Carter departed as JWT's chief executive, then the agency lost out
on the People's Lottery, a business JWT believed was in the bag. The
loss of the BBC account by Leagas Delaney was countered by its securing
of the £70 million Lycos business. Leith's London launch added to
the agency's momentum
J. WALTER THOMPSON.
Kellogg's
Declared billings 2000 n/s
MMS 283m
Declared income 2000 n/s
Total accounts year end 52
Accounts gained 10
Accounts lost 3
Total staff 417
Company type: WPP subsidiary
Not a great year for J. Walter Thompson despite some satisfying account
wins. September saw the departure of the chief executive, Stephen
Carter, to ntl and the agency took five months to appoint a successor,
Simon Bolton.
However, by autumn, JWT had notched up £51 million in billings
with £4 million in losses, bringing it in at number nine on the
Campaign business performance league 2000.
January gave the agency a great start to the year with the Unilever
pan-European Van den Bergh win, worth £60 million. In February
came the £22 million account win for Marketsunlocked. Other wins
included Conde Nast's new women's title Glamour.
With Branson's People's Lottery looking like it had prised the lottery
chalice from Camelot, JWT thought it had the £20 million task sewn
up until the decision was reversed in December.
Ladbrokes and Frosties left the agency. Ladbrokes had been with JWT for
seven years. Ironically, the agency gave up the work because its links
with the People's Lottery created a conflict of interest.
Apart from Carter, there were a number of moves in and out of JWT's
doors.
Derek Day was lured away from Partners BDDH to head the global creative
work for Unilever. Enda McCarthy was pinched from Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper
to run the Kellogg's account. After eight years, the planning director,
Merry Baskin, threw in the towel to start up her own consultancy and the
marketing director, Mark Robinson, quit in November. He joins Miracle
Media this year.
This year, JWT will have to pull out all the stops to secure its place
with Unilever after the impending £200 million realignment of the
Van den Bergh and Bestfoods brands. And a question mark remains over the
agency's ability to produce great, rather than merely good, creative
work.
SCORE LAST YEAR 7
SCORE THIS YEAR 6
LEAGAS DELANEY
Barclays
Declared billings 2000 92m
MMS 61m
Declared income 2000 14m
Total accounts year end n/s
Accounts gained 3
Accounts lost 2
Total staff 142
Company type: Envoy Communications company
The big news for Leagas Delaney in 2000 came in November, with its
decision to sell out to the Canadian Envoy Communications for a whopping
£60 million.
Although it already has offices in Paris, Rome, San Francisco, and
Hamburg the move proves the agency means business as it plans to use
Envoy's backing to establish itself as a global player.
The last months of 2000 saw a step-change in the agency's management as
it sorted out a succession strategy after a raft of medium-to high-level
departures. The former chief executive Bruce Haines took over as the
chairman from Tim Delaney, who became the chief executive. The former
managing director Nick Hough was made deputy to Haines.
Day-to-day management of the agency is now handled by the joint managing
directors, Justin Bairamain and Colin Clarke.
However, Leagas has admitted there is much to be done - from revamping
the way the office works to scooping more UK business (some 80 per cent
of its work comes from overseas) to working on more integrated marketing
campaigns.
It won the £70 million pan-European Lycos account in April, but
apart from brokering the deal with the Canadians, Leagas Delaney has had
a less than brilliant year in the UK, climaxing with the loss of its
flagship BBC account to Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO in December.
Work on its Nintendo account has been wound down following the brand's
evaluation after the hugely successful launch of its rival Sony
PlayStation2.
The chocolate manufacturer Bendicks also left the account list after a
ten-year relationship. However, the agency did produce one of the most
talked-about campaigns of the year - Barclays' 'big' advertising.
In the coming year, no doubt the agency will be looking to add more UK
billings as well as working out a solution to its search for a media
partner.
SCORE LAST YEAR 7
SCORE THIS YEAR 6
THE LEITH AGENCY
Carling
Declared billings 2000 n/s
MMS 29m
Declared income 2000 4m
Total accounts year end 22
Accounts gained 9
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 62
Company type: Private company
Last year, Leith continued to be Scotland's most talked-about creative
agency, often finding the opportunity to showcase its credentials
outside the Scottish marketplace.
It kicked off the year with John Rowley's promotion to chief executive,
and a brief to actively pursue new business south of the border. Swiping
Bass' £7 million Grolsch account from Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper was a
major victory, followed by being appointed lead agency for Honda Motor
Europe South in June. It then won the £30 million pan-European
launch of the Honda Civic and the £10 million Carling account in
August. It also got on to COI Communications' roster.
With the Scottish agency in buoyant form, Leith London opened amid a
flurry of speculation in September. The quality of the surprise
management line-up appeared to lend the right amount of gravitas. Jeremy
Pyne and John Messum defected from Saatchi & Saatchi to become the
managing director and joint creative director alongside Paul Silburn
from Leo Burnett.
There's no doubt that the launch of the London agency helped Leith win
its international business.
Though Leith London had no confirmed wins by the end of the year, Leith
Edinburgh showed consistent form by winning the Grand Prix at the
Scottish Advertising Awards. However, there were creative misses - the
Grolsch work was picked as a Campaign Turkey.
A few significant wins and some top creative work will be needed if the
London agency is to stand out in a crowded market.
SCORE LAST YEAR 6
SCORE THIS YEAR 7
Leo Burnett had a solid year in the face of major changes at the London
agency. Lowe Lintas defied the cynics to be named Agency of the Year.
And M&C Saatchi outstripped Saatchi & Saatchi in the billings table for
the first time
LEO BURNETT
John West
Declared billings 2000 235m
MMS 118m
Declared income 2000 30m
Total accounts year end 34
Accounts gained 10
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 296
Company type: B/Com3 subsidiary
Following the whirlwind of last year's deal with the MacManus Group and
Dentsu, Leo Burnett Worldwide had a solid 2000 as the whole group moves
towards an IPO. However, there were creative highlights and plenty of
changes at the London agency.
