Market comparison
US vs Australia: agency markets compared
Budget is concentrating in social, video and commerce media, so agencies with genuine depth in those channels price accordingly. 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.
United States
Budgets quoted in USD where sourced.
- Internet advertising revenue
- Nearly $300bn (2025)
Up 13.9% year over year; social media up 32.6% to $117.7bn and digital video up 25.4% to $74bn.
Source: IAB / PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Full Year 2025
Listed agencies: 73 across 35 cities
Scored on our methodology: 62
Main cities: New York (10), Chicago (4), Nashville (4), Portland (4), San Diego (4), San Francisco (4)
Deepest specialties: Paid Media (24), Branding (19), Content Marketing (18), Digital Marketing (17), SEO (16)
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.
United States
- Federal Trade Commission enforcement of advertising claims and endorsement disclosure
- State attorneys general on consumer protection and subscription practices
- State privacy laws led by California's CCPA/CPRA, with a growing patchwork of state statutes
- CAN-SPAM for commercial email and the TCPA for calls and texts
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
United States
- Top 10 Marketing and Branding Agencies in the United StatesLast researched September 9, 2026
- Hiring a Marketing or Branding Agency in the United States: A Buyer's GuideWhat the US agency market looks like in 2026, where capability clusters, how FTC endorsement rules, CAN-SPAM and state privacy laws 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 US 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.