Media for the Advertising Industry "AD AGENCY" Releases "Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026"! Dentsu Wins Inaugural "Ad Agency of the Year 2026"

Ad Agency of the Year 2026 Winning Company: "Dentsu Group"

"AD AGENCY," a media outlet for the advertising industry operated by TWENTYTWO, Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yuji Suzuki), released "Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026" on June 30, 2026.

This ranking evaluates major domestic advertising companies, digital agencies, and creative agencies based on five perspectives: "Overall Strength," "Creative Strength," "Strategy Strength," "Technology Strength," and "AI Utilization Strength."

Furthermore, we have established the annual comprehensive evaluation system "Ad Agency of the Year." Dentsu Group, which ranked first in the overall category, has been selected as the commemorative inaugural "Ad Agency of the Year 2026."

The environment surrounding the advertising industry is undergoing significant change. In addition to traditional mass media-centric advertising strategies, an era has begun that demands diverse expertise in areas such as digital marketing, generative AI, data analysis, and marketing technology.

Against this backdrop, this ranking focuses not only on the overall strength of advertising companies but also on their specialization in each domain.

Media URL: https://adagency.jp/

Inaugural "Ad Agency of the Year 2026" Awarded to Dentsu

"Ad Agency of the Year" is an award that selects the advertising agency representing the year by comprehensively evaluating all assessment items.

In its inaugural year, 2026, Dentsu, which has long led the Japanese advertising industry, received the award.

It has received high evaluations from multiple perspectives, including comprehensive client support capabilities, creative strength, data utilization, and technological responsiveness.

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (Overall)

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (Overall Ranking)

Looking at the companies ranked in the overall ranking, it is clear that Japan's advertising industry in 2026 has entered an era where traditional comprehensive advertising companies and players originating from digital and technology are competing in earnest.

Ranked 1st, Dentsu Group, and 2nd, Hakuhodo DY Group, remain in a class of their own with their long-established customer base, mass media responsiveness, and comprehensive capabilities spanning creative, PR, events, and data utilization. On the other hand, CyberAgent, ranked 3rd, demonstrates a new way for advertising companies to win by leveraging internet advertising and AI utilization. ADK Group's strengths lie in IP and content development, while JR East Planning and Tokyu Agency were recognized for their proposal capabilities utilizing real-world touchpoints such as transportation, urban areas, and living environments. Accenture Song excels in upstream marketing transformation, and Septeni Group and CARTA ZERO are increasing their presence in the areas of performance advertising, data, and technology. ODA also possesses solid strengths in designing customer value, CRM, and brand experience. Particularly noteworthy is that the top-ranked companies are expanding their support areas beyond mere advertising production and media buying to include identifying business challenges, improving customer experience, and developing digital infrastructure.

This ranking symbolizes an era where the value of an advertising agency is determined not only by its ability to handle ad space but also by the extent to which it can delve into a company's growth strategy and comprehensively design touchpoints with consumers.

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (Creative)

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (Creative Ranking)

Looking at the companies ranked in the creative ranking, it is evident that the meaning of "expressive power" in the advertising industry in 2026 has greatly expanded.

Ranked 1st, Hakuhodo Group, and 2nd, Dentsu Group, have long led Japanese advertising expression and were recognized for their ability to integrate copywriting, video, brand experience, and social buzz creation. TBWA\HAKUHODO and ADK Creative One leverage global thinking and IP/entertainment domains, transforming advertisements from mere information transmission into content that remains in people's memories. Furthermore, The Breakthrough Company GO and TUGBOAT demonstrate their presence with sharp planning capabilities distinct from major agencies and the ability to articulate the essence of challenges. Foreign agencies such as McCann, BBDO, and Ogilvy combine international brand perspectives with Japanese market localization, making them important partners for global companies. CyberAgent also exhibits unique strengths in mass production for digital advertising, performance verification, and AI-driven creative improvement. In particular, the ability to connect ideas that move consumers' emotions with actual marketing results is symbolic of the current advertising industry.

This ranking demonstrates that creative strength has evolved from merely creating beautiful advertisements to a comprehensive planning and implementation capability that moves society, enhances brand value, and leads to results.

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (Strategy)

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (Strategy Ranking)

Looking at the companies ranked in the strategy ranking, it is clear that the strategic capabilities required of advertising companies in 2026 have shifted from merely designing advertising campaigns to addressing the company's growth challenges themselves.

Ranked 1st, Accenture Song, demonstrates a presence distinct from traditional advertising agencies by supporting management strategy, customer experience, data infrastructure, and marketing DX in an integrated manner. Dentsu Group (2nd) and Hakuhodo Group (3rd) were recognized for their conceptualization capabilities in driving complex projects, including those for large corporations and government agencies, and their ability to nurture brands long-term based on consumer insights. CyberAgent excels in rapid strategy formulation based on online behavioral data and advertising effectiveness. ADK Marketing Solutions' strengths lie in experience design that incorporates IP and fan marketing, while GO's strength is in transforming management challenges into plans that move society. Hakuhodo DY ONE, Septeni Group, and CARTA ZERO are increasing their presence in data-driven advertising operations and full-funnel design. Furthermore, JR East Planning possesses unique strategic capabilities utilizing real-world touchpoints such as transportation, stations, and urban areas.