The creation of its new holding company B/Com3, will undoubtedly have an
impact on Leo Burnett London in future but at the moment most change is
being driven by the desire to diversify to complement core advertising
services.
Billings were up £15 million to £235 million. New account
wins included Virgin Energy, P&O Cruises, BBC Worldwide, Handspring and
QXL.com. But it lost the £3 million Gordon's Gin account to Bartle
Bogle Hegarty.
The big news in management terms came at the end of the year when it was
announced that Nick Brien, chief executive in London, will leave this
April for the US. Brien has driven diversification into digital media
through Hard Reality and direct marketing with Leonardo, which in its
first year picked up £15 million in billings from clients
including Kellogg's.
Brien has assembled a good management team but much will depend this
year on how new chief Stephen Whyte - the former managing director -
adapts to increased responsibility.
What was undeniable last year was the high standard of its creative.
The McDonald's work continued to impress, with the 'Chinese' spot the
best, but it also produced some good work on other accounts. Its John
West salmon TV ad is brilliant and Heinz Salad Cream was strong across
the board which helped Heinz to win Campaign's Advertiser of the Year
award. The signs are that the creative directors Nick Bell and Mark
Tutssel are improving the creative product.
Leo Burnett is not the boring agency it once was but the next job for
the London operation is to win some serious new business.
SCORE LAST YEAR 5
SCORE THIS YEAR 7
LOWE LINTAS
Weetabix
Declared billings 2000 348m
MMS 208m
Declared income 2000 33m
Total accounts year end 32
Accounts gained 10
Accounts lost 1E
Total staff 320
Company type: Interpublic subsidiary
Last year Campaign ended its report on Lowe with the advice that, as the
culture clashes between the newly merged Lowe Howard-Spink and Ammirati
Puris Lintas were substantial, Lowe was going to have to get its
creative fingers dirty servicing some unglamorous accounts.
Well, creative director Charles Inge's department has rolled up its
sleeves and got stuck in to clients like Carte D'Or and Weetabix, turned
the previous ailing creative work around and produced award winning
stuff.
With numerous awards already under its belt - including Campaign Press
and grand prix at the 2000 IPA Advertising Effectiveness Awards - Lowe
has proved the doubters wrong.
With new billings at £90.5 million and losses of only £11
million, Lowe jumped right to the top of the Business Performance
League. It's this sterling performance against stiff criticism that was
a major factor for the agency winning Campaign's coveted Agency of the
Year title.
In a sparkling first year, the agency won over some impressive clients,
such as Orange, Priceline.com and the internet banking venture between
Merrill Lynch and HSBC.
Although Lowe was beaten in a number of pitches - most notably by JWT
for Unilever's Bestfoods work - it had few losses, including P&O Cruises
to Leo Burnett, and Alberto-Culver's VO5.
Its direct marketing operation Lowe Direct won £26 million of new
business from 3Com, NEC and Merrill Lynch HSBC and won creative awards
for its Saab and Egg work. Lowe also acquired the independent
advertising and marketing agency, the Broadway Group.
Lowe couldn't have asked for a better year but it will have to work hard
on Unilever to capitalise on the client's £200 million global
realignment for 2001.
SCORE LAST YEAR -
SCORE THIS YEAR 9
M&C SAATCHI
Vogue.com
Declared billings 2000 260m
MMS 237m
Declared income 2000 n/s
Total accounts year end 49
Accounts gained 14
Accounts lost 2
Total staff 316
Company type: Private company
If M&C Saatchi began life as an instrument of revenge on those who
Maurice Saatchi believed betrayed him, then his agency's achievement in
outstripping Saatchi & Saatchi for the first time in the billings table
must have been sweet indeed.
It certainly indicated how much the pecking order has changed since the
Saatchi brothers went into exile six years ago. Their old group is now
an integral part of the ambitious global plans of the Paris-based
Publicis and speculation is heavy that M&C too will soon succumb to a
communications giant's overtures.
Havas, the great French rival to Publicis, was said to be eyeing M&C as
a possible marriage partner for WCRS. Others have floated the
possibility that Publicis, which jointly services the British Airways
global account with M&C, might acquire the agency, paving the way for
Maurice's return to run a reunited Saatchi empire.
For the moment, though, Maurice casts aside all talk of selling out.
He claims everybody is enjoying themselves too much and it's true that
the hunger which propelled M&C to a top ten ranking within five years
shows no sign of abating.
The agency's entry on to the COI roster to handle the 2001 census and
the first nationwide police recruitment campaign, buried the idea that
it was too tainted by past associations with the Tories to be a Labour
Government propagandist.
Its 'nipples' poster for Vogue.com, which took gold at the Campaign
Poster Awards, suggests M&C is getting to grips with its reputation for
erratic creativity. In 2000 it put Simon Dicketts in sole creative
command and promoted creative director James Lowther to chairman.
Although short-term tenure of the Sainsbury's TV account (which returned
to Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO) as well as a slashed Rover budget suggests
it isn't all beer and skittles at Golden Square, the signs are that
there'll be more hits than misses in 2001.
SCORE LAST YEAR 9
SCORE THIS YEAR 8
MBA won a number of new accounts including pan-European work for
Mercedes. McCann had a strong 2000 as the promotion of Ben Langdon
testifies. Miles Calcraft has matured into a well-rounded agency with
impressive new-business less than two years after launch
MAHER BIRD ASSOCIATES
Smart Car
Declared billings 2000 n/s
MMS 8m
Declared income 2000 3m
Total accounts year end n/s
Accounts gained n/s
Accounts lost n/s
Total staff 36
Company type: Omnicom subsidiary
MBA says that 2000 was its most successful year to date. Looking at the
performance it certainly wasn't a bad year at all - at the very least
Stephen Maher seems to be steering the agency in the right direction.
