15 Top Social Media Agencies
In the last month I have had 6 separate conversations with peers surrounding the question “What is a social media agency?”
There are several types of social media companies out there. Some are research focused, or software heavy, or app developers, or monitoring services. Some are purely extending the PR battle plan to a new medium.
The social media agency is one that can grasp all these segments and help companies extend their brand and marketing through training, long term strategy, and execution.
For the purpose of this list, I have focused on companies who mostly do social media. There are many companies making social media a piece of what they offer. These companies are the top ones focusing on social media.
As Armano points out “What McKinsey would offer in SM would be very different than Crayon”. Since almost every company would almost be it’s own category, I am avoiding the categories for now. Perhaps in future lists we can add some delineation.
Advanced Guard of CC Chapman fame. Acquired by Campfire, which may not fall into our criteria of a “social media agency” but now has some major talent in the arena.
Altimeter Group, of Charlene Li and more recently Jeremiah Owyang fame, “provides thought leadership, research, and consulting on digital strategies, with a core focus on how companies can leverage social and emerging technologies.”
Ant’s Eye View “At Ant’s Eye View we concentrate on helping companies of all sizes understand and engage in customer collaboration, social media, and community building.” Clients include Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, Dr Pepper, and Maker’s Mark. [added per @TShelton]
The Conversation Group “The Conversation Group is a global consultancy broadly dedicated to the art, science, and practical application of social technologies. We’re enabling organizations around the world to radically scale their ability to discover, engage and collaborate with their constituencies, both inside and outside the enterprise.” [added per @PeterKim]
>carrot creative “is a new-media marketing agency located in DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY specializing in social media marketing and user experience design. We have the unique ability to take a project from the initial ideation stages to full scale application development all under one roof.”
Collective Bias “The Wisdom of Connected Crowds – this is CollectiveBias, a partnership between us, consumers, brands, & retailers.” CollectiveBias, of John Andrews, @GeekMommy and Walmart Moms fame, is a new social media company underneath the MARS Advertising umbrella.
Crayon, of Joseph Jaffe fame, “is a strategic consultancy that helps its clients achieve positive change and impact by joining the conversation.”
Dachis Group, of Jeff Dachis, Peter Kim, and David Armano fame, “was created to unlock the value of social technologies for large corporate enterprises through its Social Business Design global advisory practice and technology implementation program.” Dachis has $50 million in funding from Austin Ventures and recently purchased London/Sydney based Headshift.
Ignite is “the Original Social Media Agency ®. We’ve combined content developers, technologists, and social media strategists to form the Ignite team. Together, we keep up with trends, filter the noise, and help companies like yours put social media to work.”
the Kbuzz “is a Word of Mouth Marketing firm that creates and sustains buzz through word of mouth and social media marketing.”
New Marketing Labs, of Chris Brogan and Justin Levy fame, “is dedicated to solving your online marketing and social media challenges. They approach this in two ways, events and education (see Inbound Marketing Summit) and through guiding you and pitching in as a social media marketing agency.”
Mullen “is a social media agency rooted in strategy, public relations and a belief that creativity is as important as community. Social agency of record for Panera, Olympus, Grain Foods Foundation, Stanley, Stop and Shop and others.”
Shift Communications “is a fast-growing, national agency that lives at the intersection of Influencer Relations & Social Media. We measure our performance according to the impact that we have on driving your business forward.”
Social Media Group “Highly respected independent social media shop, delivering results as Ford’s social media agency since 2007, clients include SAP, Yamaha, ING & govt. One of the world’s largest independent agencies devoted exclusively to helping companies navigate the new socially engaged web.”
Undercurrent “is a think tank based in NYC that provides digitally-focused strategic planning, ideation, measurement, training, and advisement to global brands ready to engage a new generation of human beings that were born digital.” Clients include Pepsi and Ford.”
