Best Advertising Agencies in Milan (2026)

Introduction

Milan is the centre of Italian advertising, and the 11 agencies below are the network offices and ad-specialist shops with the clearest recent record there. Most run national campaigns for Italian food, retail, energy and finance brands, and several also lead global accounts from the city.

The past year brought changes to the holding companies behind these offices. Omnicom completed its acquisition of IPG at the end of 2025, and McCann Italia moved under Omnicom Advertising Group, with Daniele Cobianchi becoming president in March 2026 after more than twelve years as CEO. On the awards side, LePub Milan took two Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2026, in Creative Strategy and in Social & Creator. The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics also fed a good deal of 2025 and 2026 work, including campaigns from Ogilvy and Armando Testa.

Every agency here shows a working Milan office, and the list was chosen on 2025 and 2026 work, awards and client rosters. It is unranked, since the right choice depends on your brief, your budget and how you like to work. Independent idea shops sit on our separate list of creative agencies in Milan.

The best advertising agencies in Milan

1. LePub

Publicis Groupe · Central Milan · le.pub

LePub describes itself as an agency model working across data, creativity and technology, and it lists Milan as its headquarters. LePub Milan won two Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2026: “The Pub That Refused To Die” for Heineken in Creative Strategy (with Publicis Dublin), and “Could Have Been a Heineken” in Social & Creator (with LePub São Paulo). In 2025 it accounted for 45 of Italy’s 59 shortlists at Cannes.

Heineken dominates the portfolio, so it is worth asking how much senior time sits outside that account. Other recent work includes Plenitude’s “Dark Mode Ads”, “Olympic Rings Pasta” for CIO and Costa Toscana’s Sanremo cruise for 2027.

2. Ogilvy Italia

WPP · WPP Campus, Via Morimondo · ogilvy.com/it

Ogilvy’s Italian office works from WPP’s Milan campus and carries one of the broadest client lists in the city, weighted towards food and drink. Barilla, Campari Soda, Peroni, S.Pellegrino, Conad and Nutella all appear on its roster, alongside IKEA, KIKO Milano, Allianz and Prime Video.

Recent work includes IKEA’s “Smart anche nel prezzo”, which started in October 2026, and “Benvenuti in Trentino” for Trentino Marketing, tied to Milano Cortina 2026. A film for Neutro Roberts, “The Story of Henry Roberts”, reached the Film Craft shortlist at Cannes in 2025.

3. VML Italy

WPP · WPP Campus, Via Morimondo · vml.com/milan

VML shares the WPP campus with Ogilvy and describes its work as covering the whole customer journey. That breadth suits brands that want advertising and customer experience under one agency.

In October 2026 it launched “History of Beards” for King C. Gillette, and it presented “Viaggiare in Italia, viaggiando nel tempo” for Gruppo FS at the Festa del Cinema di Roma. “The Peeing People”, a bladder cancer awareness project for Merck, made the Pharma shortlist at Cannes in 2025.

4. Havas Milan

Havas · Central Milan · it.havas.com

Havas Milan is one of the creative agencies in Havas’s Italian network, which gives Via Crocefisso as its Milan address. Sister companies include Havas PR, Havas CX, Havas Life Milan and the media units Havas Media and Havas Play, so creative and media can be bought from one group.

A recent national campaign is “Brodino a chi?” for Star, from GBfoods, which started in October 2026. Case studies on the Italian site cover Danone, Reckitt’s Finish, Q8, TIM Enterprise, Telepass Business and Juventus, though these span the whole network, so ask which unit handled the work you like.

5. BBDO Italia

Omnicom · Via Spadolini · bbdo.it

BBDO Italia trades through DLVBBDO S.p.A. and sits within Omnicom Advertising Italy, with Verba, Bernbach and Catorce shown alongside it on its site. Its Bennet work for reading promotion has been a steady source of recognition: “Good to Read Packs” reached the Design shortlist at Cannes in 2025 under DDB Group Italy, and the agency cites ADCI Awards wins for the account, including a Gran Prix.

It won the CoopVoce creative pitch and launched the brand’s new positioning, “Meno pensieri, più CoopVoce”, in July 2026. Bennet’s “Frozen Books” followed in September, and E.ON’s “È l’ora per te” ran from October. ITALO, ace and ADMO are also on the roster.

6. McCann Italia

Omnicom · Milan · mccann.it

McCann Italia came under Omnicom Advertising Group following the IPG deal. Daniele Cobianchi, CEO since 2014, became president in March 2026 and stepped back from day-to-day operations, so it is sensible to ask who now leads your account.

The Italian office has had a busy autumn. It created a new brand positioning for Cooperativa Latte Arborea and campaigns for Schär and Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma, while McCann Content Studios won Lotus Car Italia’s social channels and made “The Pro Cup” for Purina Pro Plan. Its October 2026 study “The Truth About Global Brands” found that 61% of Italians have lost trust in brands and stopped buying from them.

7. Serviceplan Italia

Serviceplan Group · Via Roncaglia · serviceplan.it

Serviceplan Italia was founded in 2012 and lists 56 staff, led by CEO and CCO Stefania Siani and general manager Ilaria Mosca. It sits in the House of Communication in Milan with Mediaplus for media, Plan.Net for digital, Make for production and Neverest for video, which makes it one of the more integrated mid-sized options.

Recent work includes the BMW Serie 1 campaign with Rose Villain, “Ear Plugs” for Jägermeister and Valsoia’s Diete.Tic, all from October 2026. Earlier in the year came Grana Padano’s “LOVE”, Pinalli’s “Sei meraviglia” and Deichmann’s “Made for Italy”. “Her Name In The Game” for AC Milan made the Media and PR shortlists at Cannes in 2025.