But a bit more speed wouldn't go amiss.
MBA pitched for six accounts last year and converted four of those into
clients. Adding to this respectable performance, the agency also kept
everyone happy and lost no existing clients over the year.
The new business started to roll in back in February. MBA won the £10 million task for the online insurance broker, Inspop.com. A positive
start to the year. But then it lost out on the Aristoc lingerie account
to Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy.
MBA had to wait until September for its next bit of good news when it
won the Smart Car account. Celebrations were tainted by news the
following week that Springer & Jacoby had won the international task -
and it was unclear how this would affect MBA's work on the account.
In October came the £1 million Bioform Bra win - along with
mountains of PR, including two TV documentaries, about its development
and design.
Later in the month MBA got its own back on Springer & Jacoby when it
beat it to the pan-European Mercedes Vaneo task, worth £3 million
in the UK.
With the prestigious Mercedes brief now under its belt, it will be
interesting to see if MBA spreads its wings further in 2001.
SCORE LAST YEAR -
SCORE THIS YEAR 6
MCCANN-ERICKSON
Bacardi
Declared billings 2000 410m
MMS 218m
Declared income 2000 n/s
Total accounts year end 270
Accounts gained 45
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 945
Company type: Interpublic subsidiary
McCann-Erickson enjoyed a strong 2000, posting an impressive
fourth-placed performance in the Campaign Business Performance League
and seeing its UK and Ireland Group become an account winning
mini-network in its own right.
Its youth subsidiary Magic Hat also enjoyed an impressive 12 months,
snapping up the £5 million Caterpillar business and taking the
£4 million UK account for Hennes & Mauritz. McCann's regional
presence was enhanced by the acquisition of Manchester agency, The
Quay.
The bulk of McCann UK's new business went to its London offices,
including the £20 million consolidated CGNU Norwich Union account.
McCann London also picked up the £12 million Viagra account from
Pfizer and the £20 million Onstar communications business from
Vauxhall.
International work continues to provide much of McCann UK's
backbone.
Holding Company IPG's appointment as Coca-Cola's international brand
consultants keeps McCann in touch with the business despite losing the
pan-European pitch to Publicis.
But McCann's creative output remains an easy target, with ads for Bird's
Eye frozen peas and Zovirax gracing Campaign's Turkey of the Week
spot.
There have been signs of improvement in 2000 with the Bacardi Breezer
'Tom cat' spot in particular winning plaudits. It remains to be seen
whether the appointment of Jeremy Perrot as executive creative director
will bring changes.
UK group chairman Ben Langdon's duties will be stretched yet further in
2001 by his new role overseeing Universal McCann across Europe. The
deputy chief executive Chris Hunton and the managing director Nick
Wright, recently arrived from Bates, must take responsibility in
ensuring that improvement continues.
SCORE LAST YEAR 7
SCORE THIS YEAR 7
MILES CALCRAFT BRIGINSHAW DUFFY
Bells
Declared billings 2000 28m
MMS 20m
Declared income 2000 3m
Total accounts year end 11
Accounts gained 9
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 30
Company type: Private company
Last year saw Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy mature from a fashionable
talking point to a well-rounded agency with a broad portfolio of clients
and a real body of work to prove its credentials.
It was an impressive new-business year by any standards. Of the 11
pitches the agency was involved in, it converted eight. Wins came in the
form of the £5 million European launch task for Self Trade, the
revamp work for Aristoc, the Bush Internet TV account, Dyson's £6
million business, £3 million of work for Thornton's, UDV's Bells
Whisky brand, BT's Syntegra account and the creative task for the Radio
Advertising Bureau.
The only stumble was a self-inflicted one: the agency resigned Bosch
after being asked to adapt foreign creative work.
It was also a frenetic creative year. The agency's creative directors
Paul Briginshaw and Malcolm Duffy produced 13 commercials in nine
months.
High-profile work included the launch work for Breathe.com - one of the
few creatively acclaimed dotcom ads, Aristoc's cinema debut, and the
Syntegra campaign.
On the personnel front, the agency broadened its offering by hiring in
some media expertise to add to its creative base. Janine Abrahams, the
former marketing director at MindShare, signed up as media strategy
director, moving to a marketing role when WWAV's former group media
director Ceri Davies and Hal Pearson from Starcom Motive also came on
board later in the year.
By the close of the year, Miles Calcraft had clocked up billings of
£28.2 million and had sealed its position as an established and
accomplished agency less than two years after its launch. The challenge
for the year ahead will be to really crack a couple of £10
million-plus accounts and focus on polishing the agency's creative
product.
SCORE LAST YEAR 6
SCORE THIS YEAR 8
Mother won more business from existing clients, such as Coca-Cola. MMHL
needs a big account win to replace Norwich Union. Ogilvy & Mather had a
better year with international business wins including Ford Europe
MOTHER
Harvey Nichols
Declared billings 2000 40m
MMS 26m
Declared income 2000 4m
Total accounts year end n/s
Accounts gained 11
Accounts lost 2
Total staff 42
Company type: Private company
With an impressive performance in 2000, Mother gave Lowe Lintas a
spirited run for its money for the title of Campaign's Agency of the
Year.
Despite its undoubted success of last year, Mother remains something of
an enigma to many. While other agencies are more interested in hyping
themselves, Mother gets down to business with a tongue-in-cheek style
that often belies a ruthless focus across its portfolio of accounts.
Widely acknowledged as one of the agencies where many people would want
to work, Mother last year formally pitched for six pieces of business,
and won all of them. Big wins included Dr Pepper, Fuji, and a place on
the Mars roster with a pan-European Pedigree Masterfoods account.
