agency says its executive leadership works on day-to-day client business.

2. VML Atlanta

WPP · Old Fourth Ward · vml.com

VML is a WPP creative network formed from agencies that include J. Walter Thompson, Y&R, Wunderman and the original VML. It runs three Atlanta offices: the main office on North Angier Avenue near the BeltLine, VML Commerce on 17th Street in Atlantic Station, and VML Health in Peachtree Tower downtown.

That spread makes Atlanta one of the few places where VML's brand, commerce and health practices sit in the same city. VML does not publish an Atlanta client list, so ask which accounts are run locally and which are led from other offices before a pitch.

3. AKQA Atlanta

WPP · Old Fourth Ward · akqa.com

AKQA's Atlanta studio sits on the fifth floor of Tower 2 at 505 North Angier Avenue. Like the rest of the AKQA network, it works across strategy, creative, technology and experience transformation, with digital products and services as a large share of the work.

Its Atlanta page names Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Coke Studio, UPS, The High Museum and Honey Pot as clients. Recent network news includes an updated Fly Delta app. It suits brands whose campaign ideas need to live inside an app or digital service as well as in paid media.

4. Digitas Atlanta

Publicis Groupe · Westside · digitas.com

Digitas was founded in 1980 and calls itself the Networked Experience Agency. Its Atlanta office is on Northyards Boulevard, and its site names Publicis Groupe as its parent. Chief solutions officer Melissa Berger was named to the 2026 Adweek 50.

Recent network work includes RaceTrac's "One Trac Mind" campaign and Sephora's "Rush of Beauty" activation. Digitas combines creative with data, CRM and media, which suits brands that want campaign ideas and customer data handled together. Confirm which Atlanta team would staff your account.

5. 22squared

Independent · Midtown · 22squared.com

22squared was founded in Atlanta in 1922 and now presents itself as an independent media agency, with more than 125 media and analytics specialists among its 250-plus staff and more than $375 million in annual media billings. It sits within Chalkboard Ventures alongside Trade School, and Genna Franconi has led both agencies since March 2025.

Clients include Publix, Baskin-Robbins, Southeast Toyota, Varo Bank, Grammarly and U.S. Polo Assn. The office is at 1170 Peachtree Street. It suits brands that want an Atlanta partner for planning and buying with the creative sister agency close at hand.

6. Trade School

Part of Chalkboard Ventures · Atlanta · tradeschool.works

Trade School was set up in 2020 and grew out of 22squared as a content and creator-marketing agency. It has served as content agency of record for The Home Depot for six years. In June 2025 it launched Mainspring, a production model that blends human craft with AI tools. Justin Bilicki was named chief creative officer in June 2026.

The leadership team also includes Dayna Hall Carter, who joined in April 2025 to lead creative and technology, and Amy Choi, who runs creator strategy. It is a good fit for brands that need a high volume of social and retail content rather than a small number of hero spots.

7. Matlock Advertising & Public Relations

Multicultural full-service agency · Downtown · matlock-adpr.com

Matlock has more than 30 years of experience as a multicultural advertising and PR agency. It works from Luckie Street in Downtown Atlanta and has a second office on Madison Avenue in New York. Services cover advertising, media relations, crisis communications, experiential and influencer work.

Clients include Publix, BMW, the Georgia Lottery, Koch and the Georgia Department of Public Health. It suits advertisers who want multicultural audiences planned into the campaign from the start, with PR support in the same team.

8. Morrison

Independent, woman-led · Buckhead · morrison.agency

Morrison has worked in Atlanta for about 40 years and is a member of ICOM, a network of independent agencies. Amanda Forgione is chief executive, with founder Bob Morrison as chairman and Chuck Carrier as chief creative officer. Its office is on Piedmont Road in Buckhead.

The agency works on a flexible model rather than a fixed retainer, offering strategy, integrated campaigns and embedded or fractional staff. Case studies include Yamaha's 2025 model-year launch, campaigns for Zoo Atlanta and Georgia's Own Credit Union, a fall football campaign for Hooters and a co-op social programme for Moe's. Other clients include AT&T, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Equifax and Georgia-Pacific.

