In 2007, RECMA analysed 2179 pitches and moves, including retentions and extensions of accounts from 205 agencies in 15 countries. The methodology is based on a quali-quanti analysis of the departures and wins classified between 12 possible reasons. The agency evaluation is distributed between five grades from A+ to C.
The 15 country totalisation of grades gives points of competitiveness: below is the 2007 ranking.
| Ranking | 2007 | Points | Marketing services group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mediaedge:cia | 365 | GroupM/WPP |
| 2 | MediaCom | 356 | GroupM/WPP |
| 3 | ZenithOptimedia | 341 | Publicis PGM |
| 4 | OMD | 302 | Omnicom OMG |
| 5 | MPG | 287 | Havas Media |
| 6 | Starcom MediaVest | 282 | Publicis PGM |
| 7 | Carat | 277 | Aegis Media |
| 8 | Universal McCann | 275 | Interpublic |
| 9 | Initiative | 252 | Interpublic |
| 10 | MindShare | 245 | GroupM/WPP |
| 11 | Vizeum (10 ag) | 196 | Aegis Media |
| 12 | PHD (7 ag) | 180 | Omnicom OMG |
| 13 | Maxus (6 ag) | 146 | GroupM/WPP |
| 14 | Arena (2 ag) | 35 | Havas Media |
Some observations
1. Some networks have not been rolled out globally yet : from Vizeum (10 agencies) to Arena (two agencies).
2. The leader Mediaedge:cia received 50% more points than MindShare, ranked 10th; the differences between the networks are significant.
3. With four networks in the industry, GroupM/WPP catchs 31% of the total number of points, ahead of Publicis (share of 18%), Interpublic (15%), Omnicom (14%), Aegis (13%) and Havas (9%).
4. Even if the pitches and moves are cyclical, the agency competitiveness is constant : based on four years (2004 – 2007) the best performers are Mediaedge:cia (average 370 points) ; MediaCom (315) ; ZenithOptimedia (310) followed by MindShare (309), Carat ((308), Starcom MediaVest (307), OMD (288) etc.
5. The US represents 27% of the total points ; Europe 46% etc. Excluding the US, on the basis of 14 major countries worldwide, the ranking is different : first OMD (277 points); second Mediaedge:cia (240); third MediaCom and ZenithOptimedia (231); fifth Carat (227), etc
6. Comparing 2007 and 2006, Mediaedge:cia and MediaCom are ranked second and third behind MindShare (354 pts) ; Carat was fourth in 2006 against seventh in 2007 and conversely OMD was eighth in 2006 and is fourth in 2007.
The Compitches Report is available to subscribers only and is strictly confidential. A free extract is available from www.recma.com/?wpid=11062 (registration is free). Details by country are not available for press publication. RECMA will publish in May 2008 the billings rankings by country, of which key data will available to the trade press.