Mother also boosted its standing with existing clients. Coca-Cola, Emap,
Van den Bergh Foods and Whitbread all consolidated more business into
the agency, proving that success does indeed breed success. Emap trusted
the agency to take its entire music brand portfolio online, and small
but prestigious wins, such as Britart.com, completed the line-up.
Mother successfully kept the creative momentum going on long-running
campaigns, such as Batchelors Supernoodles, which again enjoyed massive
recall within the sector and - along with Typhoo Tea's 'two thumbs
fresh' - had tracking measurements going off the scale. Other highlights
included Harvey Nichols' furry friends, Harvey and Hibby, who helped
lure unsuspecting shoppers into retail heaven.
The agency has remained resolutely independent, refusing to join a large
network, something which so far has not hindered its international
capabilities.
If Mother continues to produce top creative work that is also effective,
the agency looks likely to continue leading the pack this year.
SCORE LAST YEAR 7
SCORE THIS YEAR 8
MUSTOE MERRIMAN HERRING LEVY
itv-football.com
Declared billings 2000 54m
MMS 27m
Declared income 2000 5m
Total accounts year end 28
Accounts gained 10
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 51
Company type: Private company
Mustoe Merriman finished 2000 with the loss of a flagship account,
Norwich Union. Though it did pick up a number of smaller accounts, with
a bias towards internet ventures - some of which ended in tears.
The Norwich Union account, won in December 1999 and valued at around
£9 million, fell to McCann-Erickson London after the building
society merged with CGU.
Hirings for the year centred on the arrival of Patrick Semple, formerly
creative director at IMP's internet arm, Blue Marble, as digital media
director. Chief executive Nick Mustoe said he was keen to beef up the
agency's ability to help clients with internet opportunities.
This was reflected in creative work and new-business wins for the
year.
A fully integrated campaign for financial website TheStreet.co.uk was
rolled out, but the account was lost following the closure of the site
by its US parent later in the year.
More dotcom work followed - the creative work for Venturedome, the
e-business ideas internet portal, the account for Freeloader.com and the
recruitment company, Michael Page.
The agency also won the £1 million itv-football.com account and
its work for the wedding website Confetti.co.uk, which picked up four
stars at the IPA Effectiveness Awards.
More work came from an existing client, Dr Martens, in March and a
project from Capital Radio as well as the £4 million Stena Line
win.
But with the instability of dotcoms, MMHL will want to find something of
substance to replace Norwich Union as soon as it can.
SCORE LAST YEAR 7
SCORE THIS YEAR 5
OGILVY & MATHER
Ford
Declared billings 2000 275m
MMS 220m
Declared income 2000 36m
Total accounts year end 48
Accounts gained 7
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 315
Company type: WPP subsidiary
After the dismal performance of the previous year, 2000 turned out to be
better for O&M, with the network winning big billing global accounts -
even though creatively there was little to write home about.
Chairman and group chief executive officer Paul Simons was brought in to
breathe life back into the flagging agency - and that is what he has
started to do. O&M ended up number four in the Business Performance
League with £75.5 million in new billings and only £3.3
million in losses.
The agency started the year with the £11 million Vision Express
win.
In February it gave up the £2.5 million Hoover account to Bates UK
to go after Indesit - a £3 million account which it went on to
win.
Spring brought the news that the managing director Richard Pinder was
leaving, citing 'internal problems', with no job to go to. He joined Leo
Burnett in June to take on the directorship of its Asia-Pacific
region.
In July, O&M lost out on two very large pitches. Burnett beat it to the
£31 million Euro Disney task and McCann-Erickson won over
Lufthansa to claim the £20 million billings.
Surprisingly, Simons decided to open up a satellite Soho office after
O&M's years of singing the praises of Canary Wharf.
It was in November, and internationally, however, that the agency really
came into its own. First it was announced that Y&R had beaten it to the
£50 million global Land Rover account. Then, in a dramatic
sequence of events, it was revealed that O&M had won back the Ford
Europe lead agency role from Y&R, worth £44 million.
SCORE LAST YEAR 4
SCORE THIS YEAR 6
OgilvyOne came of age thanks to strong creative and wins such as BP
Amoco. Partners BDDH suffered from the departures of key staff and
speculation over its ownership. Publicis's efforts were eclipsed by the
activities of its global president, but London celebrated some
impressive wins
OGILVYONE
Envision
Declared billings 2000 183m
MMS 6m
Declared income 2000 n/s
Total accounts year end n/s
Accounts gained 7
Accounts lost 1
Total staff n/s
Company type: WPP subsidiary
2000 saw OgilvyOne really come of age as an agency offering both direct
marketing and interactive solutions. Following its acquisition of the
new-media agency NoHo in 1999, OgilvyOne rebranded it as Ogilvy
Interactive and it has since more than tripled in size to close to 200.
It accounts for over a third of OgilvyOne's business.
The big challenges for OgilvyOne chairman Nigel Howlett in 2000 were to
integrate this interactive activity with the remaining 'traditional'
parts of the agency while building OgilvyOne's consultancy practice. He
has so far managed this and built an agency that is now 400-strong.
OgilvyOne also kept its holding company WPP relatively happy with a
series of new business wins including BP Amoco and Motorola (working as
part of the Ogilvy Group), Royal Mail International, and Handbag.com. It
also won interactive work from the likes of Argos, Mattel, Unilever and
the Samaritans and managed to grow existing business from Amex and
Envision but lost Thorn/Radio Rentals.
The agency made several key appointments including Susie Browning,
director of OgilvyOne brand practice, and Ian McAuley, who joined to run
the global interactive American Express account.
OgilvyOne continues to produce strong creative across all media under
its creative director Rory Sutherland. Its work for the Amex Blue launch
was impressive, as were its Wimbledon banners for IBM and work for the
Royal Mail.
