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Advertising Agencies in Chicago: An RFP for Hiring a Chicago Advertising Agency

Updated November 2026 · Written and maintained by the Progression Agency strategy team

Advertising agencies in Chicago answer the brief you send them, so this page gives you the brief: a request for proposal to copy, fill in and send today. It is written for marketing directors and owners buying agency time in a market with its own sign limits, a transit ad policy rewritten in 2026, and radio that reaches listeners in several languages. Each section asks what only a Chicago buyer needs answered, then a scoring grid turns the replies into a decision. Budget disclosure and published fee ranges sit inside the RFP. Progression is based in New York and takes on Chicago clients remotely, with on-site sessions on request.

On this page · 11 sections
  1. The cover note to send advertising agencies in Chicago
  2. Section A: who is asking and what the advertising must do
  3. Section B: the budget disclosure
  4. Section C: billboard advertising in Chicago, answered in writing
  5. Section D: CTA buses and trains under the 2026 policy
  6. Section E: radio advertising in Chicago in more than one language
  7. Section F: digital advertising agencies in Chicago and paid search
  8. The scoring grid: 100 points across six answers
  9. Who should receive the RFP: marketing and advertising agencies in Chicago of every size
  10. Chicago advertising agency replies: debrief, award and the letter to everyone else
  11. Related services and guides

The short answer The page is a document you can send. It opens with a cover note, then six sections of questions to copy: who is asking, the budget, billboards, CTA buses and trains, radio in more than one language, and digital advertising. A scoring grid of 100 points turns the replies into a decision, and the same grid goes to every agency. The points are our suggestion, and you may reweight them. The sign and transit rules are as read in November 2026, so ask counsel and the issuing office before you rely on them.

The CTA material is Ordinance 026-42 with its Exhibit A guidelines, approved April 8, 2026. The billboard section rests on one 2012 Illinois appellate order and on 23 U.S.C. 131, so ask the Department of Planning and Development and counsel for the current text of Chicago’s zoning chapter 17-12. Language figures are Census Bureau 2024 one-year estimates for Cook County, read through Census Reporter’s open copy, and are not the radio market. The radio market rank is a publisher’s listing of Nielsen data. We name no agency, station or seller, and no price is quoted for media, which the seller sets.

The cover note to send advertising agencies in Chicago

Copy the note below, put your own words in the brackets and send it with the rest of this document. It tells every agency that answers will be scored on the same grid.

Cover note to copy

Subject: Request for proposal, [category] advertising for [company]

Hello [name], [company] is hiring an advertising agency for [category] and is sending this request to [number] agencies. Please answer the six sections below in writing by [deadline]. We will score every answer on the grid at the end of this document, and the same grid goes to every agency. Our budget and goal are in Sections A and B. Questions go to [contact]. Thank you, [name].

Advertising agencies in Chicago, IL that get this note know on day one how they will be judged, which is why it comes first. The envelope holds six sections and the grid, and the cards show the six sections.

A: Who is asking. What you sell, who buys, one outcome and who signs off.
B: The budget. Total, working media and the fee quoted three ways.
C: Billboards. Permit, expressway distance and who holds the face.
D: CTA buses and trains. The 2026 policy, review order and attribution line.
E: Radio in more languages. County language figures and public files.
F: Digital and paid search. Account ownership, what counts as a lead and search terms.

If you are weighing media buying against planning before you send it, read media buying versus media planning.

Who should sign the note?

The person who will sign the award. An agency that answers a note nobody owns is writing to no one.

Section A: who is asking and what the advertising must do

Six questions, written to copy. They ask for facts only you hold. World Business Chicago says on its site that Chicago has the third largest workforce in the United States, which is the page’s own undated claim.

  1. What do we sell, and to whom?
  2. Do our customers live in the city, in the suburbs or beyond?
  3. What one measurable outcome must this advertising produce, and by what date?
  4. Who approves creative and who signs the contract?
  5. Which media have we used before, and what did we learn?
  6. Which languages do our customers use?

Why six questions and not twenty?

Because an agency that must answer twenty will answer in templates. Six forces a specific reply.

Section B: the budget disclosure

Tell every agency the budget. A reply written to an unknown number is a guess. Copy this: Our total budget is [amount], of which [amount] is working media. Quote your fee three ways.

A percent of spend ties the agency’s income to how much media you buy. A flat fee ties it to the work. Ask for both, and a third version of your own, so the quotes can be compared. See marketing agency pricing for how the ranges are built.

