Industry research
Scope
Europe
Companies
197
Table of contents
What does the marketing & advertising agencies market landscape look like in Europe?
The European marketing and advertising agency landscape undergoes consolidation, driven by larger incumbents seeking to become full-service partners that cater to all customer needs. Next to that, domain expertise and solid track records remain key differentiators in a market with external competition rising from advertising platforms (e.g. Meta, Google), generalist consultancies and technology players (e.g. Salesforce). Furthermore, typical marketing strategy implementation businesses will face headwinds due to greater user-friendliness and automation of online marketing campaigns, making marketing strategy development and creativity key areas of focus for incumbents. Lastly, the emergence of AI is prompting businesses to rethink and redesign their operating models. To keep pace with this accelerating trend, identified players are broadening their technological capabilities to enable successful adoption as AI use among consumers rises.
What is the level of investor activity in Europe's marketing & advertising agencies industry?
Investor-led interest in the European marketing and advertising agencies industry has been significant, with ~67% of identified assets being sponsor-backed (December 2025). Investors are primarily attracted by (i) data-driven campaign personalisation enabled by AI, (ii) the persistent digitisation of advertising channels and (iii) the shift from transactional mass marketing to more sustainable and tailored approaches. On the other hand, (i) the decreasing complexity of digital advertising platforms, (ii) the rise of competitors from multiple directions and (iii) expanding consumer-protection rules serve as detractors for investors.
What are the key ESG considerations in Europe's marketing & advertising agencies industry?
ESG considerations in the European marketing and advertising agencies industry encompass social and governance matters. Social topics relate to ethical challenges, such as false advertising, stereotyping and cultural insensitivity. Identified players aim to address these by implementing measures that strengthen transparency and promote responsible marketing practices. Governance issues primarily relate to protecting private data, which companies address by introducing stronger consumer data-protection measures, as well as employee training and ensuring strict compliance with privacy regulations.
Industry experts forecast the European marketing and advertising agency market to grow at ~4-5% per year between 2025 and 2030 (OMMAX expert interview)
Technavio (January 2025) estimated the digital marketing spending at ~$725bn in 2024 and projected it to reach ~$1.1tn by 2029 (+8.5% CAGR)
AI is reshaping the marketing and advertising landscape by enabling data-driven, deeply personalised campaigns supported by advanced predictive intelligence. These tools also streamline various tasks (e.g. A/B testing, media placement, audience segmentation), freeing up resources and improving efficiency for agencies (interviews by Gain.pro; Bain & Company, March 2025)
The persistent digitisation wave, together with the rising share of Gen Z consumers in the European economy, reshapes the marketing landscape with a particular focus on social media. As a result, European businesses are responding by increasing their digital marketing budgets, creating new growth opportunities for incumbents (IAB Europe, May 2025; Emerce, March 2025)
The shift from transactional mass marketing to more sustainable, community-focused approaches, alongside growing fragmentation in client needs, strengthens demand for established players. At the same time, clients aim to consolidate their marketing spend for simpler coordination and stronger cross-channel integration, boosting demand for one-stop-shop agencies (interviews by Gain.pro)
The decreasing complexity of digital advertising platforms (e.g. Google, Meta) results in service commoditisation, reducing the need for external marketing services providers (interviews by Gain.pro)
The rise of competitors from multiple directions, including major tech players (e.g. Salesforce, HubSpot), consulting firms and small niche specialists. At the same time, large clients are increasingly exploring the option of bringing key marketing functions in-house to boost speed and flexibility (interview by Gain.pro; Bain & Company, December 2025)
Expanding consumer-protection rules spanning personalised advertising (e.g. GDPR, ePrivacy), influencer activity and advertising aimed at minors. Such measures constrain the execution of marketing and advertising campaigns and create compliance costs with limited benefit for incumbents (PPC, July 2025)
With the full report, you’ll gain access to:
Detailed assessments of the market outlook
Insights from c-suite industry executives
A clear overview of all active investors in the industry
An in-depth look into 197 private companies, incl. financials, ownership details and more.
A view on all 1,482 deals in the industry
ESG assessments with highlighted ESG outperformers
