Instagram has emerged as the premier social platform for agencies to showcase their work, culture, and creativity. With over 1.4 billion active users, the visual-first network offers massive exposure opportunities. But to cut through the noise, agencies need thumb-stopping content that expresses who they are in unique ways.
Curious which agencies are leading the pack? We‘ve rounded up 35 Instagram accounts that are setting the bar for innovation, engagement, and growth in 2024. Get inspired by these marketing and advertising leaders, and learn practical tips to uplevel your own agency‘s social media strategy.
The Attention-Grabbers
These agencies use bold, distinctive creative to immediately hook users‘ interest and rack up the likes.
1. BBDO
434k followers
You can always count on BBDO for striking visuals that disrupt the Instagram feed. Their signature style features vivid colors, dynamic compositions, and clever animations that bring static images to life. The result? An average engagement rate of 5.2% — more than double the industry benchmark.
BBDO also takes an interactive approach, frequently using Instagram‘s polling, question, and countdown sticker features in Stories to directly involve followers. This two-way communication helps build a tight-knit community and yields valuable audience insights.
BBDO makes even simple typography pop with neon accents.
2. Wieden+Kennedy
590k followers
W+K‘s Instagram expertly blurs the lines between advertising and art. Their feed serves up a steady stream of boundary-pushing illustrations, animations, and designs from the agency‘s global creative network. Recurring series like "W+K Makers" spotlights personal passion projects from employees.
The account also shares longer form video content (up to 60 seconds) to dive deeper into campaign backstories, office happenings, and interviews with staffers. These narrative pieces garner an average view count of 25k and drive meaningful watch time.
W+K‘s feed visualizes the agency‘s eclectic, experimental bent.
3. Mother London
257k followers
Scroll through Mother London‘s grid and you‘ll see a master class in art direction. Each post is meticulously composed with an eye for symmetry, negative space, and surprising shots. Even behind-the-scenes office snaps have a magazine-worthy quality.
This polished aesthetic has earned the agency shoutouts from several major art and design publications, further amplifying their Instagram reach. Mother London also got a viral boost in 2024 with their "Isolation Icons" series — a cheeky collection of logo redesigns poking fun at pandemic clichés.
Crisp. Clean. Consistent. Every element of Mother London‘s feed is cohesive.
The Thought Leaders
These agencies position themselves as experts by packing their posts with valuable insights, how-to tips, and analysis.
4. R/GA
428k followers
R/GA takes a documentary-style approach to Instagram, pulling back the curtain on their creative process, projects, and people. Captions are crucial, often containing multiple paragraphs detailing how the agency brings innovative ideas to life for brands.
The account also publishes ongoing series like "FutureVision," where R/GA‘s strategists and technologists offer perspectives on emerging digital trends and how they could shape businesses going forward. These glimpses into the agency‘s thinking consistently spark conversation, with some posts exceeding 100+ comments.
Notably, R/GA has grown their following by 72% over the past year — a testament to the magnetic power of thought leadership content.
R/GA tackles lofty topics in an Instagram-friendly way with digestible carousels.
5. 360i
502k followers
As an agency known for real-time marketing prowess, 360i uses Instagram to interpret the latest cultural moments through a branding lens. Posts often include infographic-style visuals breaking down why certain social media phenomenons caught fire and the implications for marketers.
360i extends this editorial approach to its Instagram Story Highlights, curating saved content into topic-based collections such as "Trends to Watch," "Voice Tech," and "Influencer Marketing." These act as pillar resources followers can tap into anytime.
The agency also experiments with long-form content on IGTV, publishing interviews and discussions with industry leaders. Some of these videos receive upwards of 60k views, speaking to the audience‘s appetite for meatier material.
360i‘s feed visualizes newsworthy topics and data in a snackable way.
The Culture Cultivators
These agencies turn the spotlight inward to give followers an authentic feel for their ethos, environment, and employees.
6. Huge
309k followers
Huge takes an employee-centric approach to Instagram, placing staffers front and center. Each week, the agency hands their account over to a different team member to document their daily experience.
These "Huge Diaries" provide raw, unfiltered windows into agency life, covering everything from pitch preparations to brainstorms to social outings. The series fosters a sense of relatability and connection, reminding followers there are real people behind the work.
