Iris
Iris is a London-headquartered integrated creative agency and subsidiary of Cheil Worldwide, employing 600+ specialists across 11 global offices to deliver strategy, creative, PR, social, experiential, performance marketing, data analytics and healthcare marketing services to multinational enterprise clients including Samsung, adidas, Unilever and L'Oréal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Iris does
Iris is a global integrated creative agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in London, operating as a privately-held subsidiary of Cheil Worldwide, the world's 10th-largest agency network. The firm employs over 600 people across 11 offices spanning the UK, US, Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, Brazil, India, Singapore and Indonesia, organized as an integrated "MicroNetwork" under the "Participate or Perish" creative philosophy. Iris delivers six core service disciplines: Integrated Creative, PR/Social & Influencer, Partnerships & Experiential, CRO/Pricing/Data & Analytics, Performance Marketing, and a specialist Healthcare vertical branded as Iris Health. Underlying capabilities include marketing intelligence dashboards, media mix modeling, social and influencer analytics, and an emerging AI and machine-learning practice led by dedicated senior hires in London and Boston, though no proprietary AI models or patents are disclosed.
The agency's customer base is concentrated among large multinational enterprise brands, including Samsung, adidas, abrdn, Unilever, L'Oréal, Bayer, Beiersdorf, Alcon, Pizza Hut and California Pizza Kitchen, with additional non-profit engagements (Stamma, YES! Charity) and technology clients such as World ID. Services are delivered through multi-year enterprise engagements with custom pricing based on scope, team size and campaign requirements — no standard pricing tiers are publicly disclosed. GTM motion is direct enterprise field sales supplemented by regional office-led business development, with new business managed via a dedicated centralized inbox.
Iris generates revenue through professional services fees spanning project work, retainers and performance-based engagements, with pricing tailored to client scope rather than standardized product offerings. The Iris Health sub-brand and Iris Pricing Solutions (Toronto-based) represent dedicated vertical offerings, while broader geographic expansion has been concentrated in Asia-Pacific through the Singapore, Jakarta and Delhi offices. The company maintains an active awards program, with 2024-2025 recognition across Epica, Effie, Creative Circle, MARKies, Hashtag Asia, Citra Pariwara, Dragons of Asia, and Indian Marketing Awards, supporting brand credibility in new business development. The March 2025 departure of founder Ian Millner after 26 years, with continuation in a global advisory capacity, marks a generational leadership transition while operational momentum has been sustained.
Iris firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Iris
- Legal name
- Iris Nation Worldwide Limited
- Website
- https://iris-worldwide.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Iris is a London-headquartered integrated creative agency and subsidiary of Cheil Worldwide, employing 600+ specialists across 11 global offices to deliver strategy, creative, PR, social, experiential, performance marketing, data analytics and healthcare marketing services to multinational enterprise clients including Samsung, adidas, Unilever and L'Oréal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Iris industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Integrated Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Brand Campaign & Integrated Communications Agencies (MPAAAAAC), Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO)
Keywords
Where Iris is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices11 records
Markets served
Iris business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Integrated Marketing Services: Full-service integrated creative agency providing strategy, creative, social, PR, experiential, data analytics, and performance marketing services. Revenue generated through project fees, retainer agreements, and performance-based engagements with enterprise and mid-market clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise custom engagements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Iris product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Iris is a global integrated creative marketing agency operating as a "MicroNetwork" of 11 offices across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. It sells integrated marketing services spanning creative campaign development, PR, social and influencer marketing, partnerships and experiential activations, performance marketing (PPC, SEO, programmatic), CRO/data/analytics, pricing research, and a specialist healthcare vertical serving pharma, med-tech, and wellness brands.
Product overview
Iris is a global integrated creative agency structured as a MicroNetwork — a coordinated multi-office network of specialists — offering six core service disciplines: Integrated Creative, PR/Social & Influencer, Partnerships & Experiential, CRO/Pricing/Data & Analytics, Performance Marketing, and a specialist Healthcare vertical. These services are delivered across 11 global office locations spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, with a shared "Participate or Perish" creative philosophy. The agency also operates a specialist Pricing Solutions practice from its Toronto office. Beyond retained service work, Iris produces named campaign products for clients including Samsung (e.g., Unmissable Moments, Hidden Allegiances, The Spooky Drop), Pizza Hut (Vertical Pizza Box), California Pizza Kitchen (40th anniversary campaign), World ID (BotBoard and Real World Captchas), Stamma (Don't Hang Up campaign), and YES! Charity (The Good Fight).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Iris Health: Healthcare marketing division of Iris that specializes in connecting brands, HCPs and patients through participative thinking that delivers real health impact.
