Agencies

The resources on this page are useful for finding agencies. Not all brands hire a marketing or advertising agency; some companies may use an in-house marketing department instead of hiring an outside agency. On the flip side, an Agency of Record (AOR) is a model where a large global client hires one agency to coordinate all of their marketing needs. Search strategies for finding agencies include:

Using an agency directory, which often lists companies or industries an agency works with.
Searching trade publications for announcements of new agencies or companies changing their marketing agency.
Going directly to an agency website, which may have a list of well-known brand clients, or press releases related to their creative work for a client.

Red Book Directories

Red Books or Redbooks are well known directories of advertising agencies, which includes information such as areas of specialization, billing figures, key personnel and major clients. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Redbooks. Advertisers, business classifications by Red Books LLC.
Call Number: HF5805 .R43
Published/Created: 2016 - present
This directory, and it's companion, Redbooks. Advertiser, indexes continues The Advertising Red Books published by LexisNexis.
Winmo acquired Red Books in 2018. The following two titles make up the directory:

Standard Directory of Advertising Agencies (Red Books) is available with subscription through NexisUni External. This directory is a comprehensive source of information on advertising agencies in the United States. Documents include general information about the agency as well as detailed advertising information such as area(s) of specialization, billing figures, billings by advertising media, key personnel, associations, and accounts serviced by the agency. To be included in the directory, the agency must meet at least one of the following criteria: It must be the agency of record for at least one national or multi-state account that spends $ 200,000 or more on media per year; The agency of record for at least one of the companies listed in the Standard Directory of Advertisers; A recognized advertising agency outside of the United States that has one or more accounts in the United States; and a member of a professional agency association
Standard Directory of Advertisers (Red Books) is available with subscription through NexisUni External. This directory provides a comprehensive overview of more than 25,000 companies in the United States that spend at least $ 200,000 on national and regional advertising campaigns. Documents include general information about the company as well as advertising data such as advertising expenditures, advertising media, advertising expenditures by media, and information on the advertising agency(ies) the company employs.

Advertising Red Books. Advertiser, business classifications by LexisNexis
Call Number: HF5805 .S7
Published/Created: 2003 - 2015
This title, along with its companion publication, Advertising Red Books. Advertiser, geographic continue the publication Standard Directory of Advertisers.
Standard Directory of Advertisers. by National Register Pub. Co.
Call Number: HF5805 .S7
Published/Created: 1964 - 2002
Issued also in a Geographical edition. This publication is a merger of the Standard Advertising Register, and the classified portion of McKittrick's Directory of Advertisers.
Standard Advertising Register by National Register Pub. Co.
Call Number: HF5805 .S7
Published/Created: 1920 - 1963
"A Perpetual recording index of advertisers."
Merged with the classified portion of: McKittrick's Directory of Advertisers, to form: Standard Directory of Advertisers.
View Standard Advertising Register online through HathiTrust External.
Standard Register of National Advertising by National Register Pub. Co.
Call Number: HF5805 .S7
Published/Created: 1916 - 1919
Continued by Standard Advertising Register.
McKittrick's Directory of Advertisers by George McKittrick
Call Number: HF5805 .M2
Published/Created: 1899 - 1963
Early editions were published by McKittrick typo-lithic process; and by Advertisers Directory Association. In 1963 this publication merged with the Standard Advertising Register.

Additional Directories

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Researcher Sourcebook. by Quirk Enterprises
Call Number: HF5415.2 R455
Published/Created: 1986-present
Annual directory of organizations providing marketing research products and services. It is published as a regular issue of Quirk's Marketing Research Review External.
Small Business Sourcebook. by Gale
Call Number: HD2346.U5 S66
Published/Created: 1983-present
"A guide to the information services and sources provided to 100 small businesses by associations, consultants, educational programs, franchisers, government agencies (federal, state, and local), reference works, statisticians, suppliers, trade shows, and venture capital firms." Includes some marketing and advertising services.

The following links go to external websites with searchable directories of marketing and advertising agencies.

AdForum Agency Search External
Search by agency name, location, competencies (e.g. full service, public relations, media buying), client industry, client name, or specialization (e.g. beauty, healthcare, nonprofit). Agency profiles have contact information, company information including number of employees and number of clients, and sample work.
American Marketing Association Marketing Services Search External
Browse by category (e.g. digital marketing, consultants, sales) or search by keyword and location. Agency listings include contact information and agency description.
Agency Spotter External
Search by agency name, service (influencer marketing, events, research, design, e-mail), location or budget. Agency listings include contact information, clients, audience specialty, sample work, and client reviews.
Agency Compile External
Compile is a searchable database of ad agencies. Search by agency, location, clients, capabilities or industry.

Library of Congress Manuscript Collections of Advertising Executives

The Library of Congress has a number of collections that contain the papers and related materials to advertising, marketing, and public relations executives. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available. For more special collections on business topics at the Library of Congress, see our guide, Business and Labor History: Primary Sources at the Library of Congress.

David Ogilvy papers, 1935-1966
Correspondence, speeches, writings, market research reports, advertising proposals, printed matter, and other papers relating primarily to Ogilvy's career in advertising as an executive and businessman.
John Callan O'Laughlin papers, 1895-1949
Includes material pertaining to his years as vice president of the Lord & Thomas advertising agency in Chicago, Illinois.
Raymond Rubicam papers, 1921-1988
Correspondence, articles, speeches, biographical material, and printed matter documenting Rubicam's career as cofounder and later as chairman of the board of the Young & Rubicam advertising firm. Includes material reflecting his earlier work as a writer for the advertising agency, N.W. Ayer & Son.
Raymond Loewy papers, 1929-1988
The collection documents the growth of Raymond Loewy's company from a small firm to a complex system of international corporations and subsidiaries concerned with architecture, corporate image coordination, exhibitions, marketing, packaging, product design, and other aspects of industrial design.
Edward L Bernays papers, 1777-1994
Correspondence, publicity material, and scrapbooks, together with memoranda, research notes, speeches, articles, drafts of books, lists, surveys, reports, printed matter, photographs, and other material documenting Bernays's career as a pioneer in the field of public relations and the development of that profession and its influence on American society.
Gerald Carson papers, 1854-1989
Correspondence, lectures and speeches, writings, research materials, and scrapbooks, pertaining to Carson's career as an advertising executive and to his research and publications in American social history.

Marketing Industry: A Resource Guide

Agencies

Red Book Directories

Additional Directories

Library of Congress Manuscript Collections of Advertising Executives