J. Walter Thompson has ousted its WPP sister shop, Ogilvy & Mather,
from third spot in the latest MMS ranking table.
A 12 per cent jump in billings in the year to September has enabled JWT
to muscle ahead of O&M, which has been rocked by the departure of the
#12 million Guinness account and has still to come to terms with the #20
million Ford business lost earlier this year to Young & Rubicam.
JWT’s success owes as much to organic growth as new business, with major
clients such as Kellogg, Barclays and Nestle all increasing their
spends.
Heavier spending by existing clients is also seen as the main reason for
a steady rise through the ranks by Publicis which, like JWT, has
profited from new assignments from Nestle - including Coffeemate and the
company’s 60th anniversary project - along with McVitie’s.
The agency’s move from seventh to sixth place, fuelled by a 17 per cent
billings growth, looks even more impressive when the loss of the #10
million Halfords business is taken into account.
While Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe maintains its momentum with a 40 per
cent billings rise which lifts it six places year on year, a rejuvenated
Leo Burnett runs it close with a 34 per cent billings boost during the
year.
Burnetts’ rise to 17th position reflects a period in which it has
benefited from a series of domestic wins - Walt Disney World, the
Express and BT consumer products among them - as well as international
realignments, notably Procter & Gamble’s Tambrands business.
At the same time, increased spending by existing Burnetts clients,
including P&G, McDonald’s and Kellogg, has helped sustain its
progress.
WCRS is reaping the rewards of an emphasis on new business. Debenhams,
Forte, Speedo and Freemans are testaments to the revival of the agency,
and with the #20 million National Lottery yet to kick in, WCRS looks
likely to deliver equally good results next year.
Initiative Media, on the back of its Peugeot-Citroen triumph, and
Universal McCann, with BSkyB, were the star media agency performers,
while MindShare, not in existence this time last year, makes third
place. However, MediaVest’s drop from third to fifth position despite an
8 per cent billings growth shows how tough it is at the top.
MEDIA AGENCY TABLE
Rank Agency Billings Billings y/o/y
98 97 year ending year ending % chg
Sept 98 (#m) Sept 97 (#m)
1 1 Zenith Media 551.95 527.79 4
2 2 Carat 427.71 379.80 12
3 - MindShare 344.77 - -
4 4 BMP Optimum 336.40 273.19 23
5 3 MediaVest 335.17 309.35 8
6 7 Initiative Media 283.02 205.62 37
7 6 Universal McCann 266.99 209.40 27
8 8 New PHD 231.26 204.28 13
9 5 Mediapolis 201.17 233.36 -13
10 11 The Media Business 179.18 166.44 7
11 12 Optimedia 177.41 155.87 13
12 14 BBJ 174.00 151.89 14
13 10 CIA Medianetwork 166.19 172.91 -3
14 15 MediaCom 154.01 145.29 6
15 16 Leo Burnett 150.97 144.79 4
16 17 Western International Media 143.10 133.04 7
17 19 Motive 122.23 116.92 4
18 13 IDK Media 101.88 151.98 -32
19 21 Saatchi & Saatchi 93.48 70.06 33
20 20 Manning Gottlieb Media 83.63 81.40 2
21 22 John Ayling & Associates 69.07 55.11 25
22 27 Media Solutions 62.12 48.30 28
23 26 Universal McCann M’chester 58.07 33.11 73
24 29 WIRR - Feather Brooksbank 57.57 49.88 6
25 23 Carat Manchester 56.82 54.44 4
26 25 MBS 52.30 50.00 4
27 24 CDP Media 50.51 51.76 -2
28 28 MediaVest Manchester 49.15 34.35 43
29 30 BJK&E Media 36.54 31.85 14
30 31 Media Campaign Services 36.04 28.18 27
Source: MMS.
AGENCY TABLE
Rank Agency Billings Billings y/o/y
98 97 year ending year ending % chg
Sept 98 (#m) Sept 97 (#m)
1 1 Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO 335.10 346.56 -3
2 2 Saatchi & Saatchi 266.51 281.58 -5
3 4 J. Walter Thompson 258.06 228.52 12
4 3 Ogilvy & Mather 249.33 245.36 1
5 5 BMP DDB 230.44 209.13 10
6 7 Publicis 223.15 189.14 17
7 - TBWA GGT Simons Palmer 215.98 - -
8 5 DMB&B 210.07 210.86 -
9 8 Grey Advertising 201.63 176.16 14
10 10 McCann-Erickson 191.70 156.82 22
11 9 Bates Dorland 171.03 173.55 -1
12 12 Lowe Howard-Spink 163.06 148.25 9
13 13 Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper 160.91 139.71 15
14 11 M&C Saatchi 151.69 154.99 -2
15 17 WCRS 147.03 112.39 30
16 14 Ammirati Puris Lintas 143.18 135.71 5
17 20 Leo Burnett 133.21 98.94 34
18 15 Bartle Bogle Hegarty 132.96 126.11 5
19 19 Young & Rubicam 116.69 101.21 15
20 26 Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe 58.57 41.58 40
21 22 HHCL & Partners 55.35 51.11 8
22 28 Leagas Delaney 54.62 38.29 42
23 21 Collett Dickenson Pearce 49.49 57.23 -13
24 27 Delaney Fletcher Bozell 49.48 40.58 21
25 29 Foote Cone & Belding 46.85 36.89 27
26 30 Banks Hoggins O’Shea 46.40 35.89 29
27 25 McCann-Erickson M’chester 42.18 42.87 -1
28 23 St Luke’s 39.69 48.84 -18
29 37 FCA! 37.86 24.25 56
30 24 RPM3 37.44 45.05 -16
Source: MMS.