This ranking shows that strategic capability is not just about planning ability but about the power to integrate business, customer experience, data, media, and creative to draw a path directly linked to corporate growth.

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (Technology)

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (Technology Ranking)

Looking at the companies ranked in the technology ranking, it is evident that in the advertising industry of 2026, technological capabilities, including data infrastructure, AI, marketing automation, and customer experience design, are becoming the source of competitiveness, not just advertising operations and creative production.

Ranked 1st, CyberAgent, stands out for its ability to connect research and practice, including its AI research organization, ad delivery technology, and creative production utilizing generative AI. Dentsu Digital's strength lies in its ability to provide integrated support for marketing DX, CRM, and data utilization for large corporations. Hakuhodo DY ONE is increasing its presence as a core digital company capable of handling advertising operations, data, media, and AI in an integrated manner. Accenture Song's characteristic is its ability to delve into customer experience and business systems, backed by global technology implementation capabilities. Septeni Group, CARTA ZERO, and OPT are recognized for their on-site technology implementation, such as performance advertising, programmatic advertising, and the use of AI agents. ADK Group, JR East Planning, and Tokyu Agency have strengths in connecting real-world touchpoints with technology, such as IP, OOH, and urban/transportation data.

This ranking indicates that the technological capabilities of advertising companies are not merely about tool adoption but are comprehensive implementation capabilities that achieve consumer understanding, improved advertising effectiveness, and optimization of customer experience.

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (AI Utilization)

Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026 (AI Utilization Ranking)

Looking at the companies ranked in the AI utilization ranking, it is clear that in the advertising industry of 2026, AI has become a core technology that transforms not just operational efficiency but also strategy formulation, creative production, advertising operations, customer analysis, and experience design.

Ranked 1st, Dentsu Group, was recognized for integrating AI into marketing transformation across the group and expanding it to support the growth of large corporations. CyberAgent's strength lies in the close proximity between AI research and its advertising business, and its speed in implementing generative AI videos and performance predictions into practical applications. Hakuhodo DY Group is increasing its presence through AI utilization that extends human creativity and the development of specialized AI agents. Septeni Group, OPT, and CARTA ZERO have strengths in AI implementation closely aligned with on-site operations, such as performance advertising, reporting, and creative improvement. ADK Group has potential in AI customer service, research, and connection with the IP domain, while Accenture Song's characteristic is its ability to utilize AI in the context of corporate transformation and customer experience. JR East Planning demonstrates unique value in AI introduction to OOH operations, and GO shows unique value in brand design and planning development in the AI era. In particular, the extent to which AI can be linked to on-site results is beginning to create differentiation among companies.

This ranking symbolizes that AI utilization has become a crucial evaluation axis that influences not only the technology department but also the proposal capabilities, execution power, and organizational culture of advertising companies.

Visualizing Advertising Agency Evaluation in the AI Era

Traditional evaluations of advertising agencies primarily focused on sales volume, name recognition, and awards. However, with the advent of generative AI, the capabilities required of the advertising industry have changed significantly.

Currently, corporate competitiveness is influenced not only by the ability to produce excellent creative work but also by the ability to utilize data, implement technology, and incorporate AI into operations.

AD AGENCY has released this ranking to enable marketing managers of client companies, advertising industry professionals, job-seeking students, and career changers to compare advertising companies from multiple perspectives.

We will continue to conduct this survey annually and contribute to the development of Japan's advertising industry.

Ranking Survey Overview

Survey Name: Japan's Advertising Agencies Ranking 2026

Survey Organizer: Media for the Advertising Industry "AD AGENCY"

Survey Period: May 2026

Survey Target: Major domestic advertising agencies, comprehensive advertising companies, digital agencies, marketing support companies

Evaluation Items: Overall Strength, Creative Strength, Strategy Strength, Technology Strength, AI Utilization Strength

Survey Method: Proprietary scoring analysis based on publicly available data of target companies and AI implementation achievements.

About TWENTYTWO, Inc.

TWENTYTWO, Inc.

TWENTYTWO, Inc. is an IT company with the vision of "Market Creation."

Through "Konpaikita," we aim to "make encounters more natural and enjoyable."

As more users feel tired with the widespread use of matching apps, we focus on creating a matching app that emphasizes making encounters "feel fun" and are developing and operating it.

TWENTYTWO, Inc. is a member of the Japan Matching App Association, a general incorporated association for the matching app industry.

<Company Overview>

Location: 1F, Shibuya West Building, 3-39-12 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0072

Representative: Yuji Suzuki, CEO

Establishment Date: January 6, 2023

Business Activities: Development and operation of the group date matching app "Konpaikita."

Homepage: https://www.twentytwo.co.jp/