McCann vs Mother:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, McCann had more branded searches than Mother among creative agencies worldwide. McCann had about 49,500 branded searches, while Mother had 5,400. McCann made up 18% of all creative agency searches we track, and Mother accounted for 2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about creative agencies, Mother appeared in two of the four answers and McCann in none.
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Top creative agencies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Mother was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. McCann did not appear in any of the four answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Wieden+Kennedy1st
Droga52nd
Mother3rd
Anomaly4th
Ogilvy5th
McCann–
DDB–
BBDO–
Leo Burnett–
TBWA–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Wieden+Kennedy2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Droga52 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Mother2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Anomaly2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Ogilvy1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- McCann0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- DDB0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- BBDO0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Leo Burnett0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- TBWA0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
See every answer about creative agencies
4 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which creative agency should I hire?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best creative agencies?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best creative agency for brand campaigns?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“creative agencies”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“branding agency”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is McCann or Mother more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for McCann and Mother by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten creative agencies we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for McCann, Mother. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Ogilvy | McCann | DDB | BBDO | Leo Burnett | TBWA | Wieden+Kennedy | Droga5 | Mother | Anomaly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 29% | 23.9% | 16% | 4.8% | 7.2% | 8.7% | 5.9% | 2.6% | 1.4% | 0.5% |
| Nov 2025 | 29.2% | 19.5% | 16% | 5.8% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 7.2% | 2.6% | 1.7% | 0.52% |
| Dec 2025 | 30.4% | 16.6% | 16.6% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 11.1% | 6.1% | 2.7% | 1.2% | 0.44% |
| Jan 2026 | 30.6% | 16.8% | 13.7% | 7.5% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 7.5% | 3.4% | 1.5% | 0.64% |
| Feb 2026 | 30.2% | 20.2% | 11% | 7.4% | 9% | 9% | 7.4% | 3.3% | 1.8% | 0.63% |
| Mar 2026 | 29.8% | 16.3% | 13.3% | 7.3% | 8.9% | 8.9% | 8.9% | 4% | 1.8% | 0.79% |
| Apr 2026 | 30.6% | 16.8% | 11.2% | 7.5% | 9.2% | 11.2% | 7.5% | 3.4% | 1.8% | 0.81% |
| May 2026 | 31.7% | 17.3% | 11.6% | 6.3% | 7.8% | 11.6% | 7.8% | 3.5% | 1.9% | 0.56% |
| Jun 2026 | 32.9% | 18% | 12% | 6.6% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 3.6% | 2% | 0.58% |
| Jul 2026 | 30.1% | 20.1% | 13.5% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 4% | 2.2% | 0.65% |
| Aug 2026 | 30.4% | 16.7% | 13.6% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 11.1% | 7.4% | 3.3% | 1.8% | 0.66% |
| Sep 2026 | 32.9% | 18% | 12% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 6.6% | 3.6% | 2% | 0.58% |
How has the McCann and Mother comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- McCann was ahead of Mother in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McCann’s share of searches among creative agencies worldwide moved from 23.9% to 18%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90.5K to 49.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mother’s share of searches among creative agencies worldwide moved from 1.4% to 2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 5.4K.
How did search popularity change for creative agencies worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, McCann gained share of searches among creative agencies worldwide, from 16.7% to 18%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using McCann’s and Mother’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among creative agencies
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