We Are Social is “a conversation agency. We help brands to listen, understand and engage in conversations in social media. We’re already helping Ford, Skype, Eurostar, The Economist, Absolut, Dunlop, Barclaycard and the WWF.”
Deloitte, McKinsey, Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence, and Porter Novelli are also in the space. Not sure any of them would pass the “mostly social media” standard, but I felt the need to include them in the discussion. They are all contributing to what a “social media agency” is evolving into.
Also, Charlene Li of the Altimeter Group has a great Wiki going with more information if you want to dive in deeper.
Who did I miss?
Include it in the comments and I will add them to the post.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
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I know we aren't a dedicated social agency, but I work with the Digitas Social group. Our group has scaled across the country and is quickly becoming among the first truly global social offerings with strong integration into related media.
Great list – a while back, I put a similar list together – less agency focused and more advisory/consulting pure plays but as you mention, there is a lot of cross-over in the line is not clear where one segment ends and the other begins. Here's my list: http://community-roundtable.com/2009/08/the-soc...
Fantastic list, Jason.
You left out:
Real Fresh TV | http://www.realfresh.tv
Based in Manchester, UK, we *do* social media with a strong focus on strategy, consultancy and training for the UK’s arts, creative and media sectors.
We helped develop and deliver the social media strategy for Arts Council England’s digital development programme for the arts and cultural sector, http://www.getambition.com.
working for me fine. its just a holder page though, so you are not missing much for now. they are pretty brand new. doing some cool things at BlogWorld if you will be there.
check out their twitter http://twitter.com/collectivebias or @GeekMommy for news
Nice list Rachel. You have definitely captured one of the categories I considered. This list will easily segment as time passes.
Great list and thanks for putting it together. Maybe you want to consider adding 20:20 Social (http://2020social.com/) to it. I have recently learned about it and probably fits the list and could be useful to know for all the people interested in this space! Thanks!
[...] SMG was listed among one of the Top 14 Global Social Media Agencies. The post, compiled after much Twitter and personal polling by the uber-connected Jason Keath, was [...]
Hi Jason:
We live in the research world – Online Anthropology – but have done more than 200 SM research and analysis projects for the world's biggest brands and agencies over the last 6 years. Self-funded, profitable and continuing to grow even in this recession.
MotiveQuest LLC http://motivequest.com
Tom O'Brien
I found a couple that can be added.
http://derekmedia.net/
&
http://vaynermedia.com/
Enjoy! :D Awesome post btw…
Hey Jason – Great List, and thank you for adding us. Everyone at the Carrot Creative offices gave each other high fives and we will give you a beer cheers at our next happy hour. I think everyone will be very excited to see some of the innovative projects that we built for BIG brands in the next few months.
Hi Jason, thanks for the mention. Slight edit, CC and company were acquired by Campfire last month ( http://www.theadvanceguard.com/2009/the-advance... ). I think Conversation Group belongs on the list as well. Charlene has a great resource related to this post: http://wiki.altimetergroup.com/
Thanks Peter, actually just came across that. I will make the edits. Definitely not a perfect list yet, but I am learning about some new companies through the convo.
Also dig Charlene's wiki. Would love to see it expand into a more robust resource. If anyone actually had the time.
Jason,
Good list. It's so hard to define what a social media company is, though. For example, we (http://newmediacampaigns.com) call ourselves a web design and development company, but we certainly also help clients in the realm of social media. We just don't make it the focus of our revenue. I think A LOT of agencies, and nearly all of the good ones, fall into somewhat of a grey area.
Two agencies that we enjoy that do a lot with social media are PR 20/20 (http://pr2020.com) and Garfield Group Interactive (http://www.ggiagency.com/)
So what I'm wondering is since everyone seems to be working for Ford, who's taking the official credit for the Fiesta Movement? ; )
Great question Michael. I have heard, but am not certain, that the Fiesta Movement was Undercurrent's baby.
