Grey

What Grey does

Grey Group is a global advertising and marketing agency headquartered at 3 World Trade Center in New York, operating 25 creative studios across 18 markets in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America (including Bangkok, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Helsinki, Hong Kong, London, São Paulo, and Tokyo). Founded in 1917 and acquired by WPP plc in 2014, the firm operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within the world's largest communications services group under the 'Famously Effective' positioning. The agency serves multinational enterprise clients across beverage (Corona, Stella Artois, Modelo, Coca-Cola), consumer goods (Pantene, Pringles), automotive (Volvo), healthcare (Haleon, Vabysmo, Grey Health), retail and convenience (Circle K, Fressnapf), telecommunications (CelcomDigi), tourism (Tourism Ireland), banking (BCP Bank, Mibanco, Bandhan Mutual Fund), and nonprofit sectors.

The agency's service portfolio spans four core capabilities: Advertising + Communications (strategic creative development across customer touchpoints), AI-powered creative development (combining human and AI workflows for rapid insight identification and validation), Production with Speed + Precision (scalable content production with operational excellence), and Design (visual identity, product design, communications strategy, experience design). Specialized practices include Grey Health for healthcare-focused creative and Circus Grey as a regional brand in Peru. Notable proprietary and open-source innovations include Lime Guides (UV laser technology for marking limes with cut guides for Corona bottles, deployed across China, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa), Sightwalks (open-source tactile navigation for visually impaired pedestrians, 75,000+ m2 implemented), SOS POS (payment-terminal emergency bank-block system for BCP Bank in Peru), and Access Codes (Microsoft-integrated barcodes readable aloud via Seeing AI for Haleon products).

Grey generates revenue through agency fees, project-based creative work, and multi-year retainer arrangements via an enterprise field-sales GTM. New business is captured through competitive pitches (e.g., Mary Kay, Circle K, Tourism Ireland, CelcomDigi, Fressnapf, Almond Board), direct client engagement with multinational corporations, and referral flows within the WPP network including the WPP Open X joint-pitch model. The agency's leadership is anchored by Global CEO Laura Maness, Global CCO Gabriel Schmitt, and a regional CEO/President structure across EMEA, APAC, and Latin America, with notable recent U.S. and London leadership transitions reported in 2025–2026.

Name

Grey

Legal name

Grey Global Group

Website

https://grey.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Grey Group is a global advertising and marketing agency headquartered in New York, operating 25 creative studios across 18 markets. As a WPP subsidiary since 2014, it delivers enterprise creative campaigns for multinational brands across beverage, CPG, automotive, healthcare, retail, telecom, tourism, and banking sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising & Creative Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Graphic Design Services (54143), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Multicultural & Diversity Marketing Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAK)

Keywords

• Advertising agency services
• Creative campaign development
• Brand strategy consulting
• Marketing communications
• Production services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Creative Services: Grey generates revenue through agency fees, project-based creative work, and retainer arrangements with major global brands. The agency provides comprehensive advertising and communications services including campaign development, brand strategy, creative production, and multi-market activations for clients worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Grey is a global creative and advertising agency that develops brand campaigns, creative production, design, AI-powered marketing communications, and Cultural Value consulting for multinational enterprises. Its work spans brand strategy, integrated advertising, production with speed and precision, experience and product design, healthcare communications (via Grey Health), and technology-driven innovations such as Lime Guides, SOS POS, Sightwalks, and Access Codes. The agency delivers campaigns through 25 studios in 18 markets, targeting enterprise clients such as Coca-Cola, Volvo, AB InBev, Pantene, Circle K, and Microsoft.

Product overview

Grey is a global advertising agency organized under WPP, operating as a collective of creative entrepreneurs focused on delivering 'Famously Effective' ideas that solve real business problems and make brands stand out in culture. The agency's core offerings include Advertising + Communications (strategic creative services), AI-Powered Creative (combining human and AI brains throughout the creative process), Production with Speed + Precision (bold creative production with cutting-edge technology), and Design Services (visual identity, product design, communications strategy, experience design). The agency also operates specialized practices including Grey Health for healthcare-focused campaigns. Grey serves clients across 25 studios in 18 markets globally, with campaigns ranging from brand advertising and cause marketing to social impact initiatives and technology-driven innovations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Circus Grey: Regional creative agency brand operating in Peru, part of the Grey network
• Grey Health