8. Armando Testa

Italian group, Turin headquarters · Via Washington · armandotesta.it

Founded in 1946, Armando Testa is based in Turin and runs a direct office in Milan, with a further one in Los Angeles. It is known for long client relationships, some running beyond 45 years, and its roster includes Lavazza, Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Pan di Stelle, Esselunga, Stellantis and Giorgio Armani.

Pernigotti awarded it a new campaign in June 2026, launching in the autumn, and it created MediaWorld’s 35th anniversary campaign “Let’s Wow!”. It also worked on Esselunga’s Milano Cortina 2026 activity, and board member Nicola Belli describes telling the stories of great Italian brands as the agency’s main interest.

9. M+C Saatchi Group Europe

M+C Saatchi Group · Viale Monte Nero · mcsaatchi.com/europe

M+C Saatchi’s European group has a Milan office on Viale Monte Nero, and its featured work spans several European markets. The clients it features include BMW, Ferrero’s Kinder Riegel, Lidl, adidas, Porsche, De’Longhi, Geox and UEFA.

In Italy this autumn it ran “Cambiamo Prospettiva” for BMW Italia and “Riparti da Kruk” for Kruk, the latter from October 2026. It suits brands that want one team across several European markets.

10. Dentsu Creative Italy

Dentsu · Via Benigno Crespi · dentsu.com/it

Dentsu Creative Italy occupies two floors of the dentsu house on Via Benigno Crespi and works closely with Carat, dentsu X, iProspect and Merkle. Its approach, called Creativity++, adds specialist units for design, fashion, branded entertainment, sport and gaming, and Riccardo Fregoso is chief creative officer for Southern Europe, MENA and Turkey.

Lamborghini is a prominent account, with the global “Driven by Dreams” campaign launched in January 2026 and “Living Twice” later in the year. It also has a strong record around Sanremo, including five 15-second Spotify spots shown across the festival’s five nights. “Bloombeats” for Spotify Italy made the Design shortlist at Cannes in 2025.

11. Cernuto Pizzigoni & Partners

Gruppo Eprcomunicazione · Via Larga, central Milan · cernutopizzigoni.com

Cernuto Pizzigoni & Partners, or CP&P, is an ad-specialist shop founded in 2009 by Aldo Cernuto, Roberto Pizzigoni and Barbara Arioli. It joined Gruppo Eprcomunicazione, a benefit company listed on Euronext Growth Milan, in July 2025, and Luca Oliverio is CEO.

Clients include Autotorino, Autostrade per l’Italia, Tecnomat and Viega. Its road-safety campaign for Autostrade, “La strada è il filo che ci lega a ciò che amiamo”, and a B2B campaign for Tecnomat built around a sandwich both date from 2024, so ask to see newer work.

What to look for in a Milan advertising agency

Start with the shape of the group behind the office. Milan’s network agencies now sit under a small number of holding companies, and WPP houses Ogilvy and VML on one campus. That can make it easy to combine creative, media and production, though campaigns often split them: Leo’s McDonald’s work in 2026 ran with OMD for planning, and McCann’s Prosciutto di Parma work with UM. Ask which parts of the job stay in-house.

Look at where the agency’s strength lies by sector. Food, retail and banking make up much of Milan’s national advertising, and agencies such as Armando Testa and Ogilvy have long rosters in those categories. Fashion, luxury and automotive tend to bring more global work, as with Dentsu Creative and Lamborghini. If your brand sells across Europe, check whether the Milan team leads the account or adapts work from another office.

Check who will work on your account, by name. McCann Italia’s leadership changed in 2026, and some senior creatives in Milan hold wider regional roles, as at Dentsu Creative. The people presenting at the pitch should be the people running the work, and it is reasonable to ask how much of their time you will get.

Finally, ask about the production chain. A national campaign usually means TV and connected TV cuts, social formats, out-of-home artwork and retail assets, often with talent and usage rights attached. Versions multiply quickly across the agency, production company and client teams. An agency with a clear review process, and one place where clients can find the latest cut, will save time on every round.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best advertising agency in Milan?

There is no single answer, as the right agency depends on the brief. On 2026 awards, LePub Milan leads clearly, with two Grand Prix at Cannes Lions. For national Italian campaigns, Ogilvy Italia, BBDO Italia, McCann Italia and Armando Testa all have long client rosters and recent work on air.

What happened to Publicis Italia?

The publicis.it domain now redirects to LePub, whose legal address is Via Bernina 34, the building Publicis Italia moved into in 2015. LePub is the Publicis Groupe agency on this list.

What happened to McCann in Italy after Omnicom bought IPG?

McCann Italia continues to trade under the McCann name, under the governance of Omnicom Advertising Group. Daniele Cobianchi moved from CEO to president in March 2026 to support the transition, and the agency has kept launching Italian campaigns through autumn 2026.

What is the difference between an advertising agency and a creative agency in Milan?

The two overlap, and this list covers network offices and ad-specialist shops running large campaigns with production and media attached. Independent idea-led shops are on our list of the best creative agencies in Milan. If you mainly need performance or full-funnel work, see marketing agencies in Milan.

Which Milan agencies worked on Milano Cortina 2026?

Two on this list show it directly in their work: Ogilvy Italia made “Benvenuti in Trentino” for Trentino Marketing, and Armando Testa worked on Esselunga’s Milano Cortina 2026 activity.

Related lists

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