Market comparison
Canada vs Australia: agency markets compared
Agency work in Canada is labour-cost driven, not tooling driven: a much cheaper proposal usually means less seniority, fewer hours or subcontracting. Digital demand is still growing while total agency bookings are not, so agencies compete harder for retained work.
Market size and coverage
Advertising figures come from the named industry body or statistics agency in each market. They are published on different bases and in different currencies, so treat them as scale, not a ratio.
Canada
Budgets quoted in CAD where sourced.
- Advertising industry operating revenue
- $15.4bn (2024)
- Digital advertising revenue
- $21.2bn forecast (2025)
Up 8.0% on 2023, the fourth straight year of growth, with an operating profit margin of 13.6%.
Source: Statistics Canada, Advertising and related services, 2024
Up from $18.2bn in 2024, a 16.6% year-over-year increase.
Source: IAB Canada Internet Advertising Revenue Survey and Forecast, 16 October 2025
Listed agencies: 43 across 7 cities
Scored on our methodology: 10
Main cities: Toronto (28), Vancouver (6), Montreal (5), Fergus (1), Mississauga (1), Quebec City (1)
Deepest specialties: Brand Strategy (18), Branding (18), Digital Marketing (16), Web Design (15), Content Marketing (14)
Australia
Budgets quoted in AUD where sourced.
- Internet advertising spend
- $16.4bn (calendar 2024)
- Agency-booked media
- Down about 2% in 2025
An 11.1% increase year on year.
Source: IAB Australia / PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, 24 February 2025
A first half lifted by the federal election and a softer second half.
Listed agencies: 48 across 8 cities
Scored on our methodology: 0
Main cities: Sydney (16), Melbourne (10), Adelaide (7), Brisbane (7), Perth (5), Gold Coast (1)
Deepest specialties: Branding (13), Web Design (12), SEO (10), Digital Marketing (9), Ecommerce Marketing (9)
Rules that change the work
These differences usually matter more to a cross-border engagement than price does.
Canada
- Ad Standards, administering the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards
- Competition Bureau on deceptive marketing practices
- CASL consent, identification and unsubscribe requirements for commercial electronic messages
- Quebec's Charter of the French Language as amended by Bill 96 for French-language marketing
Australia
- Ad Standards and the AANA codes of practice
- ACCC on misleading or deceptive conduct
- Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles
- Spam Act consent and unsubscribe rules, plus the ACMA Do Not Call Register
What we have published for each market
Canada
- Top 10 Marketing and Branding Agencies in Canada (2026)Last researched September 8, 2026
- Hiring a Marketing or Branding Agency in Canada: A Buyer's GuideWhat the Canadian agency market looks like in 2026, what work costs, how Quebec language rules and CASL affect campaigns, and how to build a shortlist you can defend.
Australia
- Hiring a Marketing or Branding Agency in Australia: A Buyer's GuideWhat the Australian agency market looks like now, where capability sits beyond Sydney and Melbourne, how the AANA Codes, Australian Consumer Law, the Spam Act and the Privacy Act shape campaigns, and how to build a shortlist you can defend.
Choosing between Canada and Australia
- Pick the market where the work is being sold, not where it is cheapest. Local media buying, language and consumer regulation are the hardest things to outsource across a border.
- For a cross-border engagement, agree the contract currency, who carries exchange-rate risk, where the work is performed and how personal data moves between the two jurisdictions before you sign.
- Ask both shortlists the same question: show one comparable project, the brief, what changed afterwards, and where those numbers came from.
- Check who actually runs the account. In both markets, the senior people in the pitch are frequently not the people delivering the work.