Best Advertising Agencies in San Francisco (2026)

Introduction

San Francisco's advertising scene combines a handful of large network offices with a strong group of independents, and the 12 agencies below were chosen for recent work, 2025 and 2026 news, and the strength of their client rosters. Goodby Silverstein & Partners and Venables Bell & Partners remain the best-known names.

The network map has changed over the last two years. BBDO merged its Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas offices into West BBDO in April 2025, and Omnicom then completed its acquisition of IPG at the end of 2025, retiring the DDB, FCB and MullenLowe brands during 2026. At WPP, Grey separated from AKQA in 2025 and moved under the Ogilvy group. Goodby Silverstein & Partners appointed its first chief executive, Sarah Thompson, in September 2025. Eleven, once a familiar independent, merged into Mekanism in 2022.

Every agency here has an active office in San Francisco or the wider Bay Area in 2026. Integrated independents such as Duncan Channon and Optimism BH appear on our creative agencies list instead. The list runs in no fixed order of merit, since the right choice depends on your brief, budget and how you like to work.

The best advertising agencies in San Francisco

1. Goodby Silverstein & Partners

Omnicom · Financial District · goodbysilverstein.com

Goodby Silverstein & Partners was founded in 1983 by Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein and Andy Berlin, and has been part of Omnicom since 1992. It is based on Fremont Street with a second office in New York and employs more than 300 people. In September 2025 it named Sarah Thompson, previously at Droga5, as its first chief executive.

The agency created "Got Milk?" and has a long record with Adobe and Comcast. Recent work includes Xfinity, Doritos, Cheetos and Mountain Dew for PepsiCo, Comcast Business, the Smithsonian's "Unhidden Heroines" and an AI-generated surrealist film for the Dalí Museum.

2. West BBDO

Omnicom · San Francisco · bbdo.com

West BBDO was formed in April 2025, when BBDO combined its Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas offices into one agency of about 175 people under a single P&L. Matt Miller is CEO and chief creative officer and is based in Los Angeles. BBDO became one of Omnicom's three flagship creative networks after the IPG deal, absorbing FCB, and was named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list for 2026.

Recent work includes AT&T's March Madness campaign, Genentech's "Born to Breakthrough" for the company's 50th anniversary, and privacy-focused work for WhatsApp. Teams are spread across three cities, so ask which people will sit in San Francisco.

3. AKQA

WPP · Financial District · akqa.com

AKQA was founded in London in 1994 and has had a San Francisco studio since a 2001 merger with a local agency. It is an autonomous WPP company; founder Ajaz Ahmed stepped down in October 2024, and Baiju Shah became global CEO in July 2025. The San Francisco studio is on Montgomery Street, and the group also owns ArcTouch, an app studio in the city.

AKQA leans towards digital products, experiences and AI-led campaigns. Recent work across the network includes Montblanc's Digital Paper, a UPS app renewal, a nutrition companion for Nestlé and campaigns for Bethesda's Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It suits briefs where the ad and the product experience need to be designed together.

4. Ogilvy

WPP · SoMa · ogilvy.com

Ogilvy's San Francisco office is on 3rd Street in SoMa. The network covers advertising, PR and influence, consulting, health and relationship design, and in 2025 WPP moved Grey under the Ogilvy group, adding another creative brand alongside it.

Global clients include Coca-Cola, IKEA, Dove and Vaseline. The San Francisco office gives tech and consumer brands in the Bay Area local access to that network, including its PR and health practices. Ask which disciplines are staffed locally before a pitch.

5. Pereira O'Dell

Serviceplan Group partner · San Francisco · pereiraodell.com

PJ Pereira and Andrew O'Dell founded the agency in San Francisco, and it still runs its main office on Battery Street, with a second in New York. It is partnered with Germany's Serviceplan Group, which was named Indie Network of the Year. PJ Pereira was a finalist for Creative Technologist of the Year at Ad Age's 2025 A-List and Creativity Awards.

TikTok hired the agency to lead its global creative, and recent work includes "The Ripple Effect" for TikTok, the "Acts of Care" brand platform for Zelle, Basil Hayden bourbon and "Full Bleed", a branded series for Adobe.

6. Venables Bell & Partners

Independent · San Francisco · venablesbell.com

Paul Venables founded the agency in 2001, and it has stayed independent for 25 years under the motto "Honest, Fearless and Independent". Will McGinness is chief creative officer, and Brittni Hutchins was promoted to president in June 2026. Its long run with Audi produced several Super Bowl spots, and REI's #OptOutside remains one of its best-known campaigns.

Current clients include Scout Motors and Chipotle. In 2026 it was named lead creative and strategy agency for Banza and agency of record for PG&E.

7. Camp + King

Independent · Presidio · camp-king.com

Camp + King is a full-service advertising agency based on Mason Street in the Presidio, with a second office in Chicago. It describes itself as a four-time Ad Age Small Agency of the Year and has appeared on Outside magazine's list of the 50 best places to work.

