Saatchi & Saatchi: Agency History and Profile

Saatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising network founded in London in 1970 by Maurice and Charles Saatchi. It grew through acquisitions into the world's largest agency group in 1986 and has been part of Publicis Groupe since 2000, where Publicis Communications lists it alongside Leo Burnett, Publicis Worldwide and BBH. It is a creative advertising network rather than a PR agency.

Originally published November 2009. Updated October 17, 2026.

What is Saatchi & Saatchi?

Saatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising network founded in London in 1970 by Maurice and Charles Saatchi. It grew through acquisitions into the world's largest agency group in 1986, and it has been part of Publicis Groupe since 2000.

Who has led Saatchi & Saatchi?

Publicis announced in January 2017 that Magnus Djaba, then UK CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon, would take the newly created global president role while Robert Senior left. Campaign Asia later reported that Djaba was promoted to Publicis Groupe global chief client officer in November 2021 and gave up the Saatchi & Saatchi global president title, and that UK CEO Chris Kay was extended to lead Publicis Groupe UK's pan-agency creative practice in 2022.

How did Saatchi & Saatchi grow?

The Duke University archive lists acquisitions including Garland Compton (1975), Compton Advertising (1982), McCaffrey and McCall (1983), Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, Backer and Spielvogel and Ted Bates (all 1986) and Campbell Mithun (1986). Press reports said the $450 million Ted Bates purchase in May 1986 made it the world's biggest ad agency, but also raised conflict fears, since Bates handled Colgate-Palmolive while Procter and Gamble was a major Saatchi client.

What happened to the Saatchi brothers?

SourceWatch says the Saatchi brothers left in 1995 and subsequently formed M&C Saatchi, and that the parent was renamed Cordiant that year. A 1997 demerger created Cordiant Communications Group and a separate Saatchi & Saatchi, which Publicis absorbed in 2000.

What is the "Labour Isn't Working" poster?

It is a 1978 Saatchi & Saatchi poster for the UK Conservative Party showing a long queue of unemployed people. Encyclopedia.com says the firm is perhaps most famous for its political advertisements, and the work is widely cited in the history of British political advertising.

Is Saatchi & Saatchi a PR agency?

No. It is a creative and advertising network, and Publicis's 2017 announcement listed MSLGROUP as the strategic communications arm of the same Publicis Communications hub. It appears in PR conversations because of its history and brand, not because of a current PR service line. EPR's PR agency profiles directory covers the PR firms of the big holding companies, including MSL.

How does Saatchi & Saatchi compare with other holding-company networks?

Its sibling brands within Publicis are Leo Burnett, Publicis Worldwide and BBH, and EPR's Edelman and Daniel Edelman pages cover another major PR house.

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Related: PR agency profiles, PR leaders directory, MSL, 5W Public Relations