9. Mower

Employee-owned · Atlantic Station · mower.com

Mower is an integrated advertising, PR and marketing agency that became 100% employee-owned through an ESOP in 2022. Its Atlanta office on 17th Street NW has served the market for more than 20 years. Stephanie Crockett has been chief executive since 2023, and the agency was named ANA B2B Agency of the Year in each year from 2022 to 2025. It was also named to the MM+M Agency 100 in 2026.

Recent work features Carhartt Company Gear, Novant Health, FirstEnergy, Northwest Bank and Pebble Beach Resorts. The Atlanta team has worked across energy, manufacturing and healthcare, and on an exhibition partnership between the High Museum and the Louvre. It is a strong option for B2B and regulated-industry advertisers.

10. ASO Advertising

Independent · Roswell · asoadvertising.com

ASO describes itself as a creative and media agency, and it is led by Steve Harding (president and CEO) and Ryan Mikesell (president and chief creative officer). Harding previously worked at Mindshare and Initiative on accounts including The Home Depot, which explains the agency's weight on media planning alongside creative. Its office is on Mimosa Boulevard in Roswell.

Georgia Aquarium is a long-standing client, and ASO links its work there to 15 years of attendance growth. Other work includes Bridgestone Golf (covered by Adweek and Ad Age), Mitsubishi Electric, Atlantic Station, the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Cloudland at McLemore, a Curio Collection by Hilton resort.

11. Tailfin

Independent · Virginia-Highland · tailfin.com

Tailfin was established in 2001 and works from Virginia Avenue in Virginia-Highland, in a building with no parking deck, lift or doorman, which it presents as a point of pride. It splits its work into insights, strategy and creative, with campaign production across TV, radio, out-of-home, print and social.

Case studies include Georgia Natural Gas, HydraFacial (from "best kept beauty secret" to IPO), Kennesaw State University, Phoebe Health, Callaway Gardens and a music venue sponsorship for Synovus. It has also worked on Chick-fil-A franchise recruitment. It suits regional advertisers that want a senior team on a campaign without network overheads.

What to look for in an Atlanta advertising agency

Start with ownership and where the work is led. Network offices bring media buying scale, production resources and global reach, though some accounts are run from New York or elsewhere with Atlanta in a supporting role. Ask which people in the Atlanta office will lead your business, and how decisions are escalated within the network.

Decide how creative and media will fit together. Some agencies here, such as 22squared, Mower and ASO, plan and buy media in-house, while others work alongside a separate media agency. Either model can work, but the split of fees, responsibilities and reporting should be clear before the first brief.

Check category experience and conflicts. Atlanta agencies have deep experience in retail, quick-service restaurants, utilities, healthcare and B2B, largely because of the companies headquartered in the region. An agency that already knows your category will need less time to get up to speed, though it may hold a competing account.

Finally, look at how production and approvals are handled. Advertising work runs through scripts, storyboards, rough cuts and many versions of finished spots, often with Georgia's production crews and post houses involved. Agencies with a clear review process, and a single place where clients can find the latest cut, keep a campaign moving towards its air date.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best advertising agency in Atlanta?

It depends on the brief. BBDO Atlanta is Omnicom's main advertising office in the city and reports 14 Effie awards over five years. Mower was ANA B2B Agency of the Year from 2022 to 2025, and 22squared offers a large in-house media team with a 100-year history in Atlanta.

Which global agency networks have Atlanta offices in 2026?

Omnicom has BBDO Atlanta. WPP has VML, with three Atlanta offices, and AKQA. Publicis has Digitas on Northyards Boulevard. Ogilvy, McCann and Huge do not list Atlanta on their current office pages.

What happened to J. Walter Thompson Atlanta?

J. Walter Thompson is no longer a separate brand. WPP combined it with other agencies into what is now VML, which runs its main Atlanta office on North Angier Avenue.

Which Atlanta agencies combine creative and media buying?

22squared, Mower and ASO Advertising all plan and buy media alongside their creative work. Agencies that focus on performance media and analytics are covered in our list of the best marketing agencies in Atlanta.

Who handles The Home Depot's advertising in Atlanta?

BBDO Atlanta creates much of The Home Depot's brand advertising, including its holiday campaigns. Trade School, part of Chalkboard Ventures, has been its content agency of record for six years.

Related lists

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