It is likely that OgilvyOne will continue to grow in 2001, partly due to
its strong links with Ogilvy & Mather and other WPP Group companies.
There are few direct marketing agencies around that can compete with its
international capabilities and interactive offer.
SCORE LAST YEAR -
SCORE THIS YEAR 7
PARTNERS BDDH
Co-op
Declared billings 2000 113m
MMS 41m
Declared income 2000 12m
Total accounts year end 19
Accounts gained 9
Accounts lost 2
Total staff 106
Company type: Havas subsidiary
It wasn't such a good year for Partners BDDH in 2000. The first months
were spent amid speculation that the agency was going to buy itself out
after Snyder Communications, its parent company of only 12 months, sold
itself to Havas Advertising in February. The deal made the agency a
small fish in a very large pond, and its uncertain positioning in the
global network was a preoccupation.
The year also saw the departure of several key members of staff. This
started in January, when Simon Green, the joint creative director, left
the agency. In June, Derek Day, who co-founded the agency, and
new-business director Donna Nicholson also departed.
Hardest hit was the creative department. The creative helm is still
vacant after John Dean, the remaining creative director, resigned in
July. The department also suffered the loss of respected senior teams
Greg Milbourne and Jason Fretwell, and Jo Tanner and Mark Dickens, both
hired only the year before.
The year also saw the departure of two high-profile accounts in The
Guardian and Smile.
The agency did, however, have consistent new-business results. It won
the Heineken Ireland account, the £8 million London Regional
Transport business, the £4 million Supanet account, the £15
million global Omega business, a place on the COI Communications roster
and a £10 million Bristol & West online task. It also secured
places on shortlists including Fuji, Workthing and Yorkshire
Electricity, and it was a four-star winner with Co-op for best new
client award at the IPA Effectiveness Awards.
Partners has to solve its fundamental problem with creative leadership
but its new-business record, coupled with its now clearer place in
Havas's worldwide network should help it to get back on track in
2001.
SCORE LAST YEAR 7
SCORE THIS YEAR 3
PUBLICIS
Renault
Declared billings 2000 280m
MMS 255m
Declared income 2000 43m
Total accounts year end 40
Accounts gained 10
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 270
Company type: Publicis subsidiary
Not for the first time were events at the Publicis office in London
eclipsed by the global stage-strutting of the group's worldwide
president, Maurice Levy.
Charismatic, charming and immensely ambitious, Levy has become equally
well-known in London and New York as in his native Paris. If he wasn't
preparing to use the newly acquired hotshop, Fallon, as the basis of a
new network, he was the white knight trying to ride to Young & Rubicam's
rescue or announcing the audacious acquisition of Saatchi & Saatchi.
All this activity has obscured some significant extra weight acquired by
the London agency and its pivotal role in helping to win and service
pan-European and global assignments.
Not only did it play a key part in securing Coca-Cola's pan-European
branding assignments but was picked to take over European co-ordination
for Hewlett-Packard, as the computer giant consolidated its agency
arrangements around the world.
On the home front, Publicis recorded another strong new-business
performance with a quarter of its client list made up of business won in
2000.
Wilcon Homes (£5 million), Sara Lee Bakeries (£2 million),
Fish4, the internet classified service (£8 million) and the launch
of Syngenta, the new global agribusiness, were among the agency's new
assignments.
It was also named global agency of record for Chello, the high-speed
internet access service. Only one client, jungle.com, left after
deciding to opt for ad hoc creative work.
Creatively, the agency's output, notably for the Renault Clio, remains
workmanlike rather than award-winning. Not that anybody seems to be
complaining.
SCORE LAST YEAR 7
SCORE THIS YEAR 7
Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/ Y&R needs to find a strong single identity
drawing on both agencies' strengths. Rapier increased its turnover by 50
per cent. One of the strongest independents, but will it still be that
way in 2001? Following its acquisition by Chime, Roose could be set for
a year of growth
RAINEY KELLY CAMPBELL ROALFE/Y&R
Marks & Spencer
Declared billings 2000 281m
MMS 229m
Declared income 2000 n/s
Total accounts year end 39
Accounts gained 6
Accounts lost 3
Total staff 217
Company type: WPP subsidiary
The year following their merger saw Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe and
Young & Rubicam essentially become good bedfellows. But the agency
proved it hadn't quite managed to seamlessly merge the two strong
cultures.
The agency did scoop some good new business, with the top win being the
£27 million Marks & Spencer account. Then followed its notorious
work with a naked, size 16 model and acres of press coverage.
However, on occasions it appeared that RKCR was being belatedly brought
in to address creative issues on since-departed Y&R accounts, such as
Eurostar and the £100 million global Ericsson business.
Creatively, the agency produced some good advertising including Virgin
Atlantic, Times newspapers and Virginmoney.com. And it gave a boost to
client servicing by setting up 2.1, a fast-turnaround unit.
However, senior departures included Tim Broadbent, Y&R's planning
director at the time of the merger in January, and Mike Cozens, the
creative director of Y&R Europe.
The end of the year saw the agency coming to terms with the network's
acquisition by WPP. And in a shock move, Ford of Europe returned lead
agency status to Ogilvy & Mather just two years after handing the bulk
of its business to Y&R. The agency's subsequent appointment to Land
Rover's £50 million global business softened the blow.
Over the next year, the agency needs to fully reconcile its divided
parts and to recapture its creative prowess, concentrating on what it
does best - producing great ads, and using Y&R's formidable network to
do so.
SCORE LAST YEAR 7
SCORE THIS YEAR 6
RAPIER
Channel 4
Declared billings 2000 58m
MMS 7m
Declared income 2000 n/s
Total accounts year end 12
Accounts gained 4
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 92
Company type: Private company
Rapier had a successful 2000 with rapid business growth and strong
creative.