Products and services

• Advertising + Communications Strategic and creative advertising services that diagnose real business problems and deliver creative solutions that fix them, ensuring brand messaging is clear and consistent across every customer touchpoint. Built for multinational brand owners seeking global-to-local campaign execution.
• AI-Powered Creative Creative development practice that combines human and AI capabilities throughout the creative process to rapidly identify, validate, and apply insights, ensuring meaningful ideas are distinctive and attention-grabbing. Delivered to enterprise brand and marketing teams.
• Production with Speed + Precision Creative and strategic production solutions merging scale with cutting-edge technology to deliver operational excellence, cost efficiency, and fast execution without compromising quality. Targeted at global brands needing fast, consistent, multi-market content production.
• Design Services Design thinking, creativity, and craft applied across visual identity, product design, communications strategy, and experience design. Provided to enterprise brands seeking integrated design systems and customer experience work.
• Cultural Value Consulting Strategic advisory helping brands earn, live, and lead with "Cultural Value", the power that moves people, brands, and the world forward. Aimed at CMOs and brand leaders navigating cultural relevance and business outcomes.
• Grey Health Healthcare-focused creative services delivering campaigns that address health issues with impact-first creativity and strategy. Serves healthcare and pharmaceutical brand owners and has won multiple Grand Prix at the Clio Health Awards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected US$7.8+ million in customer assets within first 4 months for BCP Bank SOS POS initiative
• +14 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• Mary KayflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2025Grey New York appointed as global advertising partner for Mary Kay, the #1 Direct Selling Brand of Skin Care and Color Cosmetics in the World. Partnership marks a pivotal moment in company's 60+ year history as it prepares to launch a global master brand campaign.
• Corona (AB InBev)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025Major strategic partner for Corona and Corona Cero brands. Grey's Brazil office serves as lead agency for Corona in Brazil and created the 'For Every Golden Moment' Olympic platform. Corona Cero is the first-ever global beer sponsor of the Olympic Games. Ongoing campaigns include Lime Guides, Sun Reserve, and Infinite Sunset.
• International Olympic Committee (IOC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025IOC partnership through Corona Cero's role as the first non-alcoholic beer sponsor of the Olympics. Created TIME CERO initiative providing athletes with relaxation spaces and recovery zones at Milano Cortina 2026.
• Circle KflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2025Grey appointed global AOR for Circle K, one of the world's largest independent convenience store operators. Multi-year partnership tasks Grey with leading strategy and advertising across Circle K and parent company Alimentation Couche-Tard's network of over 10,000 stores in US, Canada, and Europe.
• Coca-ColacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor global partner through WPP Open X initiative. Grey leads creative for multiple Coca-Cola campaigns including 'You Must Love Coke', 'We All Understand Coca-Cola', and 'The Playable Billboard' in Times Square.
• Tourism IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrey named global creative partner after competitive review. Developing 'The Island That Goes Beyond' brand platform to grow overseas tourism to the island of Ireland across 13+ overseas markets.
• Fressnapf | Maxi ZoomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFollowing multi-stage pitch, Grey Germany named lead agency for pet supplies giant operating over 2,600 stores across 13 European countries. Responsible for strategy, creative development, and all cross-border marketing campaigns.
• CelcomDigi BerhadmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrey Malaysia appointed brand agency partner for Malaysia's largest telecommunications company following competitive pitch. Marks major milestone as CelcomDigi ramps up next phase of growth.
• Almond Board of CaliforniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrey New York selected as agency partner following competitive review. Partnership provides opportunity to shape the future of one of the world's most trusted and culturally relevant food brands.
• VolvocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership creating multiple campaigns including Work Anniversary (Liam crash test dummy), Volvo: In Every Vehicle, and Street Configurator. Work spans safety positioning and brand campaigns across multiple markets.
• Pantene (P&G)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic creative partner for Pantene across multiple campaigns including Pet Pit (mango pit influencer), Stop the Shedding, and PrideHair. Pet Pit won Best of Show at ONE Asia Creative Awards.
• Pringles (Kellanova)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partner for Super Bowl campaigns including Mr. P movie campaign (6B earned media impressions) and Pringles x Super Mario collaboration. Work focuses on distinctive brand storytelling.
• Modelo (AB InBev)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThird year of college football campaign partnership. The Recruiter campaign featuring Reggie Bush generated 2.2B+ impressions in first week with 39% increase in social mentions.
• Stella Artois (AB InBev)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClaustrobars campaign won 2 Gold and 2 Bronze at Cannes Lions 2025. Humorous OOH campaign celebrating the reward of perfectly poured Stella Artois in crowded bars.
• Applebee'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNFL partnership campaign with Grey creating 'Applebee's is Serving NFL' initiative leveraging NFL stars Dan Campbell, Brock Purdy, and Saquon Barkley. Generated 2.2B+ impressions in first week.
