Activities Hobbies Ad Agency Names Have Undergone a Transformation Print Westend61 / Getty Images Hobbies Contests Couponing Freebies Frugal Living Fine Arts & Crafts Astrology Card Games & Gambling Cars & Motorcycles Playing Music Learn More By Paul Suggett Paul Suggett Creative Director, Copywriter DeMontfort University Paul Suggett has over 20 years of experience as a copywriter and creative director in advertising. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 08/11/19 It's surprising to think that in an industry that makes its bread and butter with creativity and originality, advertising agencies are home to some of the most boring company names on the planet. It's fair to say that only law firms rival this completely uninspired approach to naming. It's been said that self-promotion is one of the hardest things for any agency to do and do well, and that is clearly evidenced by the bland and banal name choices being made. The formula, at least for the last 60 to 70 years, appears to be: founder surname 1 + founder surname 2 = agency name. This is modified to become a laundry list of partners as they join the company, or are promoted. The Biggest Players Have The Most Boring Names Take a look at the top 25 advertising agencies around the world in 2016, listed by revenue. These are the big-name ad agencies with blue-chip clients. WPP Group, LondonOmnicom Group, NY CityPublicis Groupe S.A., ParisInterpublic Group of Cos., NY CityDentsu, TokyoAccenture's Accenture Interactive, New YorkPwC's PwC Digital Services, New YorkIBM Corp.'s IBM iX, Armonk, New YorkDeloitte's Deloitte Digital, New YorkHavas, FranceHakuhodo DY Holdings TokyoAlliance Data Systems Corp.'s Epsilon, TexasBlueFocus Communication Group, BeijingMDC Partners, New YorkDJE Holdings, ChicagoAcxiom Corp., ArkansasCheil Worldwide, South KoreaExperian's Experian Marketing Services, New YorkAdvantage Solutions' Advantage Marketing Partners, CaliforniaMC Group, BerlinEngine Group, LondonAsatru-DK, TokyoFreeman, TexasAcosta's Mosaic, TexasAimia, Canada And here is a list of other agencies that make big money, year after year: Havas Suresnes, FranceAegis Group, LondonSapient Cambridge, MassachusettsaQuantive, SeattleAspen Marketing Services, West Chicago, IllinoisCheil Communications, SeoulMonster Worldwide, NY CityWB Doner & Company Southfield, MichiganCossette Communication Group, Quebec CityRichards Group, DallasBartle Bogle Hegarty, LondonM&C Saatchi, LondonChime Communications PLC, LondonMerkle Lanham, MarylandWeiden+Kennedy Portland, OregonRPA, Santa MonicaCramer-Krasselt, ChicagoTBWA Worldwide, New YorkJ. Walter Thompson, New YorkWunderman, New YorkY&R, New YorkWeber Chandwick, New YorkEdelman, Chicago Still awake? Congratulations. To anyone other than shareholders in these firms, the names are about as memorable and exciting as a cold bowl of porridge. With one exception (Engine Group), It's just a laundry list of boring acronyms, dull suffixes and blatant attempts to raise the egos of the founders. An agency as creative as Bartle Bogle Hegarty, for instance, may not get very far today with such an average and forgettable moniker. In fact, for an agency that used to have "words are a barrier to communication" as its screensaver, it sure did put a lot of them in the company name. Wouldn't something more creative, and short, have been better? Something that illustrated the creative nature of the agency, which is very creative. But it seems to have been the case, in the sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties, for agencies to go with the standard "names above the door" approach. Even the best agencies ever to grace the industry, including Doyle Dane Bernbach, Ogilvy & Mather, and TBWA, all suffered from "I want to be famous!" syndrome. This is a classic example of ego trumping the greater good. In any situation where names make up the title of an agency or business, it's inevitable that someone will leave and someone else will join, or get promoted. It's why you end up with ridiculous agency names like AMVBBDO. Seriously, that's just a meaningless jumble of letters to most people. If you have a more conceptual name, none of that matters. And modern agencies know this all too well. That Was Then. This is Now. (Thankfully.) More and more agencies are starting to come around to a more creative way of thinking. Solid, memorable and creative agency names that currently populate the industry include: 72 And SunnyStrawberry FrogTaxiWexley School for GirlsBig SpaceshipThe BankPocket HerculesKids Love JetlagOmeletDavid & GoliathWalrusMotherMoosylvaniaCreatureBlammo WorldwideThe Glue SocietyFarmBonehookCatapultHugeMosaicOrganicZenithCactusCritical Mass The difference between the two lists is night and day. While one, the former, looks more at home at a boring fundraiser for lawyers, the other is an exciting collection of agencies that conjure a story beyond the name. Take Blammo Worldwide as a prime example. They clearly have a sense of humor, an easy-going approach, but also relate that they'll have an impact. Imagine if they had instead gone with the surnames of the four major players in the agency – McNab, Gee, Simon, and Emslie. Would that even have garnered a second look? Perhaps in their day, clients wanted a sense of structure and a solid foundation from their ad agencies, and so "name soup" was a good choice to attract clientele. It's worth noting that one of the most creative agencies that have ever existed, Doyle Dane Bernbach, was "name soup." These days, it seems that the new kids on the block are looking at things a little differently. Sure, they're not in the top 25, and probably never will be considering the considerable size, history, and billings of their much higher paid competitors. But with agencies like Mother and Taxi making big waves, they should not be surprised to see themselves nipping at the heels of the big boys. So, in the interests of keeping this industry fresh and "proving it rather than saying it," here's a challenge to 24 of those 25 top agencies – rename yourself. It doesn't have to take a long time, or even mean anything.