Marketing agencies in New Jersey: 1,032 offices, county by county, and the documents to ask for

This report is for New Jersey companies and institutions hiring a marketing agency, people sizing the state's agency market, and vendors that sell to agencies.

New Jersey's agency market

Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, NAICS 5418 (Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services). CBP counts establishments with paid employees, not companies, and leaves out the self-employed. The state's employment total carries a moderate noise flag: the Census Bureau's confidentiality noise moved it by 2% to 5%.

Where they are, county by county

From the same CBP release, by county (the twelve with the most establishments):

Hudson County's employment was published but flagged as high-noise, meaning the confidentiality noise changed it by 5% or more. Eight more establishments are coded statewide, with no county. Bergen has the most offices, but Morris has the most people: about 37 per office, against 10 in Bergen.

Size

The Census Bureau drops size cells with fewer than three establishments, so it doesn't publish the 500 to 999 or 1,000-or-more cells for New Jersey; the total shows 2 establishments have 500 or more employees. In bands: 904 have fewer than 20, 103 have 20 to 99, and 25 have 100 or more, that last figure derived as the total less the smaller bands.

What the 1,032 do

• Advertising agencies (541810): 393 establishments, 6,133 employees, average pay $96,211 (our calculation).
• Public relations agencies (541820): 218 establishments, 1,329 employees.
• Other advertising services (541890), such as promotional products and in-store demonstrations: 211 establishments and 3,472 employees. Their lower pay pulls the state average down.
• Display and out-of-home (541850): 61. Direct mail (541860): 59, with 1,047 employees. Media representatives (541840): 55. Media buying (541830): 19. Advertising distribution (541870): 16.

New Jersey also has 1,367 marketing consultancies (541613) and 380 graphic design studios (541430), which the Census Bureau counts outside 5418. The NAICS code for marketing page explains which code fits which kind of firm.

The clients next door

Large advertisers headquartered in the state hire agencies on both sides of the Hudson. Johnson & Johnson, at One Johnson & Johnson Plaza in New Brunswick, reported worldwide advertising expenses of $1.6 billion for fiscal 2025, covering television, radio, print and internet advertising.

No SEC-listed agency company is a meaningful local reference: the one company in the advertising SIC codes (7310 to 7319) with a New Jersey address, Sun Pacific Holding Corp. of Manalapan, hasn't filed a 10-K since its report for 2022, so there's no current figure to cite.

Five documents to ask a New Jersey agency for

1. Its legal entity and standing. Look the firm up on the New Jersey business name search and make sure the name on the contract matches.
2. A sample monthly report, with client names removed. Google requires agencies that report monthly to show costs, clicks and impressions with Google's charges "exclusive of any fees," and to disclose any management fee on every invoice. A good sample shows both.
3. Its standard contract. Look for the notice period (Stagwell's 10-K says its contracts "typically provide for termination by either party within 30 to 90 days"), how third-party costs are billed, and who owns the work. The Copyright Office explains that commissioned work is a "work made for hire" only in nine narrow categories with a signed agreement, so you want a written assignment.
4. The team sheet: the people who'd work on your account, with roles and the share of time each gives you.
5. Two references, one of them a client that left.

If you're a public body, New Jersey's Division of Purchase and Property runs state procurement; check whether a state contract already covers the services you need.

Selling to New Jersey agencies

Segment by metro area first. In the Census Bureau's definitions, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Union, Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset and Ocean counties are part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area; Burlington, Camden and Gloucester belong to the Philadelphia metro; Mercer is the Trenton-Princeton metro. Agencies in each compete with, and often sell into, the big city next door, so the right reference clients differ.

Illustrative example. The company and figures are invented.

Proofline (proofline.example) sells medical and legal review workflow software for regulated advertising at $600 a month. In New Jersey it targets the 393 advertising agencies. If an illustrative 20% handle pharmaceutical, medical device or financial clients, about 79 fit, worth about $568,800 a year if all bought. The opener names a regulated product the agency has publicly listed as a client's and the review cycle that slows its launches. Sorting the 393 by client industry is the account research Bebop does for each firm in a list. For the general method, see how to build a prospect list.

Where else to look

• Choose New Jersey, the state's business attraction organization, for companies moving in.
• New Jersey Business & Industry Association, the statewide employer association.

Next step: compare New Jersey with New York in marketing agencies in New York City, or see the national groups in the largest advertising agencies and marketing firms.