Fee ranges to hold each reply against

The bands below are published US market figures, not our rates, and none is specific to Chicago.

These are published US price bands (market figures, not a Progression rate card), read in October 2026 from WebFX, Clutch, Credo, Search Engine Journal, Linear Design, MarketerHire, Web Tonic, Moonb and DesignRush.
What is quotedPublished US band
Google Ads management$1,000 to $10,000 a month, or 10% to 20% of ad spend
Meta and paid social management$700 to $5,000 a month
Single channel retainer$1,000 to $12,000 a month
Full service retainer$5,000 to $50,000 a month
Fixed scope campaign project$10,000 to $50,000
Fractional CMO retainer$5,000 to $25,000 a month
TV commercial production$10,000 to $500,000 a spot, production only, airtime separate
Billboard, CTA space, radio and TV airtimeQuoted by the seller

Progression publishes no price list for advertising, and quotes after a written scope.

Why media is kept out of the fee line

The seller sets the price of media, and the agency shows you the seller’s quote. Billboard advertising in Chicago has no fee band we can publish, so the cost is whatever the seller quotes for that face and period, and the agency should attach the quote.

Section C: billboard advertising in Chicago, answered in writing

Outdoor advertising in Chicago carries its own limits near expressways, so ask for the answer in writing. Out of home advertising in Chicago is also where a proposed new face is most likely to need a permit record. For general format and cost material, see outdoor advertising agency.

Is this face inside 500 feet of an expressway?

A 2012 order from the Illinois Appellate Court, filed under Supreme Court Rule 23, which says such an order may not be cited as precedent except in limited circumstances, quotes Chicago Municipal Code 17-12-1006-F(1)(b), as amended November 19, 2008, as prohibiting off-premise signs within 500 feet of an expressway as designated by the Chicago Department of Transportation. The sign in that case was about 120 feet from an Interstate 90 ramp, and the appeals court reversed the circuit court and reinstated the denial of the permit. The order quotes the ordinance as it stood after 2008. Ask the Department of Planning and Development and counsel for the current text.

Question to copy

For each proposed face, state its distance from any expressway or toll road, who designated it as such, and attach the permit record for any proposed new face.

Who holds the permit on the face you are buying?

Ask who holds it, when it expires, whether the face is lit and whether it is digital. Federal law ties highway funds to a state’s effective control of signs within 660 feet of the right-of-way and visible from the main traveled way on the Interstate and primary systems, per 23 U.S.C. 131. Illinois has its own act and agency for those roads, so ask counsel and the agency for the permit details.

Question to copy

Name the permit holder, the expiration date, whether the face is illuminated and whether it is digital, and attach the seller’s quote.

Section D: CTA buses and trains under the 2026 policy

CTA Ordinance 026-42, passed and approved April 8, 2026, repeals the earlier Ordinance 013-63 and adopts new guidelines. It says the CTA’s fundamental purpose in accepting transit advertising is to generate revenue, and it treats the space as a non-public forum.

950,000: Weekday rides. The CTA's own figure for an average weekday.
8: Rail lines. As the CTA's ordinance describes the system.
127: Bus routes. Same source, the CTA's own count.
35: Suburbs. The ordinance says service reaches Chicago and 35 surrounding suburbs.

Those system figures are the CTA’s own, from the ordinance. The CTA’s advertising page directs advertisers to its vendor and lists bus and rail formats such as Kings, Queens and full wraps, and interior car cards, platform displays and station dominations. For buying and format detail, see transit advertising agency.

Creative the ordinance turns away

The ordinance bars political advertising, including advertisements that implicate the action, inaction or policies of a governmental entity, and public issue advertising meant to influence public policy. It bars religion, false or misleading material, and disparaging material, among other listed categories. A client with a policy message should be told before design starts. Alcohol is allowed with limits, set out in the table.

The CTA’s alcohol advertising limits, as Ordinance 026-42 reads
LimitWhat the ordinance says
Student ridershipNo alcohol ads within or on rail stations, or on buses at garages, where reduced fare student ridership exceeds 7.5%, as the CTA determines
Exterior rail and busNo more than 30 exterior rail car pairs and 75 exterior bus wraps at one time
Share of spaceNo more than 9.99% of the total advertising space at one time
The statementAt least 3% of the ad must state the legal drinking age in Illinois and the listed dangers

Who reviews your ad, and in what order

The ordinance sets out three steps, in the table.