Zocalo Group is a great word of mouth agency that combines WOM with social media marketing tactics to create online and offline conversation zocalogroup.com. (sister agency to Ketchum)
Think you're right on that one – know that Scott Monty & Julia Roy were working on that in NYC at the launch.
A little about our agency to add to the list:
Zócalo Group is a full-service Word of Mouth Marketing agency, seamlessly integrating proven and leading edge disciplines, building programs in Word of Mouth, Social Media, Public Relations, Experiential Marketing, Social Media Optimization and Influencer Marketing. Recently declared “New Media Agency of the Year” by The Holmes Report, Zócalo Group has emerged as an industry pioneer and a solution to the changing dynamics of the marketing, advertising and PR worlds, and the increasing need to engage with and activate an expanding group of influencers – both online and offline.
The Chicago-based agency is built on the game-changing insight that the recommendation — from a friend, family member, colleague or expert – is the single most powerful determinant of the purchase decision. Zócalo Group helps brands go beyond short-term “buzz” to capitalize upon the opportunity and ROI potential of interacting directly with consumers and industry experts. Rather than employing one-off tactics, Zócalo Group’s holistic, transparent, sustainable and measurable approach enables clients to engage consumers and influencers across all social media, traditional media, and offline channels, putting the power of the recommendation to work, to drive conversations, brand recommendations, and ultimately, sales. Bolstered by a set of proprietary measurement tools, Zócalo Group attributes much of its success-to-date to its ability to track and grow the size, share and tone of a brand's conversation over time. The insights uncovered through these tools have proven critical to educating clients that the most engagements won’t necessarily drive sales. The right engagements will.
Zócalo Group is a unit of Omnicom Group, Inc. (NYSE: OMC) and Ketchum Public Relations.
@BassettL
We will totally have a fully functional site just as soon as we can slow down long enough to let our creative team loose on it! Right now? We're busy focusing on our clients! :)
But trust me – when we get to us? It's going to be epic!
You know, I have a feeling this list is going to expand a bit quickly!
But the team at CollectiveBias is really happy to be included amongst some amazing agencies. Thanks Jason!
I have to say, one of the best parts of this field is how much room there is and how incredible it is to see a list like this and know how many of these folks work together on a regular basis to make our field better and more exciting!
It's a great list Jason – and we're proud to be included.
Jason,
We really appreciate the shout out! One small edit…”connected crowds”. One day we'll put up a web site, or not.
A mere online presence won’t serve the purpose of reaching out and impressing your target audience, to beat the competition you need a well designed website with a good search rank and for that you need help of companies which provide complete solutions in website designing and development and search engine optimization.
[...] Happe and Jason Keath have also made similar lists recently and the Altimeter wiki lists social media consultants, social [...]
[...] Happe and Jason Keath have also made similar lists recently and the Altimeter wiki lists social media consultants, social [...]
Hi Jason,
Good post. Its nice to see there is starting to be some serious recognition for the agencies concentrating on Social Media.
To fill you in about our agency. We are Hebe Media, we are based in the UK and we specialise almost exclusively in Social Media Optimisation. We are a young agency, which includes two recent graduates from the European Institute of Design so subsequently I would say our expertise is very much working with brands in the fashion, music and entertainment industries.
To help with measuring social media success (which is a big challenge) we have developed a points system for our clients which basically rewards interaction and people investing time in a brand rather then just looking at hits on a blog or website (these are factored in but not the be all and end all to us)
Anyway feel free to have a look around our site and find out a little bit more about us, any questions feel free to ask.
Take Care,
Lee
Great piece. I think you can strike Crayon off the list though. Apparently they are doing so badly that they still owe money to the people that balied out of the company in 2007.
