What Folk VML does

Folk VML is the Ireland office of VML, a global creative company formed from the 2023 unification of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R — two of the most-awarded creative agencies in the world. Operating from a single Dublin regional headquarters at 20 Northumberland Road, Ballsbridge, Folk VML is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WPP, the multinational communications holding company, and operates as part of a global network of more than 26,000 people across 150+ offices and 55+ markets.

The firm provides full-service creative advertising, brand strategy, customer experience, commerce, consulting, technology transformation, and data services to enterprise clients across verticals including telecommunications, financial services, retail, government, healthcare, and technology. Its service portfolio spans Brand Experience, Commerce, Customer Experience, Consulting, Technology Transformation, Health, B2B, Apps, CRM, Data, Enterprise Solutions, Influencer Marketing, Intelligence, Connected Media, Web3, Social Media, and Sport/Experiential & Entertainment. The firm also produces proprietary research including The Future 100 (annual trend report), ADAPT (sustainability), and Collision (innovation insights). Underlying capability is described as the interconnectivity of brand experience, customer experience, and commerce capabilities 'powered by deep data, marketing technology, and platform expertise,' though no specific proprietary technology stack or AI systems are disclosed.

Folk VML generates revenue through customized, quote-based professional services engagements with enterprise clients; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supported by the WPP holding-company network, targeting large organizations across multiple verticals. Named enterprise clients include Vodafone (telecommunications), Bank of Ireland (financial services), Lidl (retail), and The National Lottery (government/gaming). The firm asserts that 3 of its clients sit in the top 5 of Ireland's most Emotionally Connected Brands (Red C research) and that it won 6 Effie Awards in 2023 — the most won by one creative agency at the Irish Effies.

Name

Folk VML

Legal name

VML

Website

https://folkvml.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Folk VML is the Ireland office of VML, a global WPP-owned creative company, providing brand strategy, advertising, customer experience, commerce, and digital transformation services to enterprise clients across sectors including telecoms, financial services, retail, and government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Full-service creative agency providing brand experience, customer experience, commerce, consulting, technology transformation, and data services to enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Folk VML is a full-service creative advertising and marketing agency that provides brand experience, customer experience, commerce, consulting, technology transformation, and data services to enterprise clients across verticals such as automotive, financial services, healthcare, retail, technology, telecom, and government. It operates as the Ireland office of VML, a global creative company within the WPP network, and also produces proprietary research including The Future 100, ADAPT, and Collision.

Product overview

Folk VML operates as a creative advertising and marketing agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of service offerings organized around core disciplines including Brand Experience, Commerce, Consulting, Customer Experience (CX), Technology Transformation, Health, B2B, Apps, CRM, Data, Enterprise Solutions, Influencer Marketing, Intelligence, Connected Media, Web3, Social Media, and Sport/Experiential & Entertainment. The agency also produces proprietary research and insights including The Future 100 annual trend report, ADAPT (sustainability research), and Collision (innovation insights). VML is a global creative company formed from the unification of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, connecting a global network of over 26,000 people across 55+ markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Experience Creative brand experience services focused on building emotional connections between brands and consumers for enterprise clients.
• Customer Experience (CX) End-to-end customer experience design and optimization services for enterprise clients.
• Commerce E-commerce and commercial experience solutions helping clients drive retail and commercial outcomes.
• Consulting Strategic consulting services for business transformation and growth initiatives.
• Technology Transformation Technology consulting and digital transformation services for enterprise clients.
• Health Specialized marketing and communication services for healthcare and pharmaceutical clients.
• B2B Marketing Business-to-business marketing and communications services.
• Apps Mobile and web application development services.
• CRM Customer relationship management strategy and implementation services.
• Data Data analytics and intelligence services to inform marketing and business decisions.
• Enterprise Solutions Large-scale enterprise marketing and technology solutions.
• Influencer Marketing Influencer partnership and creator economy services.
• Intelligence Market research and intelligence gathering services.
• Connected Media Integrated media planning and buying services.
• Web3 Blockchain, NFT and decentralized technology services.
• Social Media Social media strategy, content creation and community management services.
• Sport, Experiential & Entertainment Sports marketing, experiential activations and entertainment industry services.
• The Future 100: 2026 Annual trend report and research publication covering cultural, consumer, and brand innovation trends for 2026.
• ADAPT Sustainability-focused research and insight initiative exploring sustainable growth strategies.
• Collision Research and insight program focused on innovation and digital transformation topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 of their clients make the top 5 of Ireland's most Emotionally Connected Brands
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mother London: Independent creative agency headquartered in London serving global enterprise brands. Direct peer comparable on creative-led brand campaign work, though smaller and without the data/technology transformation stack that VML brings through its parent.
• Droga5 Dublin / Accenture Song Ireland: Accenture Song (formerly Droga5) operates creative and customer-experience capabilities in Ireland serving enterprise clients. Comparable as a creative-led, technology-integrated agency competing for the same brand experience and transformation mandates in the Irish market.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Independent global creative agency known for award-winning brand campaigns for enterprise clients. Direct creative peer comparable to VML's brand experience capabilities, though without the same commerce/CX/technology transformation breadth.
• Rothco: Leading independent Irish creative advertising agency headquartered in Dublin. Directly comparable to Folk VML as a Dublin-based creative shop competing for the same enterprise clients (Vodafone, Bank of Ireland, Lidl) across brand campaigns and integrated creative work.

Broad incumbents

• BBDO Dublin: Omnicom-owned BBDO network operates creative agency services in Ireland. Broad incumbent peer competing for the same enterprise brand experience and advertising mandates through a competing global holding company structure.
• Havas Dublin: Havas Ireland operates as part of Havas Creative Network within Havas Group. Broad incumbent peer providing creative, media, and brand experience services to enterprise clients across multiple verticals in Ireland.
• TBWA\Ireland: TBWA\Ireland is the local arm of Omnicom's TBWA global creative network. Broad incumbent peer offering creative advertising and brand strategy services to enterprise clients in the Irish market, overlapping with Folk VML on brand campaign work.
• Ogilvy Ireland: WPP sister agency under the same parent as Folk VML, offering advertising, PR, and brand experience services globally and in Ireland. A broader incumbent peer given overlapping capabilities and shared WPP infrastructure, though operating as a separate brand and network within the holding company.
• Publicis Dublin / Digitas Ireland: Publicis Groupe operates its creative and digital agencies in Ireland, competing for similar enterprise brand and digital transformation work. A broad incumbent peer offering comparable integrated creative, commerce, and CX capabilities through a competing global holding company.

Emerging players

• MediaMonks / S4 Capital Ireland: S4 Capital's MediaMonks is a digital-first content and creative agency operating in Ireland. Emerging peer offering overlapping digital creative, content production, and brand experience services targeting the same enterprise marketing budgets with a digitally-native operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/folk-vml

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Folk VML