What Advertising Age does

Advertising Age (Ad Age) is a B2B trade media brand operating since 1930 and owned by Crain Communications, Inc., a privately held diversified media conglomerate headquartered in New York. The publication serves marketing executives, CMOs, advertising agency professionals, media buyers, brand managers, and creative professionals through a multi-channel content platform built around adage.com. Its core products include daily industry news coverage, targeted email newsletters, two podcasts (Marketer's Brief and Ad Age Insider), webcasts, and comprehensive event coverage of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and Super Bowl advertising.

The company's content portfolio extends beyond journalism into proprietary research products including the annual Ad Age Brand Report (ranking top advertisers), the Agency Report (market share analysis), the Agency Review Tracker (monitoring account reviews), the CMO Job Moves Database, the Gen Z and Gen Alpha Marketing Playbook, and the Future of Advertising 2030 research initiative. Ad Age Studio 30 operates as the company's creative content arm, producing custom sponsored content, white papers, and interactive reports for a broad publishing partner ecosystem that includes YouTube, Amazon Ads, T-Mobile Advertising Solutions, Havas Media, IAB, Comcast Advertising, and others. The company also runs the Ad Age Creativity Awards program.

Ad Age's business model is primarily advertising- and sponsorship-driven, monetizing audience reach through display advertising on adage.com, sponsored content via Studio 30, premium All Access subscriptions, webcast sponsorships, and research report sales. Its competitive position rests on nearly a century of editorial authority, a deep archive of advertising history, proprietary industry data assets, and event-driven coverage monopolies on Cannes Lions and Super Bowl advertising. The company operates with 501-1000 employees as part of the broader Crain Communications portfolio and is not independently financed through external funding rounds.

Name

Advertising Age

Legal name

Crain Communications, Inc.

Website

https://adage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Advertising Age (Ad Age) is a B2B trade media brand serving marketing, advertising, and media professionals with industry news, research reports, podcasts, and event coverage. Founded in 1930, it is owned by Crain Communications and monetizes via advertising and sponsored content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Media & Publishing

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Advertising (Brand + Performance + Media) (BPAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Advertising industry news
• Marketing media publishing
• Trade publication
• Sponsored content
• Industry research reports

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising/Sponsorship Revenue: Ad Age generates revenue through advertising placements on its website and sponsored content opportunities. The site features labeled sponsored content sections and publishing partners.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ad Age is a trade media and publishing brand covering advertising, marketing, media, and tech news for industry professionals. It monetizes primarily through advertising, sponsored/custom content (via Ad Age Studio 30), and premium All Access subscriptions, supplemented by research reports, podcasts, newsletters, and awards programs.

Product overview

Ad Age is a media and publishing company that operates a comprehensive advertising and marketing news platform (adage.com) along with a suite of content products. The core offerings include the main website with industry news coverage, newsletters, and specialized sections covering Cannes Lions, Super Bowl advertising, agency reviews, and brand marketing. The company produces research reports including the annual Ad Age Brand Report and Agency Report, as well as the Future of Advertising 2030 initiative. Ad Age Studio 30 serves as the creative content arm producing custom sponsored content, webcasts, white papers, and interactive reports. The company also offers podcasts including the Marketer's Brief and Ad Age Insider, runs the Ad Age Creativity Awards, and provides the Encyclopedia of Marketing as an educational reference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ad Age Studio 30: The creative content arm of Ad Age specializing in custom and sponsored content.