Hi-
I want to also throw in Machine Shop Marketing. We are a grassroots marketing company that specializes in social networking campaigns, online and offline street teams and viral promotions. We are best known for our work managing Linkin Park's online community and fan club, promo for multi-platinum artists, stunt marketing for major movie studios like Sony/Columbia Tri-Star and much more. Check us out at http://www.machineshopmarketing.com
Great post, but I’ve got another quick suggestion for your list. The folks over at Deep Focus (http://www.deep-focus.net/) are doing some awesome stuff with creative and engaging social media campaigns. While the user response and reaction to the variety of SM apps they’ve developed is more than enough of a reason to warrant a mention on this list (seriously, did you not “MadMen Yourself?”) the working partnership we’ve had with them has definitely reinforced our belief that the crew over at Deep Focus is the real deal.
Thanks,
Cody Goins
http://www.springcreekgroup.com
Thanks Cody, I obviously agree. And Spring Creek is the best community management/measurement firm we've ever worked with. So I say, add us both ;)
Hi Michael – the Fiesta Movement is indeed from the great minds at Undercurrent. SMG works with Ford Global Communications and Scott Monty since he joined Ford just over a year ago, whereas the Fiesta Movement is a project developed by Ford Marketing. Also, I believe We Are Social works with Ford Europe.
Room214 (http://room214.com) is a Boulder, Colorado social media agency founded in 2004. The initial focus was on search marketing and blog installs. Today, the agency focuses on word of mouth marketing tactics, online community management, research and monitoring, influencer identification and outreach, and social apps development. The agency's “Capture the Conversation blog” can be found at http://ctcblog.com
Thanks for your consideration for the list.
Good list and you are right in the different types of agencies out there. Been trying to determine what are the right capabilities to have and develop. Just put together a two part post on that, partly inspired by what we do (and want to do better) at Mullen. http://bit.ly/39tQ1R
Hi Jason – I know we went back-n-forth a bit via Twitter when this list first came out but I wanted to belatedly thank you for including us in these rankings. We are amongst some pretty impressive folks so we are truly grateful for the recognition.
Kel & Partners. Boston. Ever hear of Zappos? Yup, K&P client. Staples? Yup. Created Top 50 FB app for 'em. Kel Kelly, CEO, freakin', ass kickin' social media nut.
Great posts Edward. I have been speaking about this topic recently to a couple Ad Clubs and agencies. I am a firm believer that agencies are poised to own the future of social media if they choose to do so. You have laid out part of that transition and the challenges that come with it very well.
Jason, thanks so much for including @theKbuzz on this list. We are honored – it is amazing company to be in – and the comments definitely highlight some more great ones.
Jason – From all of us here at the anthill, thank you so much for including Ant's Eye View on this list. While we don't consider ourselves an agency in the traditional sense, to the point of your post, we do see our clients looking for practical, tangible advice on how to integrate customer engagement into all elements of their business, from product development all they way to customer support – and we are happy to oblige. If that is what a social media agency is, then we are all in!
[...] 15 Top Social Media Agencies. Who are the top dogs on the business. Learn guys. Social media companies can be research focused, software heavy, app developers, monitoring services or consulting firms. The social media agency is one that helps companies extend their brand and marketing through training, long term strategy, and execution. [...]
Ownmymedia.com – Leading Social media agency. Have represented a lot of clients under the radar
ownmymedia – social media agency
Great list – Question: does the Dachis Group have any clients? (Do they have any campaigns I can follow?) or is the reason they're on the list because they have so much potential/ thought leadership?
3b Digital, Based in London, UK, has developed and managed the online presence for global brands. Their team provide strategy, implementation and customised monitoring solutions.
Jason – thanks for the interesting list. I'd also be interested in your review of the actual campaigns from these companies, and the criteria of why you dub them a “top agency,” rather than a list of their own marketing text. With so many companies claiming “social media expertise,” I think a deeper dive would be super helpful. What are their in-house capabilities (vs outsourcing)? What social media campaigns – with results – have they executed? What were the results? For who?
I agree these are all great agencies, for various reasons – but not all are created equal. I would love to learn more specifics from these types of lists about the why and the what – not just the who.