The agency affirmed its reputation as one of the best remaining
independent agencies with some good wins and growth of existing business
from AXA and Bank One. It won £32 million of new business from
clients including Sage, Schroders and Channel 4 and was then appointed
by HSBC as its lead direct marketing agency. It performed well to hold
on to Yorkshire Electricity's advertising following a tough pitch
against Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R and Partners BDDH.
A big question was hanging over Rapier's flagship Cable & Wireless
business following the acquisition by ntl. However, it will continue to
handle all customer marketing for ntl despite J. Walter Thompson's place
on the roster.
Rapier's senior management team, led by the chairman and owner Jonathan
Stead, bedded down nicely following the arrival of Ben Stephens as the
managing director. The creative director, John Townshend, is running a
highly successful department with good advertising and direct marketing
expertise. In 2000 it won a DMA/Royal Mail gold for Cable & Wireless TV.
Its work for Channel 4 Cricket may win awards this year.
Rapier increased its turnover by 50 per cent in 2000 while growing in
areas such as data planning and developing an alliance with Michaelides
& Bednash to add media skills to its offer.
Looking forward, Rapier's independence has not been a barrier for growth
domestically but may become an issue as it moves above a headcount of
100 and looks to expand internationally. Will 2001 be the year it gets
swallowed up?
SCORE LAST YEAR 6
SCORE THIS YEAR 7
Roose & Partners
Reef
Declared billings 2000 54m
MMS 53m
Declared income 2000 5m
Total accounts year end 20
Accounts gained 6
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 50
Company type: Chime Communications subsidiary
Roose & Partners' solid 2000 was overshadowed by two massively
significant business developments. The agency first moved to hive off
its in-house media operation in a £20 million joint venture with
Manning Gottlieb Media, dubbed Roose Media. Then the UK's third-largest
independent was itself snapped up by Tim Bell's Chime
Communications.
Chime's willingness to shell out £13.6 million for Roose is
testament to the continuing strength of the agency, which reported a
£1.1 million pre-tax profit in September.
Roose spent 2000 in its traditional style, shunning the spotlight while
steadily picking up new business and retaining clients with an apparent
ease that must be the envy of many. The agency picked up more than
£8 million in new business, beating HHCL & Partners and
Barraclough Hall to pick up Eastern Energy, and the Advertising
Brasserie to win Bass's Reef alcopop. It secured a place on the Virgin
roster by picking up VirginCars.com and also grabbed the Entenmann's
business.
Roose's creative output has never seemed likely to turn awards juries'
heads, but the agency showed itself capable of attention-grabbing stuff
where required with its new work for Toffee Crisp.
The agency may not be disposed towards fireworks, but Chime's purchase
could pave the way for a high-profile 2001. This August, the agency
broke into Campaign's top 25 in the agency billings table for the first
time.
Additional investment, the media offering and the possibility of client
cross-referrals now seems likely to accelerate Roose's slow and steady
new-business machine.
SCORE LAST YEAR 6
SCORE THIS YEAR 7
A fairly good year for Saatchi & Saatchi - losing just one account and
gaining nine. Soul displayed signs of being a major player after its
launch in May, with wins from major advertisers. A new Swedish office
and some prestigious wins kept St Luke's on the innovation path
SAATCHI & SAATCHI
Army
Declared billings 2000 400m
MMS 223m
Declared income 2000 n/s
Total accounts year end 31
Accounts gained 9
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 480
Company type: Publicis subsidiary
Saatchi & Saatchi racked up an impressive list of new-business wins last
year. All good news for Publicis, which bought Saatchi & Saatchi's
worldwide network in the summer for £1.24 billion and moved its
headquarters from London to New York.
New business last year included a £10 million account from P&G -
the launch of its Iams petfood in the UK. March saw the winning of the
£30 million through-the-line rebranding brief from Telewest after
its merger with Flextech.
Creative work for the Army won plaudits as the creative director, Dave
Droga, moved to axe the combat format and make ads which depicted
potential soldiers using their skills in everyday life.
In December, its new-media subsidiary, Saatchi & Saatchi Vision, was
hired to handle online media planning and buying for the Monster.com
account, which Saatchis won in April. Not all was rosy. Losses included
the NSPCC account, marking the end of the controversial but much-lauded
child abuse campaign.
Rumours that the agency was close to appointing a chairman abated when
it emerged in June that Publicis was buying the network. However, a
question mark remained over the strength of its senior management until
the beginning of 2001 when it appointed a new chief executive, James
Hall, and promoted the chief executive, Tamara Ingram, to chairman - a
position from which she will maintain her close links with key client
Procter & Gamble.
Having gained a new owner and lost lead status in the network, Saatchis
will have to avoid the distractions of change and look to gather further
creative momentum.
SCORE LAST YEAR 5
SCORE THIS YEAR 6
SOUL
MegaStar.com
Declared billings 2000 22m
MMS 1m
Declared income 2000 n/s
Total accounts year end 6
Accounts gained 6
Accounts lost 0
Total staff 20
Company type: Private company
Considering Soul only struggled for its first breath back in May last
year (hence no Campaign score for the year) the combo of former Bartle
Bogle Hegarty stars made a mighty impact in 2000.
For starters Soul represented the first breakaway in BBH's 20-year
history, a testament both to the mother agency but also to the strength
of conviction of Soul's founding partners, who launched with the firm
belief that there was room for a new, leaner breed of agency.
Then there was the line-up itself: Bruce Crouch, the former BBH
executive creative director, Duncan Bird and Seamus O'Farrell, both
group business directors, Andy Bird, the former head of design, and
Kevin Brown, the media director of BBH's media agency, Starcom Motive.
