Join SAGA on Slack for free to connect with other agency owners.

SAGA helps you build the agency that you want to own.

Small Agency Growth Alliance

Agency M&A trends and transactions examined in new research

Updated December 20, 2021

New research from Agency Leadership Advisors examines all of the public relations and integrated communications agency sales that were announced in 2019 to identify insights and trends. The data helps agency owners — whether or not they are thinking about selling soon — make better decisions to grow their businesses.

The complete report is available for free download, but here are a few highlights from last year’s 62 transactions:

  • The median size was 20 employees, and 71% of the deals involved firms with less than 50 employees.
  • The median age of the selling agencies was 13 years old, with major clusters in the 5-10 year old range or those over 25 years old.
  • Specialties in particular demand included health, digital, financial services, technology, travel/tourism, and public affairs.
  • About two-thirds of the buyers were independent agencies, while holding companies continue to be active and made 14 acquisitions.
  • There were 10 buyers who acquired more than one agency in 2019.

For more details, plus the complete list of 2019 M&A transactions, get your own copy of the report here.

Chip Griffin

Chip Griffin

Chip is the Founder of the Small Agency Growth Alliance and a longtime agency owner and executive. He helps PR and marketing agency leaders build better businesses.
Share:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Want some help with your own agency business?

If you own a PR or marketing agency and want to drive profitable double-digit growth, we can help with audits, planning, workshops, and coaching.

saga-agency-health-assessment-cover
How healthy is your agency?

Use SAGA’s Agency Health Assessment to identify key challenges and opportunities in 10 minutes or less to get you started on taking control of your future.

Recent Insights
Sign up for free email updates

Get the latest SAGA insights, podcast episodes, and more delivered straight to your inbox.

Recent Podcast Episodes
Download our free guide

Discover how well your agency is performing

Identify key challenges and opportunities in less than 10 minutes with this easy-to-use approach.

SAGA AHA Download Form