And yes, of course I'd love for PerkettPR to be considered for future lists. I’d be remiss not to selfishly mention that we’re also one of those agencies executing great social media, digital production and PR – with proven results. We've been around since 1998 and social marketing has been part of our offering for the last five years or so. Here are a few recent assessments of some of our social media work, integrated with PR and digital production, from others:
Our work for clients Reality Digital <http://bit.ly/MQK4Y> and Litle & Co <http://bit.ly/p8VRP> was featured in a series of articles in Computerworld about social media ROI: http://bit.ly/42WlMU
This fellow took it upon himself to deeply review our own social media presence (and how that relates to success for clients): http://www.pamil-visions.net/perkettpr-digital-...
This blogger liked one of our earlier consumer video campaigns : http://donteattheshrimp.com/2008/09/02/nice-wor...
A recent video that we produced, highlighting some of our media results for one client: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7KSwXlWa4g
Can showcasing the work of the firms you admire as top agencies be an ongoing series? That would be super helpful to companies trying to choose the right agency to help them navigate the new world of marketing and media.
Kindly,
Christine Perkett
PerkettPR
http://www.twitter.com/missusP
http://www.twitter.com/PerkettPR
http:///www.facebook.com/PerkettPR
http://www.perkettprsuasion.com
Hi Jason,
Here's one more for your consideration. Fahlgren Mortine is a social media-driven PR agency out of Columbus, Ohio. I lead the social media practice group at Fahlgren and we're doing a ton of work helping consumer/retail, B2B and nonprofit clients navigate the social web and make use of the right social tools to meet their business goals. You can read more about our social media approach on our blog at http://www.fahlgrenmortine.com/category/social-...
Cheers,
@LaraK
Great points Christine. Delving deeper would be great. If only I had the
time. That is an emmense under taking that I just cannot find the time for
right now.
This list was simply meant to show people the agencies I have noticed making
a splash. People worth watching so to speak. And there are definitely some
folks missing from the list. Planning on adding a few and updating soon.
Sincere thanks for your very valid points and suggestions.
The social media agency discussion has been reminding me of the big agencies that built websites in the 90’s. Clients eventually (but once they started, quickly) developed the talents they needed, supplemented by products that automated a lot of it, and companies that appeared to have their best days ahead crumbed or had to transition to a smaller scale with a different focus (like creative design).
Too much of this conversation has the same smell of opportunism and “you just don’t get it, so pay me to do it” attitude without accountability or connection to business benefit. I've seen smart people, including some of the people you mention, ask the right questions, but I haven't heard the answers. Some social media agencies are very good at what they do and provide real benefits to clients, but too many look just like March First in SM clothing – spreading fear of missing the boat, chasing each other off the pier of being the MOST SM-savvy when they need to be the most business/marketing savvy. We all need to keep in mind that increasingly self-sufficient clients and powerful new tools have the potential to erase much of the need this community is serving. What else do you do that provides value?
There are definitely people asking more questions than they are answering
Greg. I see what you see. But it is trending in the right direction. I think
the moment of every shark out there jumping on the money train is
unavoidable. In the end, the industry is evolving in a positive direction.
Quality wins out.
Great list, Jason. Thanks! It would be great to see other lists broken down by category. For instance, my company primarily helps community managers that cater to women audiences. If you run across any categorized lists, please share. Thanks again!
Jason –
This is an interesting list. I would absolutely agree about SHIFT Communications.
I'm surprised that PerkettPR is not on this list. The entire agency lives and breaths social media. They are really a team of thought leaders.
I also second who ever recommended Kel & Partners for inclusion on the list.
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mRELEVANCE is a social media agency with offices in Atlanta and Chicago. Focused on on the new home and real estate industry, this firm has been blogging and creating effective online solutions for years. We're not new to the party, we started the party! Amongst our most popular blogs is nationally-ranked http://www.AtlantaRealEstateForum.com and http://www.TopBuilderBlogs.com
mRELEVANCE is grounded in SEO and strong content.