They made for a high-calibre team with the goodwill of the industry
behind it and began to attract the attention of a number of advertisers
even before the agency's doors were open for business.
One of the key tenets of the agency's foundation also marks Soul out
from the handful of new arrivals over the last year or so. The agency
embraced media planning from day one, with Brown providing a planning
service thoroughly integrated through the creative process.
It proved a formula popular with several high-profile clients within
months of the agency's launch. First through the door was Coca-Cola,
which handed the agency a project to promote its new online auction .
Then United News & Media appointed the agency to its MegaStar website,
Anheuser Busch added Soul to the Budweiser roster and the year ended
with another coup from Coke - the £5 million Fanta account.
Soul must keep its foot on the accelerator this year and prove its
proposition is an enduring rather than simply fashionable one. It will
be interesting, too, to see what the agency's creative credentials
really are.
SCORE LAST YEAR -
SCORE THIS YEAR -
ST LUKE'S
Sky
Declared billings 2000 95m
MMS 90m
Declared income 2000 12m
Total accounts year end n/s
Accounts gained n/s
Accounts lost n/s
Total staff 125
Company type: St Luke's Holdings
The year in which St Luke's celebrated its fifth birthday was a year of
consolidation for the agency.
But although its creative work matched the stringent standards it had
already set itself, with highlights including Fox's Biscuits 'London
needs biscuits', Clark's 'new shoes' and Ikea's 'tattoo man', the agency
didn't maintain the performance it had enjoyed the year before, when it
hogged pole position at the top of Campaign's new-business league.
The agency started the year well by winning the Smartsgroup account in
January, followed by the COI Communications National Drugs Helpline,
National Foster Care Association, and Oneswoop.com. But the agency lost
£3.5 million in billings after Teletext departed in May to Delaney
Lund Knox Warren and there were signs that it had lost its grip on the
Sky account. And for months, it was uncharacteristically silent on the
new-business front.
However, it became evident that this apparent lack of activity was
partly accounted for by focus elsewhere when the agency opened an office
in Sweden.
Once attention was focused back on the London office, the agency won the
£10 million Travelocity business and the £30 million Telia
account.
But the agency's piece de resistance was scooping lead status across the
prestigious British Telecom account through its strategic planning
work.
When the joint creative director Julian Vizard left the agency in March,
St Luke's poached Mark Howard from HHCL & Partners to partner Al Young.
However, Howard left after only six months, and St Luke's promoted five
staff to the creative director post in October.
Into 2001, the agency will no doubt be looking to return to consistent
form. And having set up Klondike, the digital media unit, it is showing
every sign of continuing in its innovative style.
SCORE LAST YEAR 8
SCORE THIS YEAR 6
TBWA/London beat off rivals to the Labour Party account and continued to
produce good work. Walsh Trott is still looking for a second
high-profile account. WCRS saw chunks of its best business leave the
agency in a year to forget
TBWA
Sony PlayStation 2
Declared billings 2000 315m
MMS 199m
Declared income 2000 n/s
Total accounts year end 61
Accounts gained 14
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 280
Company type: Omnicom subsidiary
TBWA/London had to be content with a third consecutive second place in
Campaign's agency of the year stakes after the agency once again
succeeded in maintaining the impressive momentum built up over the past
few years.
The cream of the agency's new-business performance came in the first six
months of the year, including victory in the high-profile pitch for the
Labour Party account when it beat J. Walter Thompson and Saatchi &
Saatchi, and the unexpected success in defending its Holsten account
against WCRS, JWT, Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters and Leagas Delaney. It
also pulled in the launch task for Npower and the brief for building
Carphone Warehouse's above-the-line presence to take its combined
new-business billings to £100 million.
The agency bid farewell to its GGT Simons Palmer moniker and
whole-heartedly adopted its network's new branding.
2000 was a year of creative output for the agency that, while not
reaching the heights of 1999's fcuk work still did much to maintain the
collective reputations of its creative team under Trevor Beattie. The
launch campaign for PlayStation 2 was a standout piece of epic
creativity, while the initial poster drive for Labour's election
campaign proved that the agency can be quieter and more carefully judged
when necessary.
If there was a dark cloud to the year it came in the shape of the threat
to TBWA's NatWest business posed by the RBS's takeover of NatWest and
the emergence of M&C Saatchi as above-the-line flavour of the month.
This loss would be a huge blow, and likely to put paid to the agency's
experimental NatWest Village integrated shop.
SCORE LAST YEAR 9
SCORE THIS YEAR 8
WALSH TROTT CHICK SMITH
Channel 5
Declared billings 2000 17m
MMS 14m
Declared income 2000 3m
Total accounts year end 18
Accounts gained 6
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 35
Company type: Private company
'Close but no cigar' must have become a familiar phrase around the
offices of Walsh Trott Chick Smith last year.
The agency pitched for an array of high-profile new business, battling
its way on to shortlists for Vogue.com, InStyle, FujiFilm and Supanet
only to lose out at the final hurdle. Even some successful pitches fell
victim to the year's inconsistent economic climate. The agency's launch
campaign for Gruner & Jahr's Project Florence never saw the light of day
after the magazine was abruptly shelved. Mike Gold's Wowgo website,
another piece of new business, swiftly went the way of boo.com.
Walsh Trott did convert eight pitches during the year, including beating
Leo Burnett and the incumbent BDH TBWA to pick up the Brittannia
building society account and edging out Wieden & Kennedy to grab Streets
Online.
But it also lost National Savings and its Aristoc account went to Miles
Calcraft.
Walsh Trott was left with the flagship Channel 5 account to provide an
opportunity for high-profile work. That creative output has again
divided opinion down the middle. The 'smiles' poster campaign for the
station picked up plaudits and turkey nominations alike but there can be
little debate about its impact.
