So what happened in the 1980s?

In the first half of the 1980s, there were a number of sizable acquisitions of agencies by firms with deep pockets and the belief that the ad business was splitting into two parts: small shops serving mostly local accounts and a few enormous multinational agencies with huge global clients. Among the mergers were:

Dailey & Associates (by Interpublic)
McCaffrey & McCall (Saatchi & Saatchi)
William Esty (Ted Bates)
Cunningham & Walsh (Mickelberry)
Kenyon & Eckhardt (Lorimar)

In 1982, in the largest deal to that date, Britain’s largest agency, Saatchi & Saatchi, paid $57 million for Compton Advertising, the 14th largest U.S. agency. They subsequently purchased Backer & Spielvogel and Dancer Fitzgerald Sample. That was just the beginning. BBDO acquired Waring & LaRosa; Foote, Cone & Belding bought Leber Katz Partners and NCK; Interpublic bought Metzdorf; Grey bought Levine, Huntley, Schmidt & Beaver, and the list goes on.

WPP – Wire Paper Plastics

WPP
Through our companies, WPP offers a comprehensive and, when the appropriate, integrated range of communications services.

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Omnicom

Omnicom’s global leadership in marketing communications is fostered by the industry’s most innovative, collaborative, and diverse talent.

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Publicis Groupe

Publicis Groupe is a global leader in marketing, communication, and business transformation. Present in 108 countries, the Groupe employs more than 77,000 professionals.

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Interpublic Group