Products and services

• Ad Age Website (adage.com) The core advertising and marketing news publication featuring industry news, trend analysis, opinion, and brand coverage, with premium content gated behind All Access subscriptions.
• Ad Age All Access Subscription Premium subscription providing access to gated content, in-depth analysis, and data resources for marketing and advertising professionals.
• Ad Age Newsletters Email newsletter products delivering targeted industry news and analysis to subscribers.
• Ad Age Studio 30 The creative content arm of Ad Age specializing in custom and sponsored content, webcasts, white papers, and interactive reports for brand and agency partners.
• Ad Age Brand Report Annual ranking of the biggest marketing spenders and most-advertised brands in the US and worldwide.
• Agency Report Annual report covering agency company rankings, market share analysis, and industry consolidation trends.
• Agency Review Tracker Tracking resource monitoring advertising agency account reviews and brand creative, media, PR and social account changes.
• CMO Job Moves Database Database tracking chief marketing officer career moves and executive changes across industries.
• Marketer's Brief Podcast Video podcast featuring interviews with marketing executives and industry leaders discussing trends and strategies.
• Ad Age Insider Podcast Podcast providing insider perspectives on advertising industry events and trends including Cannes Lions.
• Ad Age Creativity Awards Awards program recognizing outstanding creative work in advertising and marketing.
• Encyclopedia of Marketing Educational reference defining advertising and marketing terms from AOR to media mix modeling to zero-click search.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• YouTubeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouTube serves as a Publishing Partner for Ad Age, with content featuring YouTube creator collaboration awards and insights into video advertising effectiveness.
• Havas MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHavas Media is a Publishing Partner for Ad Age, contributing content on wellness marketing and brand strategies.
• JasperminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJasper serves as a Publishing Partner, providing content on AI marketing and brand influence.
• T-Mobile Advertising SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerT-Mobile Advertising Solutions is a Publishing Partner contributing content on mobile advertising and audience intelligence.
• IABminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) partners with Ad Age for interactive reports celebrating digital advertising innovation.
• Amazon AdsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon Ads is a Publishing Partner for Ad Age, contributing white papers and interactive reports on advertising benchmarks.
• BIScienceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBIScience sponsors Ad Age webcasts on media shifts and advertising intelligence topics.
• CMI MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCMI Media sponsors Ad Age webcasts on AI in healthcare advertising and marketing topics.
• XumominorGTM or Marketing PartnerXumo is a Publishing Partner contributing Custom Conversation video content on FAST and streaming topics.
• RankscaleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRankscale is a Publishing Partner covering AI commerce and generative engine optimization topics.
• .MonksminorGTM or Marketing Partner.Monks is a Publishing Partner contributing content on immersive brand experiences and national pride marketing.
• Comcast AdvertisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerComcast Advertising is a Publishing Partner for content on political advertising and media trends.
• CluepminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCluep is a Publishing Partner contributing content on AI in healthcare advertising.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adweek: Adweek is the closest direct peer: a long-running US trade publication covering advertising, marketing, and media with news, events, podcasts, and awards. Both publications compete for the same CMO and agency readership and run overlapping flagship coverage of Cannes Lions and major industry moments.
• Digiday: Digiday is a digital-first trade media company covering the digital media, advertising, and marketing industries with news, research, and events. Comparable in audience (publishers, agencies, brands) and in monetizing via advertising, sponsored content, and premium research like Digiday+ and the Digiday Awards.
• Campaign (Haymarket): Campaign is a global advertising trade publication under Haymarket, with regional editions including Campaign US. It directly competes with Ad Age for agency and brand marketing readership and runs similar awards (Campaign Awards) and event coverage.
• The Drum: The Drum is a global trade publication focused on marketing, advertising, and the creative industries with news, features, events (The Drum Awards), and research. Direct overlap with Ad Age's coverage of creativity awards, agency rankings, and CMO strategy.
• MediaPost: MediaPost is a long-running trade publication covering media, marketing, and advertising with daily news, blogs, conferences, and awards. Directly competes with Ad Age across online publications and industry events.
• eMarketer (Insider Intelligence): eMarketer, now part of Insider Intelligence, produces research and forecasts on digital marketing, advertising, and e-commerce. Competes with Ad Age's research/data products (Brand Report, Agency Report, Future of Advertising 2030) for the same analyst and strategist audience.
• PRWeek (Haymarket): PRWeek is a trade publication covering the public relations and communications industry, operated by Haymarket alongside Campaign. Overlaps with Ad Age on the brand communications and agency-of-record coverage; previous employers of current Ad Age staff (e.g., Sabrina Sanchez) confirm the talent crossover.

Emerging players

• Marketing Brew: Marketing Brew is a daily newsletter from the Morning Brew network covering advertising and marketing news. It targets the same professional audience as Ad Age but through a leaner, newsletter-first format that has scaled rapidly; represents the new generation of trade media competing for attention.
• AdExchanger: AdExchanger is a digital advertising trade publication covering programmatic, ad tech, and data-driven marketing. Focused overlap with Ad Age on the digital advertising side and competes for the same agency/buyer audience with deeper specialization.
• Contagious: Contagious is a creative marketing intelligence company producing content, research, and events about innovative brand marketing. Overlaps with Ad Age's creativity coverage and Cannes Lions beat, with a more premium, insights-driven format.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/adage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advertising-age
• Facebookfacebook.com/AdAge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Advertising Age