The review path under Ordinance 026-42
StepWhoWhat happens
1The CTA’s advertising vendorInitial compliance review of the proposed ad
2The Business Development DepartmentEvaluates what the vendor cannot resolve
3The Vice President, Budget and Capital FinanceConducts a final review at the department’s request
Question to copy

Show the date you will submit creative and the date you need an answer.

The 72 point line

Where the sponsor is not readily and unambiguously identifiable, the ad must carry the phrase Advertisement paid for by in letters no smaller than 72 point on exteriors and 24 point on interiors. A teaser ad that does not identify the sponsor is allowed if a similar number of follow-up ads identifying the sponsor post within eight weeks.

Question to copy

If we run a teaser flight, show the follow-up flight and the date it posts.

Ready to send the RFP?Send us the RFP as you filled it in. You get a free proposal from a New York team answering every section in writing.

Get a free proposal

Section E: radio advertising in Chicago in more than one language

Radio advertising in Chicago is a large buy. The Radio Online market page lists Chicago as number 3, October 2026, PPM 6+, with a population of 8,028,600, which is a publisher’s listing of Nielsen data for subscribing stations. For station buying, see radio advertising agency.

Spanish and Polish at home in Cook County

The Census Bureau’s 2024 one-year estimates, read through Census Reporter’s open copy, give the figures below for Cook County. They are language at home for the county, not the radio market.

4,920,164: Cook County residents aged 5 and over. 2024 one-year estimate; this is the county, not the radio market.
3,134,545: Speak only English at home. Same estimate.
1,038,736: Speak Spanish at home. Margin of error 14,046.
113,466: Speak Polish at home. Margin of error 10,799.
Question to copy

Which of our customers need this in Spanish or Polish, and who writes it?

A campaign written first in the language is a different job from a translated one. That is a capability we offer, and no claim about any station. See Hispanic marketing agency for more.

Station files anyone can open

The FCC’s public inspection files site covers full-service radio and TV, Class A TV, cable, DBS and satellite radio. You can search by call sign, network affiliation, channel number or facility ID. The files hold information about political time sold or given away, quarterly lists of significant community-issue programming and ownership data. Ask for the call sign of every proposed station, so you can read its file before you buy. The rule on political files, 47 CFR 73.1943, covers records of requests to buy time for candidates or on a political matter of national importance, kept for two years. We make no claim about any station.

PPC advertising in Chicago is where most of the reply’s numbers live, so ask for them in writing. A digital advertising agency in Chicago should say who owns the accounts, what it counts as a lead and how it handles search terms in Spanish or Polish.

Digital advertising in Chicago also includes paid social, covered at Facebook ads agency, and search, covered at PPC agency. For the whole discipline, see digital advertising agency.

Who owns the ad accounts?

You should. Ask the agency to confirm in writing that the accounts are in your name and that you keep access at the end.

Question to copy

State who owns each ad account, what counts as a lead, and how search terms in Spanish or Polish are handled.

Should you hire a Google Ads agency in Chicago?

A Google Ads agency in Chicago is one way to run search. The question is not the label, it is whether the reply names the account owner and the lead definition.

The scoring grid: 100 points across six answers

Score each reply on this grid. The points are our suggestion, and you may reweight them.

The scoring grid (our suggestion; reweight it as you wish)
SectionWhat a full score answer showsPoints
A: local marketA specific customer, city or suburb, and one measurable outcome15
B: fee clarityA fee quoted three ways, with media kept out of the fee line20
C: billboard evidenceDistances, permit records and a seller’s quote for each face15
D: transit timingSubmission and answer dates, and the sponsor line handled10
E: language planWho writes in Spanish or Polish, and which customers need it15
F: account ownership and measurementAccounts in your name and a definition of a lead25
Total100
25: Section F. Account ownership and measurement carry the most points.
20: Section B. Fee clarity.
15: Sections A, C and E. Local market, billboard evidence and the language plan.
10: Section D. Transit timing.

How do you break a tie?

Choose the agency that named a reason not to buy a medium. An agency that says no to something is reading your brief.

Who should receive the RFP: marketing and advertising agencies in Chicago of every size

An advertising company in Chicago can be a team of three or a team of three hundred, and the same note goes to each. An advertising agency in Chicago answers the brief it is given, whatever its size.

The note works as well for an advertising agency in Chicago, IL as it does for advertising agencies in Chicago, Illinois, because the questions concern your market and not the agency’s address.

The largest advertising agencies in Chicago and the biggest independent shops get the same questions, because the grid scores the answer and not the logo. Independent advertising agencies in Chicago and creative advertising agencies in Chicago are scored the same way.

