Hi, I’m Kayla. I’ve run brand and growth for snack brands, a small fintech, and a tourism board. Over the last few years, I’ve hired a bunch of US ad agencies. Some big. Some scrappy. Some loud. Some quiet geniuses.
You want real stories? Cool. I’ll share what worked, what didn’t, and why it mattered. And yes, I’ll name names.
Quick note on how I judge:
- Do they nail the idea, not just the polish?
- Can they move fast without losing the plot?
- Do they bring proof, not just talk?
- Will they play nice with data, PR, and retail?
- Can I afford them without living on instant noodles?
Let’s get into it.
If you want the raw, unfiltered spreadsheet of winners and duds, I keep an ever-green log of the best advertising agencies in the USA from my own projects right here.
Wieden+Kennedy — Portland thunder, big craft
We hired W+K for a sneaker collab launch. Kickoff was in their Portland office. Lots of coffee. Whiteboards full of scribbles. Someone wrote “Make it feel earned.” Cheesy? Maybe. But it worked.
You’ve seen their big stuff:
- Nike’s Just Do It
- Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
For anyone curious, the original Nike opus that defined modern sports marketing is collected in W+K’s own case study right here.
Our result: a 60-second hero spot, sharp OOH lines, and a weird little social film with a runner in the rain. Sales lifted 18% in two weeks. The film had heart. No fake gloss. Just grit and pacing.
Downside: time and cost. They’re a freight train. When it hits, it hits hard. But you wait for it. If you’ve got a seasonal window, build slack. If you’re tiny, this may stretch you.
Best for: brand platform work and culture-driving launches.
Droga5 — New York strategy, spine of steel
Droga5 ran a two-day workshop for our subscription news app. Sticky notes. Sharp questions. “Why should anyone care?” We got quiet. Then they wrote a line that became our north star.
You’ve likely seen:
- The New York Times: The Truth Is Hard
- Under Armour with Misty Copeland: I Will What I Want
If you need a quick reminder of how powerfully that Times work punched through, the full story sits here.
Our result: fewer assets, stronger voice. The creative was simple, clean, and smart. Not loud, but it stuck. CAC fell 12% over the next month. We didn’t change media. We changed the story.
Downside: They don’t flood you with stuff. It’s not a content factory. It’s a brain trust. If you need 50 cuts a week, look elsewhere.
Best for: brand repositioning, brave storytelling, CMO-level decks.
The Martin Agency — Odd charm, repeat hits
I first met The Martin Agency on a Zoom. They pitched two scripts and a bumper that made my CFO laugh. That never happens.
They’re the folks behind:
- GEICO (Cavemen, Hump Day, all that magic)
- DoorDash’s “The Neighborhood” Super Bowl spot
We ran a grocery delivery test with them. They pitched “Fridge FOMO.” Simple shots. A fridge light. Funny VO. Click-throughs popped without heavy spend. It felt like a wink from a neighbor.
Downside: humor is a sharp tool. One draft felt too silly. They fixed it fast.
Best for: mass reach with charm, clear retail links, durable platform ideas.
Goodby Silverstein & Partners — Clean craft, clean thinking
We brought Goodby in for a dairy alt pitch. Even the roughs felt finished. They care about words. You can see it line by line.
Work you know:
- Got Milk?
- Chevy Sonic stunts (the bungee, the band—wild and smart)
We couldn’t afford the full scope that quarter. Still, their deck shaped our brief. We stole (with credit) a single line and built our whole PR angle around it. Earned pickup felt easy after that.
Downside: price. Also, they set a high bar and won’t fake it. That’s good, but it can slow teams who want speed more than truth.
Best for: iconic platforms, national work, clean copy that lasts.
72andSunny — Energy and speed, with splash
We used 72andSunny for a gaming trailer and social teasers. They came in hot. The room felt like a Saturday morning before a big game.
Known for:
- Samsung “The Next Big Thing”
- Call of Duty launches
We got a kinetic trailer, crunchy sound design, and a plan for creator clips. It jumped on Twitch and YouTube fast. My son said, “That actually slaps.” I’ll take that as data.
Downside: big energy can miss subtle notes. We had to pull one joke that could rub folks wrong. They listened and pivoted.
Best for: culture-forward moments, entertainment, and launches with heat.
Sticking with broadcast-level splash, I recently ran a full campaign with Paramount Advertising; if you’re curious how that partnership shook out, the unvarnished recap lives over here.
R/GA — Where creative meets product
R/GA helped us shape a loyalty app. They didn’t just make ads. They mapped the customer path, screen by screen, habit by habit. It felt like a UX clinic, but with taste.
You’ll know them from:
- Nike+ FuelBand
- Beats “The Game Before The Game”
They built a clickable prototype and a content plan tied to push timing and retail. No fluff. Just calm, useful work.
Downside: process. Sprints, research, more sprints. If you’re fine with that, you get gold. If not, you’ll tap your pen a lot.
Best for: digital products, retail experience, CRM flows tied to story.
If your growth plan leans heavily on programmatic banners and retargeting, you might like my blow-by-blow recap of what happened when I hired a display advertising agency—from briefing to results—read it here.
VaynerMedia — Social volume, fast and honest
We brought Vayner in for always-on social across TikTok, Reels, and retail partners. They love speed. They love testing. They will post, learn, and post again. No panic.
They run social for lots of big consumer brands, like several under PepsiCo. You can feel the muscle memory.
Our result: a steady drumbeat of short, snackable content, UGC tie-ins, and creator swaps. We didn’t win Cannes here. We won share of mind in grocery aisles.
Downside: not the shop for a single, sweeping film. The magic is in the grind.
Best for: content engines, quick wins, retail moments, and social proof.
GSD&M — Practical, grounded, and brave when needed
We hired GSD&M for a regional tourism push. They know how to sell with heart and manners. No fuss. They bring Texas warmth and straight talk.
If you know them, you know:
- “Don’t Mess with Texas”
- Southwest Airlines: “Wanna get away?”
Our work: radio that sounded local (because it was), simple OOH lines, and a nice little anthem cut for paid social. Hotel nights rose without a splashy film. It felt honest.
Downside: if you want a wild art piece, this isn’t that. If you want results and neighbors, you’re good.
Best for: travel, retail, and any brand that needs trust more than sparkle.
For a hyper-local take, I spent a few weeks evaluating agencies in California’s coastal hubs; my hands-on look at Santa Barbara advertising firms is right this way.
When I’m sizing up regional sentiment on the East Coast, I sometimes dig into the exact phrasing local businesses use to drive bookings. A quirky but revealing reference point is the adult-nightlife listings in Newport News—check out how direct-response language gets deployed in real time inside platforms like this one for lessons on punchy headlines, urgency cues, and no-fluff calls-to-action that can inform any conversion-focused copy test.
So…who should you call?
Here’s my plain short list, by need:
- Big brand platform: Wieden+Kennedy, Droga5, Goodby
- Funny with reach: The Martin Agency
- Launch with heat: 72andSunny
- Product + creative blend: R/GA
- Social engine and retail lift: VaynerMedia
- Regional push with heart: GSD&M
If you want to explore an up-to-date roster of specialized performance shops, I keep one over at Hunt Mads that’s refreshed every quarter.