Orange County-based advertising agencies boosted their combined revenue by more than 9% last year in a sector constantly challenging old norms.

“The industry is changing rapidly, and agencies will be forced to make significant adjustments to their business models,” Kyle Johnston, founding partner and president of Gigasavvy, told the Business Journal on Feb. 13.

He added, “Companies haven’t necessarily pulled back on advertising, but brands continue to pull more in-house; they are very distracted with how to handle AI.”
Meanwhile, the competitive landscape for ad agencies “is larger and more diverse than it’s ever been.”

Though revenue dropped nearly 12% to $11.1 million last year, Laguna Beach-based Gigasavvy rose in the ranks to No. 13 on the Business Journal’s list of largest ad agencies, up from No. 15. The agency’s clients include chewy candy HI-CHEW, AAA and Toshiba.

Innocean No. 1 by Revenue

The 21 ad agencies surveyed by the Business Journal reported that revenue increased 9.3% last year to $1.23 billion, up from $1.12 billion in 2024.

Huntington Beach-based Innocean USA came in at No. 1, as its revenues climbed 7.7% to $460 million.

“We don’t pitch ads,” Innocean USA President Leslie Barrett told the Business Journal.

“We’re in the business of creating value for our clients and we use our creativity to solve business problems.” (see story, page 12)

Innocean’s clients include El Pollo Loco, Kia and Hyundai.

Big Gains for Audio Focused Marketing

RadioActive Media Inc. of Orange more than doubled its revenue last year to $14.9 million, for the biggest percentage gain on the list.

RadioActive calls itself a “full-service audio-focused marketing agency specialized in direct response radio and podcast advertising.”

The company did not return multiple requests for comment on its growth. In May, Inc. magazine ranked the central OC firm as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the Pacific region, with two-year growth of 344%.

“This award celebrates more than our company—it celebrates the partnerships we’ve built with our clients,” RadioActive stated on its website. “From niche direct-to-consumer brands to Fortune 500 companies, our clients trust us to deliver results through high-impact audio placements, storytelling and strategy.”

The firm negotiates advertising placements for clients—including brands such as British Airways and Expedia—and secures spots on programs hosted by well-known media personalities and top podcast shows, such as Howard Stern, Adam Carolla and Bill Maher.

Agency Ingram Micro jumped 23% to $399 million for the second spot. The Irvine-based agency specializes in technology marketing and advertising.

Irvine-based Pacific Communications ranked third with an estimated $72.9 million. It has “strategic and creative partnerships” with brands including Juvéderm, SkinMedica and Revolve, according to its website.

Healthcare Success No. 14

Irvine-based Healthcare Success remained at No. 14, though its 2025 revenue dropped almost 19% to $10.6 million.

“After experiencing record growth in 2024, we lost several large clients in March of 2025. The reasons varied but included changing management teams and some poor fit clients,” Healthcare Success CEO Stewart Gandolf told the Business Journal on Feb. 11.

“While the client losses were inconvenient, we doubled down on our technology investments, most notably tools to respond to AI-driven searches on Google AI overviews and ChatGPT,” according to Gandolf.

New to the list this year: Sunday Brunch Agency in Huntington Beach. It came in at No. 21 as its 2025 revenue jumped by 50% to $1.5 million.

The 10-year-old firm calls itself “Orange County’s first fully remote, female-owned marketing agency.”