COLUMBIA, Md. – Merkle (www.merkleinc.com), a leading technology-enabled, data-driven performance marketing agency, announced its prominent ranking in Advertising Age’s annual agency report. Merkle reported a net revenue of $635 million in 2017 — a double-digit increase over its 2016 revenue of $560 million. This growth was fueled by a record year in new business, strong client retention, growth of strategic partnerships, and five acquisitions.
“Brands are just beginning to discover the potential of people-based marketing and what it represents for our industry, and this is where Merkle brings unique strength. The growth of our global footprint is key to unlocking the full value of this approach for brands across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.”
The annual Advertising Age Agency Report was produced by the Ad Age DataCenter and includes rankings of more than 1,000 advertising, marketing services, and media agencies based on 2017 revenue. Merkle was featured as follows:
- Top US Agencies of All Disciplines – Merkle ranks 14.
- World’s Largest CRM/Direct Marketing Networks and Largest US CRM/Direct Marketing Networks– Merkle ranks 5.
- World’s Largest Digital Agency Networks- Merkle ranks 11.
- Largest US Digital Agency Networks – Merkle ranks 9.
- Largest US Search Marketing Agencies – Merkle ranks 3.
- Largest US Health Care Agency Networks – Merkle ranks 15.
In 2017, Merkle strengthened and expanded its people-based marketing capabilities as well as its geographic footprint, both organically and through domestic and global acquisitions. These acquisitions amplified Merkle’s global scale and increased its headcount to more than 5,500 across the globe.
In addition to Merkle’s rankings in Advertising Age, the agency’s people-based marketing capabilities show solid progress in 2017; Merkle was recognized by Forrester Research in two Wave rankings last year and one already in 2018. First, as a strong performer in The Forrester Wave™: Customer Loyalty Solutions, Q3 2017 and then again as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Search Marketing Agencies, Q4 2017. Most recently, Merkle ranked as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Customer Database and Engagement Agencies, Q2 2018. Merkle was honored by MediaPost as the 2017 Search Agency of the Year and was named Best Large SEO agency by the US Search Awards. AdExchanger named Merkle second on the Top Ten Programmatic Agencies list for 2017. In the UK, Merkle was named Agency of the Year for Advertising by The Drum in addition to Biddable Media Agency of the Year by The UK Agency Awards.
“Merkle’s rankings in Advertising Age’s Agency Report further enforces our position as a top agency partner,” said David Williams, president and CEO at Merkle. “Brands are just beginning to discover the potential of people-based marketing and what it represents for our industry, and this is where Merkle brings unique strength. The growth of our global footprint is key to unlocking the full value of this approach for brands across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.”
About Merkle
Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With more than 5,500 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 24 additional offices in the US and 25 offices in EMEA and APAC. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.
