Agency guides

The 27 Best Small Advertising Agencies in NYC

New York is the center of talent and inspiration for advertising, design, and web development. You can find the best and most creative ad agencies widespread throughout the city.

Whatagraph marketing reporting tool
Indrė Jankutė-Carmaciu

Nov 08 2019 12 min read

Best Small Advertising Agencies in NYC

Table of Contents

  • 1. Ruckus
  • 2. Harper+Scott
  • 3. thelab
  • 4. Postlight
  • 5. Metric Theory
  • 6. Fearless Media
  • 7. Great Believer
  • 9. EdgeDNA
  • 10. Listen
  • 11. The Mobile Media Lab
  • 12. Expand The Room
  • 13. BBMG
  • 14. The Gate NY
  • 15. Open Moves
  • 16. Agency 212
  • 17. Wishbone-ITP
  • 18. Biolumina
  • 19. J.Walter Thompson INSIDE
  • 20. True North Incorporated
  • 21. Quinn Fable Advertising Inc
  • 22. Marke Communications
  • 23. Moburst
  • 24. Momentum Design Lab
  • 25. Maxburst
  • 26. Bigbuzz Marketing Group
  • 27. All Points Digital

They create cutting-edge work to improve the visibility of their clients, using numerous unique techniques.

You’ll be surprised how many of them are actually small advertising agencies in NYC that are doing so great that they are beating agencies with offices in more countries than they have people.

Here’s a list of the top advertising agencies in NYC featuring a brief analysis and commentary on their USPs and success strategies. We’ve taken a wide range of criteria into consideration when compiling the list to help you find the best partner to achieve your business goals.

1. Ruckus

Ruckus website

This full-service agency works with inspired companies, game-changing brands, and NYC Influencer marketing agencies. The platform design, branding, and campaign work of this creative and marketing agency have pushed many blue-chip enterprises and early-stage startups.

The focus of this agency is not subjective design and certainly not just fluffy deliverables. Clients say that working with Ruckus is like working with true partners.

Some of their clients include:
Admiral Capital Group, Acoustic Tailor, American Exchange, iTouch Wearables, Racket, and OWL.

2. Harper+Scott

This creative marketing agency focuses on retail/consumer products, gifts with purchase, promotional products and premiums, employee gifts and rewards, packaging, and more.

The staff specializes in the design and manufacturing of branded merchandise. Harper + Scott helps brands improve marketing ROI by being involved in every step of the process, from ideation to manufacturing.

The agency helps many companies to leave a lasting impression on employees and customers.

Some of their most impressive clients include:
Google, eBay, Delta, Sephora, MAC, Twitter, Netflix, American Express, Pepsico, Nike, Adidas, Pandora, and GM.

3. thelab

theLab agency

The marketing agency called thelab is to help brands work better by solving production, creative, and technology challenges.

They do social strategy, brand content, video production, integrated campaigns, 2D/3D animation, mobile app development, and full-stack engineering.

Some of their clients include:
Comedy Central, LensCrafters, Cadillac, Google, Brookline, Tempur-Pedic, and Michael Kors.

4. Postlight

Postlight agency

Postlight may be a small studio, but it’s definitely a mighty one. The creative technologists' teams provide the clients with new advances in product design, platform architecture, software engineering, and product strategy.

Their motto is ship code on time and does not compromise quality.

Clients of Postlight include:
The Players’ Tribune, VICE Media, Goldman Sachs, Barnes & Noble, and Bloomberg Media.

5. Metric Theory

Metric Theory agency

The agency’s staff consists of industry veterans who provide technology-enhanced PPC, display advertising services, search engine marketing, mobile app advertising, CRM data integration, and social media Ad services to their clients.

Some of their clients include:
Five 9, The Walking Company, Medical Guardian, Carvana, Zebra, Marley, Lexis Nexis, and Ben Bridge.

6. Fearless Media

Fearless Media agency

The small but creative team of this agency helps companies to turbo-charge their marketing strategy and creative execution.

They take a fully integrated approach to planning and innovation, and strategy.

Some of their projects include:
Fortnite, Fallout 4, Redbox, and The Assemblage.

The agency’s amazing work has won awards from:
Davey Awards, Entrepreneur Magazine, Game Marketing Summit, Media Post, etc.

7. Great Believer

Great Believer

This agency works only with non-profit clients, specializing in branding, web design, print, copywriting, and strategy.

So far, they’ve worked with some great organizations such as:
Sanctuary for Families, Animal Medical Center, The Fresh Air Fund, Hillel International, and Make the Road New York.