Products and services
- Integrated Creative
Quantifiable outcome
- 10,000% increase in social shares on Instagram for California Pizza Kitchen 40th anniversary campaign
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Iris
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Iris technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Iris partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Cheil WorldwidecoreIris is part of Cheil Worldwide, the world's 10th biggest agency company. This partnership extends Iris's global reach to a network of 55 offices worldwide while maintaining independent agency operations.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Iris competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Anomaly: Independent integrated creative agency with offices in NYC, London, LA, Toronto, Shanghai, and Berlin. Closely comparable to Iris's MicroNetwork model — full-service creative, strategy, and digital delivered by integrated teams for enterprise brands.
- 72andSunny: Independent integrated creative agency with offices in LA, NYC, Amsterdam, and Sydney. Closely comparable to Iris on mid-sized global model, integrated creative + culture-led work, and enterprise brand roster (Google, REI, Activision).
- Droga5 (Accenture Song): Award-winning integrated creative agency now part of Accenture Song, serving global enterprise brands including Samsung, adidas, and Google. Direct competitor to Iris on integrated creative pitches and Samsung/adidas-related mandates.
- Mother London: Independent integrated creative agency headquartered in London with global offices. Directly comparable to Iris in model — full-service integrated creative, healthcare optionality, and similar mid-sized global footprint competing for the same enterprise mandates.
- Wieden+Kennedy: Independent integrated creative agency with global offices (Portland, NYC, London, Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai). Direct competitor on integrated creative mandates and global brand storytelling, with a similarly independent operating model.
Broad incumbents
- Accenture Song: Global experience and marketing services arm of Accenture, encompassing Droga5 and other creative shops. Broader incumbent competing for the same enterprise transformation-and-marketing mandates that Iris pitches, but at vastly larger scale.
- Dentsu Creative: Global creative network within Dentsu International, providing integrated creative, experience, and CX services. Broad incumbent with comparable integrated service model and enterprise client roster, competing in pitches especially across APAC.
- McCann Worldgroup: Global integrated marketing communications network within IPG, with full-service creative, PR, healthcare, and performance capabilities. Broad incumbent overlapping Iris's integrated services and healthcare vertical (McCann Health) at significantly greater scale.
- Ogilvy: Global integrated creative, PR, and experience network within WPP. Broad incumbent with overlapping integrated services, healthcare (Ogilvy Health), and performance marketing — competing for the same enterprise brand rosters.
Regional players
- Clemenger BBDO: Australia/NZ integrated creative agency network within Omnicom, where Iris's new Director of Innovation previously led AI/ML integration. Comparable on integrated creative services and is the source of Iris's AI talent — illustrates cross-pollination with Iris's AI capability build-out.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks3 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Iris social profiles
Digital presenceIris financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Iris leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Iris subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries9 records
Iris funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Iris M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Iris
What does Iris do?
Iris is a global integrated creative marketing agency operating as a "MicroNetwork" of 11 offices across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. It sells integrated marketing services spanning creative campaign development, PR, social and influencer marketing, partnerships and experiential activations, performance marketing (PPC, SEO, programmatic), CRO/data/analytics, pricing research, and a specialist healthcare vertical serving pharma, med-tech, and wellness brands.
Is Iris a public or private company?
Iris is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Iris founded?
Iris was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Iris based?
Iris is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Iris make money?
One revenue line is on record: integrated Marketing Services.
Who are Iris's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Anomaly, 72andSunny, Droga5 (Accenture Song), Mother London and Wieden+Kennedy. Broad incumbents are Accenture Song, Dentsu Creative, McCann Worldgroup and Ogilvy. Clemenger BBDO is listed as a regional player.
Does Iris have an API?
No public API is recorded for Iris.
What industry is Iris in?
Iris's product category is Integrated Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAA, Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies, with a secondary code of MPAAAAAC, Brand Campaign & Integrated Communications Agencies. Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.