How we classify companies

Every company on ATDb carries a type — a label for what kind of thing it is in the corporate family, not just what it does. Types keep the map consistent: they tell you at a glance whether something is an independent business, a part of a larger one, or an owner of others. Here's what each label means.

Owners — companies that own others and sell nothing themselves

• Holding company — owns a stable of agencies (e.g. Omnicom, WPP).
• Tech giant — owns many products and companies (e.g. Google, Meta).
• Investment firm — owns companies as investments and doesn't run them day to day (e.g. Blackstone).

Operators — companies that do or sell something themselves

• Agency — does the work for clients (e.g. OMD).
• Consultancy — advises and builds for clients (e.g. Accenture, Deloitte).
• Tech vendor — builds and sells its own software (e.g. The Trade Desk).
• Publisher / media owner — produces content and sells advertising (e.g. BuzzFeed, Axel Springer).
• Retailer / commerce — a store or marketplace, included for its advertising business (e.g. Walmart, eBay).
• Other operating company — a business from another industry that's here for its ad arm (e.g. Uber, a telco).

Parts of a bigger company

• Brand — a name you go to (e.g. CNN, Instagram).
• Product — a tool you operate (e.g. Meta Ads, the App Store).
• Division — a business unit inside a company (e.g. Amazon Ads).

And one more: an Industry body is a non-profit that sets the rules of the road (e.g. IAB).

The logic in plain English

• The owner shapes what a company is — but its own nature can override. A creative shop owned by a consulting firm is still an agency.
• A name you go to is a brand; a tool you operate is a product; a behind-the-scenes unit is a division. "Amazon Ads" is a division; "Meta Ads" is a product you log into.
• When a company is acquired, it stays its own company until it's folded in. Bought but still sold under its own name → still independent (just owned). Folded into the parent's product line → it becomes one of the parent's products.
• We keep history. When a company changes its name or its kind, the old version stays on record, so older facts still read correctly.

These rules are applied the same way to every company, so the connections you see across the site stay consistent.