Their clients include:
the NYC Department of Education and Point Foundation, Mount Sinai, and Robin Hood.

8. Project X

This agency's expert team launches Out-of-Home ad campaigns using its industry-leading technology platform to bring a brand story to life in the real world.

The agency uses autonomy and advanced tools to deliver high-quality strategy and service to clients such as:
PUMA, Glossier, Everlane, Kraken, Express, Herschel, Michelin, and The Wing.

9. EdgeDNA

EdgeDNA

This agency strategizes, develops, and executes marketing programs via social media, voice, chat, and other consumer conversation channels to gather, organize, and train first-party data.

It is built around leveraging emerging technology, technical innovation, and conversational experiences. EdgeDNA works with partners like Amazon Echo, Microsoft, Oculus, Unreal Engine, and Unity to create AR, voice and chat and other technology variables for brands.

Their clients include:
Absolut, Mountain Dew, Nike, Goose Island, American Red Cross, and IKEA.

10. Listen

Listen agency

This agency specializes in helping brands and artists grow through creative applications of music and sound that are culturally relevant.

It brings music libraries, logo mnemonics, brand anthems, voice marketing, UX sound design, podcasts and more to realization for the clients, enabling a unique sensory experience with each activation.

Listen.’s clients include:
Skype, Xbox, Ford, Tinder, Pepsi, Virgin, Microsoft, PayPal, Dolby, Jim Beam, and Chase.

11. The Mobile Media Lab

The Mobile Media Lab

This NYC agency is a real innovator in social media influencing. What this agency does is helping brands grow their online presence and advertise on Instagram.

The network of The Mobile Media Lab includes more than 300 influencers and a number of photographers to capture the essence of the company.

What’s more, the team offers consulting services, strategy, and methods for bringing followers and companies offline.

12. Expand The Room

Expand The Room agency

This may be one of the smallest NYC ad agencies, but its creative team creates different variables from large scale websites to full-blown product development.

They focus on visual design, UX design, strategy, SEM/SEO, custom applications, and information architecture.

This marketing, design, and digital product development agency uses multiple mediums to accomplish big results.

Their clients include:
Madison Square Garden, Royal Caribbean, SITA, American Kennel Club, and NHL.

13. BBMG

BBMG agency

The motto of this brand innovation agency is building brands for humans. It specializes in revealing brand purpose, creating disruptive business solutions and designing amazing brand experiences that help companies and clients drive positive social and environmental impact, and revenue.

The team consists of design thinkers, culture experts, and creative strategists whose goal is to build lasting brands and drive real culture change.

The agency offers consumer insights, brand strategy, copy and art direction, campaign development, growth strategy, etc.

Some of their clients include:
Walmart, Target, Estee Lauder, NBCUniversal, Nike, Disney, Clif Bar, and ASPCA.

14. The Gate NY

The Gate NY agency

This full-service ad agency has a global backing, offering its clients different social, digital, CRM, media, strategy, and creative deliverables.

The agency specializes in technology, sports, and financial industries, helping its clients take their campaigns from name to brand and market.

Their clients include:
iRobot, Marcum, People’s United Bank, Bonobos, NASDAQ, and Con Edison.

15. Open Moves

Open Moves agency

From SEO and PPC to marketing and social automation, the agency’s passionate digital marketers power the perfect combination to grow their clients’ revenue.

They leverage the power of Social Media, SEO, Paid Social, Marketing Automation, and Paid Search working together.

Their key services include email marketing, SEO, social media, and paid search.

Open Moves serve industries like:
Medical & Healthcare, Franchises, Professional Services, eCommerce, Lead Generation, Education, Local, National, International, and Not-for-profits.

16. Agency 212

Agency 212

This NYC advertising agency offers a wide range of services including strategic planning, email marketing, eCommerce, branding, SEM, web analysis and consulting, product placement, event marketing, advertising, promotions, packaging design, marketing, etc.

Theteam's spirited ideas, passionate thinking, and relentless problem-solving help create strategically correct, artistic, and clever work.

Some of their clients are:
Amazon, Viking, General Electric, and Cavit.

17. Wishbone-ITP

This ad agency's goal is to help the public sector and established companies drive operational effectiveness, boost their customer value, and thrive in an evolving world.

The team works together with its clients to digitally transform the way they serve their customers.

Their key services include:
design, brand development, advertising, and strategy.

Some of their clients are:
Novartis, Genzyme, Pfizer, Baxter, and CardioNet.