Small advertising agencies in Chicago can win on this grid, since no line scores size. Boutique advertising agencies in Chicago do well when they name a specific customer.

Healthcare advertising agencies in Chicago may be worth including if your buyers are patients or clinicians; see healthcare advertising agency. Otherwise skip them.

A list of top or best ad agencies in Chicago tells you who is known, and the grid tells you who answered. We name no firms.

Chicago advertising agency replies: debrief, award and the letter to everyone else

Score each reply alone, then compare. Hold a 45 minute debrief with the top two, and ask each to defend the answer where it lost points.

Hiring for advertising in Chicago ends with two letters. The award letter names the scope, the fee version you chose and the date work starts. The courtesy note goes to the others.

Courtesy note to copy

Hello [name], thank you for your reply to our request for proposal. We have chosen another agency for this work. Your answers to Sections [letters] were strong, and we would like to keep your details for future work. Thank you, [name].

How should the debrief run?

Ask each finalist to walk through the section where it scored lowest, and to say what it would change. Keep it to the questions on the grid.

While you are hiring for media, you may also need a web design in Chicago, IL partner or a PR firm in Chicago. Those pages are separate documents.

Get a free proposal

Send us the RFP as you filled it in. You get a free proposal from a New York team answering every section in writing.

Get a free proposal

Pages that sit beside this RFP:

Getting found in search

AI, AEO and what is changing

Paid media and lead generation

Websites and design

Choosing and working with an agency

Software and app development

Website design by industry and type

Web development, platforms and hosting

Social, content and brand

By industry and by situation

Frequently asked questions

What should an RFP to advertising agencies in Chicago include?
A cover note, six sections of questions and a scoring grid. The sections cover who is asking, the budget, billboards, CTA space, radio in more than one language and digital.
How many marketing and advertising agencies in Chicago, Illinois should get the RFP?
Three to five, as our suggestion. Fewer limits your choice and more makes the replies thin.
Should I tell a Chicago advertising agency my budget up front?
Yes, in writing, split into the total and the working media. Ask for the fee quoted three ways.
Can a new billboard go up near a Chicago expressway?
A 2012 appellate order quotes a rule against off-premise signs within 500 feet of an expressway, as amended in 2008. Ask the city and counsel for the current text.
How much does billboard advertising in Chicago cost?
The seller quotes it for the face and period. We publish no city figure; see outdoor advertising for general format material.
Can I run issue or political ads on CTA buses and trains?
No. Ordinance 026-42 bars political advertising and public issue advertising meant to influence public policy.
Does the CTA take alcohol ads?
Yes, with limits on where, how many and how much of the ad must carry the legal drinking age statement, as the ordinance reads.
Does radio advertising in Chicago need Spanish or Polish spots?
It depends on your customers. Cook County has 1,038,736 residents who speak Spanish at home and 113,466 who speak Polish, by the 2024 estimate.
Where can I see a Chicago station’s public file?
At the FCC’s public inspection files site. Search by call sign, network affiliation, channel number or facility ID.
What does PPC advertising in Chicago cost to manage?
Published US bands run from $1,000 to $10,000 a month or 10% to 20% of ad spend. We claim no city figure.
Which are the top or best advertising agencies in Chicago?
This page names no firms. Send the RFP and let the grid decide.
Do small advertising agencies in Chicago lose on this grid?
No. The points reward answers, and no line scores size.
Can an agency based outside Chicago answer this RFP?
Yes. Progression is based in New York and works with Chicago clients remotely, with on-site sessions on request.
Who should sign the cover note?
The person who will sign the award, so the replies go to someone who owns the decision.
What is a working media budget?
The part of the budget spent on buying space or time, as opposed to the agency’s fee or production.
Why ask for the fee three ways?
A percent of spend and a flat fee behave differently, so quoting both plus your own version makes the replies comparable.
Can the points on the grid be changed?
Yes. They are our suggestion, and you may reweight them to fit what matters to you.
Why does the page not name a CTA vendor?
The CTA’s page directs advertisers to its vendor, and we do not name companies. Read the CTA’s page to find it.
Does Section C give legal advice on signs?
No. It reports what one 2012 order and a federal statute say. Ask counsel and the city.
What do I send to agencies I did not choose?
A short courtesy note. There is one to copy in the last section.

Ready to send the RFP?Send us the RFP as you filled it in. You get a free proposal from a New York team answering every section in writing.

Get a free proposal

Get a free marketing proposal

Tell us what you are trying to grow and we will come back with a plan, not a pitch deck. Same-day reply on weekdays.

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