Grey Global Group

Grey Global Group is an international advertising and marketing communications network whose history reaches back to 1917, when Lawrence Valenstein and Arthur C. Fatt established a direct-marketing business in New York called Grey Studios. The name reflected the color of the walls in the company’s first premises. The organization became Grey Advertising in 1925 and gradually developed from a direct-response operation into a full-service advertising agency and broader communications group. A major early turning point came in 1956, when Grey won Procter & Gamble as a significant client. The relationship helped establish the agency’s reputation and supported a period of rapid expansion. During the early 1960s, Grey opened offices in Los Angeles, London, and Japan, while its billings increased substantially. The agency also broadened its planning capabilities, including the use of psychographic research to study consumer lifestyles and motivations. In 1965, Grey became a publicly traded company on Nasdaq, and by 1966 it ranked among the ten largest advertising agencies in the United States. Leadership under Herbert D. Strauss and Edward H. Meyer shaped the company’s expansion. Meyer became chief executive in 1970 and remained in that role for 36 years. During the 1970s, Grey worked on recognizable consumer campaigns and accounts including Kenner’s Star Wars toys, SmithKline aspirin and toothpaste, and Kraft General Foods’ Stove Top Stuffing. The agency also expanded into related communications disciplines and continued building an international network. Grey’s work has included brand strategy, creative advertising, media-related services, digital marketing, public relations, healthcare communications, and other specialist capabilities delivered through the wider Grey network. Examples of notable work include Arthur C. Fatt’s 1956 Greyhound slogan, “Leave the driving to us”; the long-running “Villarriba and Villabajo” campaign for Procter & Gamble’s Fairy dishwashing liquid in Spain; the 2008 “Let the Issues Be the Issue” political message; and Toshiba’s 2008 “Time Sculpture” commercial. The organization changed its corporate identity from Grey Advertising to Grey Global Group in 2000. James R. Heekin III became chief executive of Grey Worldwide in late 2005 and chairman and chief executive of Grey Group, the renamed agency holding company, in 2007. In 2016, Grey acquired ArcTouch, a mobile design and development studio, adding digital product and technology capabilities. The following year, Grey’s London office temporarily operated under the name Valenstein & Fatt to mark the company’s centenary and recognize its founders while drawing attention to prejudice and discrimination. Grey became part of WPP and has subsequently been managed within WPP’s broader agency portfolio. In 2020, WPP announced the combination of Grey Group and AKQA into AKQA Group. Grey later appointed Laura Maness as global chief executive in 2022. She became the sixth chief executive in Grey’s history and the first woman to hold the organization’s global CEO role. The group’s international structure has included hundreds of offices across dozens of countries, organized into regional units covering North America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; Asia-Pacific; and Latin America.

Grey Global Group originated in 1917 as Grey Studios, a New York direct-marketing company founded by Lawrence Valenstein and Arthur C. Fatt. Its name was inspired by the gray walls of its original offices. In 1925, the business adopted the name Grey Advertising, reflecting its development into a broader advertising agency. The company’s growth accelerated after it acquired Procter & Gamble as a major client in 1956. During the early 1960s, Grey expanded beyond its original base, opening offices in Los Angeles, London, and Japan. Herbert D. Strauss became president in 1961, and the agency’s billings reached reported milestones of $59 million in 1961 and $100 million in 1964. Grey went public on Nasdaq in 1965 and began using psychographic analysis as part of its consumer-planning work. By 1966, it was among the ten largest advertising agencies in the United States. Strauss became chief executive and chairman in 1967, while Edward H. Meyer became president. Meyer took over as chief executive in 1970 and held that position for 36 years. Grey’s 1970s work included advertising for Kenner’s Star Wars toys, SmithKline products, and Kraft General Foods’ Stove Top Stuffing. The organization also expanded into communications-related services and built a larger international account network. Among its historically notable creative work was the Greyhound Lines slogan “Leave the driving to us,” written by co-founder Arthur C. Fatt in 1956. Grey Spain’s 1991 “Villarriba and Villabajo” campaign for Procter & Gamble’s Fairy dishwashing liquid became one of the agency’s most recognized pieces of work in Spain and was adapted for several other markets. Later examples included the 2008 “Let the Issues Be the Issue” political advertisement and Toshiba’s “Time Sculpture” television and cinema commercial. In 2000, Grey Advertising became Grey Global Group. James R. Heekin III became chief executive of Grey Worldwide in late 2005 and took the chair and chief executive positions of Grey Group in 2007. Grey’s San Francisco operation served as a West Coast base, with clients reported to include Symantec, LendingTree, Pernod Ricard, and SunEdison. Grey acquired ArcTouch in 2016, bringing a mobile design and development studio into its network. In 2017, Grey London briefly changed its name to Valenstein & Fatt as part of a centenary project honoring the company’s founders and examining prejudice. That year, Michael Houston was appointed worldwide chief executive. In 2020, parent company WPP merged Grey Group with AKQA to form AKQA Group. In 2022, Laura Maness became global CEO, the sixth chief executive in Grey’s history and its first female global chief executive.

1. 2022Laura Maness becomes global CEO

   Laura Maness was appointed global chief executive, becoming the first woman to lead Grey globally.

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2. 2020Grey and AKQA combined within WPP

   WPP merged Grey Group and AKQA to create AKQA Group.