18. Biolumina

Biolumina agency

This is a full-service agency that delivers solutions for the health-care and pharmaceutical industry.

The team consists of smart and inquisitive people who constantly strive for a deeper knowledge of the market, science, technology, and the customer.

Their goal is to recognize and cultivate the brands’ full potential by raising recognition, driving differentiation, generating growth, and conquering the competition.

19. J.Walter Thompson INSIDE

J.Walter Thompson INSIDE

This agency believes that every company has a great story to share. They help bring that story to life with recruitment advertising solutions, strategic employer branding, workplace culture shaping services, and internal communications.

The agency’s values are curiosity, capability, courage, and collaboration.

20. True North Incorporated

True North Incorporated

This NYC ad agency offers integrated creative, technology, media, and insight services for nonprofits and consumer brands with a human interest.

Their work is all about actionable branding. The agency helps its clients reach their audiences, customers, and donors.

Some of their clients include:
American Mint, Cancer.Net, Lasko, Habitat for Humanity NYC, Disney, City, ASPCA, etc.

21. Quinn Fable Advertising Inc

Quinn Fable Advertising Inc

This agency works with clients that sell services or products to businesses or consumers. Everything they do starts with a well-defined success metric and an effort to improve a brand presence to their target market.

Their key disciplines are technology, strategy, and creative.

22. Marke Communications

Marke Communications

This is a creatively-inspired, strategically-driven, and process-oriented NYC ad agency. They do advertising, strategy, analytics, direct response, social media, digital, web, branding, direct marketing, public relations.

Some of their clients include:
DEVCO, Capital Health System, Avon, APPI, Frontline, American Hull, Friends of Homeless Animals, Aegis, Curran Law, Foundation Fighting Blindness, etc.

23. Moburst

Moburst agency

This agency helps startups and brands grow their mobile business. Their services include strategy, product, app store optimization, creativity, and media.

Some of their impressive clients include:
Uber, Samsung, Google, Discovery, Pfizer, and Reddit.

24. Momentum Design Lab

Momentum Design Lab

This design and development agency specializes in digital transformation, customer experience design, product innovation for SaaS/Enterprise, and consumer web & mobile.

The experienced staff looks at the complete picture of the clients’ enterprise and comes up with solutions that affect how the clients do their business.

Their services include research, product strategy, experience design, and software development.

They work with clients in the financial, healthcare, B2B software, technology, ad/marketing technology, and consumer product industry.

Some of their clients are:
MasterCard, Walmart, Sony, Anthem Blue Cross, Morgan Stanley, Verizon, Logitech, and AETNA.

25. Maxburst

Maxburst

This is a website design and digital marketing agency in NYC that focuses on results-driven and creative web solutions. Their talented programmers, designers, marketing professionals, and project managers keep up with the current web technology trends.

Maxburst is one of the top advertising agencies in NYC that helps its clients promote their brand, provide support, increase profits, and sell products. The agency knows what it takes to run a successful website with over ten years of business experience.

Their services include:
local search marketing, web development (react.js web developers), web design, media buying, social media, SEO, and company identity.

Some of their clients are:
IRA Capital, PNO, Photonics Industries, e-accomplish, Garage Tek, Morrisons Pastry, HGA, Jamaica Bearings Group, Darrelle Revis, and Berdon.

26. Bigbuzz Marketing Group

Bigbuzz Marketing Group

This is a full-service integrated ad agency offering a variety of market-driving services such as media planning, brand strategy and branding, digital audits, content creation and strategy, digital advertising, social media marketing, SEM and SEO, and data-driven analytics and optimization.

The team of creative and highly skilled professionals uses the most effective platforms for social media and advertising to deliver engagement, targeted awareness, and sales.

Some of their clients include:
Nikon, Leviton, Honeywell Home, HP, and Sylvania.

27. All Points Digital

All Points Digital

Last but not least in our list of small advertising agencies in NYS is All Points Digital whose goal is to increase their clients’ ROI and grow their business.

Their services are content marketing, e-Commerce management, search engine marketing, SEO, social media marketing, website development, media, and creativity.

Their clients include:
Brands from all industries, from large-scale to small local businesses.

Published on Nov 08 2019

Whatagraph marketing reporting tool

WRITTEN BY

Indrė Jankutė-Carmaciu

Indrė is a copywriter at Whatagraph with extensive experience in search engine optimization and public relations. She holds a degree in International Relations, while her professional background includes different marketing and advertising niches. She manages to merge marketing strategy and public speaking while educating readers on how to automate their businesses.