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JWT is not the largest Ad Agency in the U.S

September 23, 2008

We feel that JWT’s claim of being the largest Advertising Agency in the US is less than truthful and we are calling for JWT to stop making that claim.

The owner of JWT is WPP Group plc.

WPP’s Martin Sorrell was upset earlier this year when Google was talking to his clients directly, he didn’t like the competition of another advertising agency playing “unfair” … See according to him, Google is a “frienemy”

Sir Martin Sorrell said he counts Google as a frenemy of WPP, on one hand Google offers WPP a chance to buy cutting edge interactive ads for its clients. On the other hand, Google makes no secret of its intentions to allow anyone to buy ads for themselves in effect becoming a direct competitor to advertising agency WPP.

Evidently JWT’s parent company WPP feels that Google is an Advertising Agency, with a market cap of US 137.70 Billion whereas WPP’s total market cap US 10.47 Billion.

Google is roughly 13-14 times the size of WPP, and the JWT Division only represents a fraction of WPP’s market cap…

Google is the largest advertising agency on earth… not just the US. Stop the Charade JWT… you’re not the largest advertising agency… that title goes to Google. JWT, if you have any questions, please just ask Sir. Martin Sorrell if he feels Google is a competitor to his Advertising agency empire.

We understand the branding significance with that claim… but look at yourselves in the mirror people.. do you really believe that statement is true? JWT’s parent company is 13 times smaller than Google, and JWT is only small percentage of the already diminutive market cap in the face of Google.

It’s not like Google has quit trying to compete, launching ad agency killer programs like Google Ad Planner

When it reaches the point where the word “frienemy” is used to describe another company.. they are your competitor.. in this exact case.. that’s being an advertising agency.

EDIT: JWT caught an error in the first paragraph that stated “earth” rather than US.

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Written by TheFounder · Filed Under Advertising Agency News 


Comments

  • http://www.tribbleagency.com/?p=6240 Google : Yahoo is a competitor to WPP

    [...] this raise any other questions? For example, We’ve been saying for years that JWT should stop using “largest Advertising in the USA” because they are not the largest, that is [...]

  • Rory

    If Google is an ad agency, who are their clients, what ads have they created and where have the ads run outside of Google properties?

    Google is a search engine company, a web portal and a software manufacturer. They sell ad space and don't plan advertising campaigns for any properties outside of their own.

    By your definition, GE, Comcast and News Corps are ad agencies too.

    When people use Photoshop and Final Cut to create their own ads, that takes business away from agencies too, but nobody is going to start calling photoshop an ad agency.

  • TheFounder

    Rory, Google is the world's largest ad agency…perhaps the best way to show you is this.

    http://www.tribbleagency.com/?p=6593