Hasta La Creative!

There was Madison Avenue, and then there was West Wacker Drive. For decades, Chicago was the biggest powerhouse in the ad industry, after New York. The city’s location — smack in the middle of the country — has suggested an understanding that companies there understood what it means to know the typical American consumer.

The market has boasted some legendary agencies run by legendary people (such as Leo Burnett). But while much of that heritage and skill set remains, the landscape of the Chicago ad market has been transformed, particularly since the recession.

Agencies that were once city stalwarts, such as WPP’s JWT office, have shuttered, and shops such as DraftFCB have struggled through the loss of significant accounts. Meanwhile, agencies that were upstarts a decade ago, such as Digitas and McGarryBowen, have grown to be huge presences.

Continue reading at AdAge.com