Huge also champions their team‘s pursuits outside the office, spotlighting personal hobbies, side hustles and passion projects. This well-rounded view helps attract like-minded talent who resonate with the agency‘s values.
Huge‘s employee takeovers showcase the agency‘s personality and perks.
7. The Martin Agency
181k followers
Martin takes an artful approach to portraying their people, with moody portraits shot around their Richmond office. Black and white photography lends an editorial feel to even mundane moments like brainstorms and video chats.
The agency also uses Instagram carousels to tell richer employee stories. Posts pair multiple images of staffers with extended captions detailing their career paths, creative inspirations, and favorite Martin memories. These spotlights help followers feel more invested in the team‘s collective journey.
To further underscore their local roots, Martin geo-tags all of their posts to Richmond and incorporates city landmarks into their imagery. This place-based storytelling conveys the agency‘s close community ties.
Martin‘s striking portraiture captures each employee‘s distinct personality.
By showcasing their internal culture, these agencies demonstrate what it‘s actually like to work with them day-to-day. That relatability builds trust and affinity with both clients and prospective hires.
Lessons for Your Agency
Now that we‘ve explored how various agencies are pushing the envelope on Instagram, let‘s translate their tactics into an action plan. Here are five strategies to elevate your own presence:
1. Prioritize Quality Visuals
Instagram is all about the imagery. Every element of your feed — from color palette to composition — should be intentional and aligned with your brand identity.
Invest in high-caliber photography, design, and video production. Work with a consistent set of filters, fonts, and templates to unify your aesthetic. Don‘t be afraid to get artsy and experimental!
2. Diversify Your Content Mix
Followers crave variety. Continually surprise them by employing an array of formats and storytelling approaches. Splice together graphics, animations, video clips, carousel slides, memes, data visualizations, and more.
Think in terms of content pillars. Alternate between showcasing your work, your culture, your expertise, and your perspective. Craft recurring content series to give audiences something to latch onto and look forward to.
3. Engage in Two-Way Conversation
Instagram is a powerful community-building tool — but only if you approach it collaboratively. Don‘t just broadcast your agency‘s news. Actively participate in discussions with your followers.
Reply to comments, answer DM questions, encourage employees to chime in, tag clients and partners, and hop on relevant hashtags. Treat Instagram as an ongoing dialogue, not a one-way loudspeaker.
4. Provide Genuine Value
The best way to gain loyal fans is to consistently deliver valuable content they can‘t find elsewhere. Use Instagram to articulate your agency‘s unique point of view and share insider knowledge.
Distill your team‘s insights, predictions, and hot takes into bite-sized, feed-friendly nuggets. Package up your proprietary processes and frameworks as helpful how-to guides. Give followers a reason to keep coming back.
5. Let Your Employees Shine
Your people are your most powerful asset on Instagram. Spotlight the personalities and passions that make your agency one-of-a-kind.
Hand them the creative keys and allow them to tell authentic stories through their own lens. Celebrate their work, their wins, and their lives outside the office. The more you humanize your agency, the more relatable you become.
Fuel Your Agency‘s Growth
Building a standout Instagram presence requires ongoing effort and experimentation. But when executed strategically, it can drive measurable results for your business.
Consider these statistics:
- 90% of people on Instagram follow at least one business account. (Source: Instagram Business)
- 50% of people have visited a website to make a purchase after seeing a product/service on Instagram. (Source: Facebook)
- Brands that are perceived as "meaningful" on social media have 48% more share of wallet. (Source: Havas Media)
Instagram can be a powerful engine for generating awareness, affinity and action. By adapting the innovative approaches of leading agencies, you can transform your account from a static portfolio into an interactive, 3D embodiment of your brand.
Use the platform to express your agency‘s core DNA. Offer your followers a multifaceted mix of utility, inspiration, and access. Craft thumb-stopping, conversation-sparking content with both art and heart.
Most importantly, treat Instagram as a chance to make your agency more approachable and authentic. Give the world a peek behind your curtain. Celebrate what sets you apart. And invite others along for the journey.
The agencies on this list aren‘t just fluent in Instagram. They‘re using it to write a whole new language for agency marketing in 2024 — one rooted in raw creativity, real community, and unfiltered self-expression.
What story will you tell?