• HaleoncoreTechnology or IntegrationAccess Codes partnership with Microsoft - world's first barcodes that speak healthcare information aloud through Seeing AI app. Aims to make 20,000+ Haleon products accessible. Earned 547M+ impressions.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration to enhance Seeing AI app functionality for Access Codes initiative, enabling barcode scanner to read product and safety information aloud for visually impaired customers.
• BCP BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOS POS initiative transformed payment terminals into emergency lifelines in Peru. Protected US$7.8M+ in customer assets in first four months. Monthly money theft reports dropped 48%.
• MibancomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstibADores campaign transformed informal workers' carts into advertising medium, providing financial inclusion. Generated 6.5M weekly impacts and 62% more cost-efficient than static outdoor.
• Bar BQ PlazamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSad Kama-chan campaign won Grand Prix at Adfest, Gold at Cannes Lions, and ANDYs. Generated 230K social media reactions on day one and 404K meals sold in under a week.
• WPPflagshipOthersParent company - world's largest communications company. Grey operates as part of WPP network, accessing vast resources while maintaining agility. WPP Open X initiative enables joint work on major accounts like Coca-Cola.
• LALCECmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProstate cancer awareness campaign 'One More Question' achieved 31% increase in checkup appointments and +82% PR reach vs. any previous campaign. Most successful prostate cancer awareness campaign for the organization.
• Article 19 and Newspaper La UniónmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexico journalist safety campaigns. The Shooting won 2 Silver and 1 Bronze at Cannes Lions. The Last Trip documentary campaign won Bronze Lion. Both campaigns address violence against journalists in Mexico.
• PETAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHappy Christmassacre and Pig Farm campaigns creating provocative animal rights advertising. Work challenges perceptions about animal treatment in food industry.
• UNACEM/Cemento SolflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSightwalks - open-source tactile navigation system for visually impaired pedestrians. Won multiple Grand Prix awards including at El Sol, Clio Health, and One Show. 75,000+ m2 implemented, 500,000+ visually impaired people benefited.
• Georgia Pacific (Angel Soft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPotty-tunities Super Bowl campaign - 'designed to be missed' ad that calculated best bathroom break opportunities. Generated 5.4B media impressions and 11% sales increase at Walmart.
• Vabysmo (Genentech/Roche)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Beautiful Sight animated short film for vision care brand. Heartwarming tale about mother-son relationship and eye health. Recognized for innovative approach in highly regulated pharma space.
• Bandhan Mutual FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Equal Calculator - tool helping women measure wealth gap from career breaks. Drove 366,940 new SIP accounts opened by women and ₹1,171.9 million increase in SIP investments from women.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ogilvy: WPP's flagship global advertising network and the network that Grey is reportedly being merged under. Ogilvy is the most direct competitor because it operates the same full-service creative model, shares the same parent company, and now shares reporting structure with Grey in EMEA.
• BBDO Worldwide: Omnicom's flagship global creative network. BBDO is a near-perfect direct competitor — full-service global agency network, similarly strong Cannes Lions pedigree, and overlapping enterprise brand client base (P&G, PepsiCo, Mars).
• Leo Burnett: Publicis Groupe's flagship global creative network and a Top 5 network at Cannes Lions. Comparable in global scale, multinational client orientation, and emphasis on brand-building effectiveness case work — Grey's primary cross-holding-company competitor for AOR consolidations.
• TBWA Worldwide: Omnicom's global creative network built around the Disruption methodology. TBWA competes for the same category-leading brand assignments (Apple, Adidas) and shares the multi-region AOR delivery model that Grey uses for AB InBev and Coca-Cola.
• DDB Worldwide: Omnicom global creative network with comparable scale and a long Cannes Lions heritage. DDB competes for the same AB InBev, automotive, and CPG briefs that Grey pitches, with similar full-service and global-to-local execution model.
• Saatchi & Saatchi: Publicis's global creative network. Comparable in global footprint, commitment to 'famous and effective' positioning, and similar mix of CPG, automotive, and consumer brand AORs (Toyota, P&G, Pampers) that Grey also targets.
• McCann Worldgroup: Interpublic's flagship global creative network. McCann is a direct competitor for multinational brand AORs (Coca-Cola, Mastercard, L'Oreal) and competes with Grey's Grey Health in the regulated pharmaceutical communications space.
• VMLY&R: WPP sibling agency (born from Wunderman + VML + Y&R) combining brand creative with customer experience and data. Direct competitor for integrated AOR scopes and increasingly pitches against Grey for digitally-led transformation briefs.

Regional players

• Hakuhodo: Japan's largest independent advertising network and a credible competitor for APAC-focused briefs. Comparable in APAC scale and creative reputation to Grey's Asian studios (Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong), and a frequent co-pitch partner in intra-Asia campaign scopes.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Song: The consulting-led creative and customer-experience unit of Accenture. Represents the structural competitive threat to Grey — consultancies taking brand creative and commerce work away from holding-company networks, particularly at the top of the enterprise client list.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7tlT6bUv8M59xocLRxBQ0w
• Facebookfacebook.com/GreyNewYork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grey-group
• Xx.com/greynewyork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A19 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grey