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3. 2016ArcTouch acquired

   Grey acquired mobile design and development studio ArcTouch.

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4. 2000Corporate identity changes to Grey Global Group

   Grey Advertising adopted the Grey Global Group name.

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5. 1965Grey goes public

   Grey became a publicly traded company on Nasdaq and expanded its use of psychographic consumer research.

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6. 1956Procter & Gamble becomes a major client

   Grey acquired its first major client, Procter & Gamble, marking an important stage in its growth.

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7. 1925Renamed Grey Advertising

   The company adopted the Grey Advertising name as it developed into a broader advertising agency.

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8. 1917Grey Studios founded

   Lawrence Valenstein and Arthur C. Fatt founded a direct-marketing company in New York under the name Grey Studios.

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A multinational, creatively led advertising and marketing communications network serving global and regional brands through integrated creative, strategic, digital, and specialist communications capabilities.

• Integrated advertisingAdvertising services

  Grey’s core offering is integrated advertising for consumer, corporate, and institutional clients. The work combines strategic planning, creative development, campaign production, and market execution across regional and international networks.

• Digital and mobile communicationsDigital services2016

  The group provides digital marketing and experience capabilities, including mobile design and development through ArcTouch after its 2016 acquisition. These services extend Grey beyond conventional mass-media advertising into digital products and customer experiences.

• Healthcare and specialist communicationsSpecialist communications

  Grey’s wider network has operated in specialist communications areas, including healthcare and public relations, alongside its general-market advertising activities.

• 2017Valenstein & Fatt

  United Kingdom

  Grey’s London office temporarily used the names of the company’s founders for a centenary initiative intended to recognize the firm’s Jewish origins and draw attention to prejudice in society.

  Outcome. A time-limited rebranding and awareness campaign.

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• 2008Let the Issues Be the Issue

  United States

  Grey created a self-funded, non-partisan political advertisement during the final weeks of the 2008 presidential election. It used contrasting skin tones for Barack Obama and John McCain to challenge voting based primarily on race.

  Outcome. Distributed online and through newspaper advertising and New York posters as a public discussion of race and political judgment.

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• 2008Time Sculpture

  United Kingdom

  Grey developed a Toshiba campaign for high-definition television upscaling technology. The first execution used interconnected movement loops arranged to appear as one continuous shot.

  Outcome. Released as a British television and cinema advertisement.

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• 1991Villarriba and Villabajo

  Spain and adapted international markets

  Grey Spain created a Procter & Gamble campaign for Fairy dishwashing liquid in which two fictional towns competed over the cleaning of paella dishes during local festivities. The idea was adapted for several countries and later reused for other products.

  Outcome. The campaign became highly recognizable in Spain and was selected by Procter & Gamble Spain in 2016 as its best advertising campaign in the country.

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• 1956Leave the driving to us

  United States

  Grey co-founder Arthur C. Fatt wrote the enduring Greyhound Lines advertising slogan, positioning bus travel around convenience and relief from driving.

  Outcome. Became a long-associated Greyhound catchphrase.

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• 2020Combine Grey Group with AKQAM&A

  WPP reorganized parts of its agency portfolio to bring Grey and AKQA together.

  What changed. WPP merged Grey Group and AKQA to form AKQA Group.

  Aftermath. Grey became part of the new AKQA Group structure within WPP.

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• 2016Acquire ArcTouchM&A

  Growing demand for mobile and digital product capabilities created a strategic rationale for adding a specialist design and development studio.

  What changed. Grey acquired ArcTouch and operated it as a subsidiary.

  Aftermath. The acquisition expanded Grey’s mobile design and digital development capabilities.

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• 2000Adopt the Grey Global Group identityStrategy

  The organization had expanded beyond its historical advertising identity into a broader international communications group.

  What changed. Grey Advertising was renamed Grey Global Group.

  Aftermath. The new identity emphasized the network’s wider global and communications scope.

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• 2016Grey for Good refugee-app controversyControversy

  Grey for Good, the group’s philanthropic communications division, was associated with a purported crowdsourcing application presented as a response to the Mediterranean refugee crisis. Developers later debunked the app, and Apple removed it from its App Store on the day it received a Bronze Lion at Cannes Lions.

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• 2022Laura Maness appointed global chief executive

  Laura Maness became Grey’s global CEO and the first woman to hold the role in the group’s history.

  Leadership change
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• 2020WPP combines Grey Group and AKQA

  WPP merged Grey Group and AKQA into a new AKQA Group structure.

  M&A
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• 2017Grey London temporarily rebrands as Valenstein & Fatt

  The London office adopted the founders’ names for a limited centenary initiative addressing the history of the company and prejudice in society.

  Campaign
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• 2017Michael Houston appointed worldwide chief executive

  Grey appointed Michael Houston as worldwide chief executive during its centenary year.

  Leadership change
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• 2016Grey acquires ArcTouch

  Grey acquired the mobile design and development studio ArcTouch, which continued as a subsidiary.

  M&A
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• 2007James R. Heekin III becomes chairman and chief executive of Grey Group

  Heekin assumed the top leadership role of the renamed agency holding company after previously leading Grey Worldwide.

  Leadership change
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• 2000Grey Advertising becomes Grey Global Group

  The agency changed its corporate name to Grey Global Group as its activities extended beyond traditional advertising.

  Other
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1. Grey Global Group