Papa John's has used it as creative agency of record since 2019, including the Shaquille O'Neal campaigns. Other clients include RE/MAX (for which it led a global rebrand), Energizer and the Energizer Bunny, Quicken, Four Roses, UGG, prAna and Grove Collaborative.

8. Erich & Kallman

Independent · San Francisco · erich-kallman.com

Erich & Kallman is an independent agency with offices in San Francisco and Austin, now about ten years old. Ad Age named it Small Agency of the Year in 2024 and listed it as a standout on the 2025 A-List.

The work is mostly comic and built for broadcast and social. Clients include Reese's and Hershey, King's Hawaiian, BuzzBallz, SkinnyPop, Impossible Foods and Great Wolf Lodge.

9. BSSP

Independent · Sausalito · bssp.com

BSSP (Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners) has been based in Sausalito since 1993 and also has staff in New York and Los Angeles. Ad Age named it Small Agency of the Year in 2025.

ESPN is its best-known client, with work including the Emmy-nominated "Sports Forever". It won the California Lottery's $550 million account alongside the media agency Canvas Worldwide, and works with Kikkoman, Rao's Homemade, Wild Planet and Amazon Business.

10. Traction

Independent · San Francisco · tractionco.com

Traction was founded in 2001 by Adam Kleinberg, Paul Giese, Theo Fanning and Michele Turner, and Kleinberg remains CEO. It now calls itself an AI-powered marketing accelerator: a small core team draws on a collective of more than 250 specialists in strategy, design, development, media and martech, and fees are set per sprint rather than as a retainer.

It focuses on launches, repositionings and growth moments for enterprise brands. Clients include Apple, Adobe, Meta, GE HealthCare, HelloFresh and Lenovo, which makes it a natural fit for B2B and technology advertising.

11. Bonfire Labs

Creative studio · Jackson Square · bonfirelabs.com

Bonfire Labs is a full-service creative studio on Pacific Avenue that combines agency thinking with in-house live-action production. Its own line is that it thinks like an agency and acts like a production company. Adobe, Google and Salesforce have worked with it since around 2012.

Recent work includes campaigns for Uber's Women Rider Preference feature, Toast's AI restaurant platform and Mochi Health. It suits tech companies that want product launch films and campaigns made by one team.

12. Gershoni Creative

Independent · San Francisco · gershoni.com

Gil and Amy Gershoni founded the agency about 30 years ago, and it now has offices in San Francisco and Dallas. It is kept deliberately small, covering brand strategy and identity, campaigns, content, experiential and pitch support.

Clients have included Apple, Google, Spotify, Nike, Deloitte and Nespresso. Recent work includes Spotify brand partnership activations and packaging for the skincare brand Seven 8ths.

What to look for in a San Francisco advertising agency

Decide how much scale you need. Network offices such as Goodby Silverstein & Partners, West BBDO, AKQA and Ogilvy bring media buying, production and global reach, which matters for national and multi-market campaigns. Independents such as Venables Bell & Partners, Camp + King and BSSP tend to give clients more senior attention, and several of them have won Ad Age's Small Agency of the Year in recent years.

Ask where the team sits. After the 2025 office mergers, some network accounts in San Francisco are run by teams split across Los Angeles, Dallas or New York. That can work well, but the people in the pitch should be the people on the account, and it is reasonable to ask for that in writing.

Look for experience with your kind of product. Many Bay Area agencies have spent years explaining software, devices and financial products, while others built their names on food, drink and sport. Agencies such as Traction and Bonfire Labs work mostly with technology companies; Erich & Kallman and Camp + King lean towards consumer brands and comedy.

Finally, ask how production and approvals run. Advertising work moves through scripts, animatics, rough cuts, final edits and many sets of stills and cutdowns, often with legal and brand reviewers on the client side. An agency with a clear review process and a single place where clients can find the latest version will lose less time to version confusion.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best advertising agency in San Francisco?

It depends on the brief and the budget. Goodby Silverstein & Partners is the city's best-known network agency, AKQA is strong where advertising meets digital products, and among independents Venables Bell & Partners, BSSP and Erich & Kallman have the strongest recent records, with BSSP and Erich & Kallman named Ad Age Small Agency of the Year in 2025 and 2024.

What happened to BBDO San Francisco?

BBDO merged its San Francisco office with its Los Angeles and Dallas offices in April 2025 to form West BBDO, run as one agency led by Matt Miller. After Omnicom's acquisition of IPG, BBDO also absorbed FCB.

Is Eleven Inc. still operating?

No. Eleven merged into Mekanism in 2022, a few months after Plus Company acquired Mekanism. Mekanism still has a San Francisco office.

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

The terms overlap. On these lists, advertising agencies are network offices and shops built around campaigns and media, while creative agencies are independents and integrated idea shops. For the second group, see the best creative agencies in San Francisco.

Do agencies outside the city count?

Yes. BSSP is based in Sausalito, and agencies in Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville also serve San Francisco clients. Every agency on this list has an office in the city or the wider Bay Area.

Related lists

Advertising agencies in other cities: New York · Los Angeles · London · Chicago · Austin

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