Unfortunately, business such as Marston's and Brittannia provided little
other opportunity to create reputation enhancing creative. The search
for a second high-profile account continues.
SCORE LAST YEAR 4
SCORE THIS YEAR 4
WCRS
BMW
Declared billings 2000 246m
MMS 167m
Declared income 2000 20m
Total accounts year end 39
Accounts gained 19
Accounts lost 7
Total staff 183
Company type: Havas subsidiary
2000 was a terrible year for WCRS. A year to forget followed a great
1999.
The departure of its top accounts started in January, when Rover pulled
its £30 million business. It was also forced to resign its £50 million Land Rover business due to a conflict with BMW. Sega Europe
then reviewed its £60 million pan-European account only a week
before Orange, one of advertising's biggest success stories, called a
surprise review of its £35 million account. This was later
followed by Carling.
Its account wins did not come close to balancing the books although it
picked up Mini, RAC, Open, Scoot, Workthing and CNN.com.
Perversely, 'born free' for Land Rover and the 'hold up' spot for Orange
was the best work to come out of the agency.
While some thought the exit of the boisterous creative director, Rooney
Carruthers, would spell upheaval for the creative department, insiders
say it stabilised under Leon Jaume.
WCRS (e-brands), which launched last year, did produce acclaimed work
for new-media clients - although it's yet to be seen how the departure
of its keystone member, the interactive creative director, Steve
Vranakis, will affect it.
September's launch of the Havas global network, Arnold Worldwide
Partners, should provide the international bones on which WCRS can
fatten its new-business interests, especially after this lack of reach
was cited as the reason for Orange's departure to Lowe Lintas.
Robin Wight's continuing role in the agency is uncertain, and the
vibrant chairman is staying uncharacteristically quiet about speculation
that there's only room for one chief in the Arnold network which is
headed by Ed Eskandarian as the worldwide chairman and CEO.
Whatever happens, Wight will be hoping that the agency which bears his
name will not have another year like 2000.
SCORE LAST YEAR 8
SCORE THIS YEAR 2
Managerial turbulence last year for Wieden & Kennedy. It lost its
managing director and two creative directors. WWAV was very successful
at winning new business but could focus on improving its creative
standards
WIEDEN & KENNEDY
Diet Coke
Declared billings 2000 25m
MMS 14m
Declared income 2000 2m
Total accounts year end 6
Accounts gained 3
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 27
Company type: Private company
Not a great start to the year for Wieden & Kennedy - in fact, the words
rats and ship spring to mind. And if you were to believe the rumour
mongers, then W&K shouldn't still be knocking around London.
The agency lost The Cartoon Network and there were few wins. W&K picked
up the work for UK Play worth £1 million and beat Court Burkitt to
the £5 million European task for Virgin Interactive Entertainment.
Against the odds the agency retained its high-profile client Diet Coke
after it altered the campaign at the start of the year to target men as
well as women.
But it lost out on a number of pitches including the £20 million
Lufthansa task, which went to McCann-Erickson, and the £5 million
Lastminute.com account which went to M&C Saatchi.
The agency's year was dominated with the news of departures. Just two
years old, W&K UK has already seen two managing directors and two
creative directors walk out the door.
The first departure was the joint creative director Adam Kean. He left
in April citing 'culture clashes' after just six months in the
position.
Next was the managing director (the second in the role) Hugh
Derrick.
He quit in July after less than a year in the hot seat - his
predecessor, Mike Perry, lasted only ten months. In the same month,
creative director, Tony Barry, handed in his cards. His departure saw
the last of the original London team leave.
July also saw Amy Lawson arriving as the new managing director. Lawson,
previously the marketing director at WCRS, seemed to stabilise things as
there have been no departures since.
The big question for next year is will Dan Wieden, the chairman in
Portland USA, give the office the support it needs to move on from
another rocky year and firmly establish itself in the London market?
SCORE LAST YEAR 3
SCORE THIS YEAR 3
WWAV RAPP COLLINS
NSPCC
Declared billings 2000 183m
MMS 27m
Declared income 2000 28m
Total accounts year end n/s
Accounts gained 11
Accounts lost 1
Total staff 259
Company type: Omnicom subsidiary
Campaign's direct agency of last year keeps on growing. Detractors say
it continues to be a sausage factory, churning out barrowloads of tawdry
direct mail but the reality is otherwise.
WWAV continued its group expansion (in 1999 it launched consultancy
Zalpha) with the launch of WWAVRC.digital, its new-media arm. The launch
is evidence of WWAV's commitment both to new media and to updating its
offering. It injected serious cash in hiring Thom Kennon and Stephen
King, the management team from the Californian agency ISIS New
Media.
New-business wins continued at an impressive rate. Its wins included the
RAC, Cahoot, Sony Europe, Procter & Gamble Pampers, Age
Concern-commercial division and First Great Eastern/First Great Western.
It produced its first TV work for NSPCC. However, it did lose the £8 million One2One account and it's facing a review on the huge Morgan
Stanley Dean Witter credit card account.
The senior management team, led by Chris Gordon, the group chief
executive, has injected a new dynamism following the departure of the
chairman, John Watson, in the summer.
The instability of WWAV's senior creative team has been of concern. The
creative director, Ian Haworth, who joined in 1999, left to join
Tequila.
However, WWAV has moved swiftly to replace him with two art directors:
Stephen 'Slug' Broadhurst from WWAV Scotland and Andy Todd, a freelancer
with Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel who was previously the creative
director at Arc Direct.
WWAV continues to tackle industry issues and lobbied hard on the issues
of commercial use of the electoral roll and the Royal Mail's involvement
in the Postal Preference Service.
If WWAV can recreate the creative standards upheld by its Scottish
agency across the group it will be an even more formidable outfit.
SCORE LAST YEAR 8
SCORE THIS YEAR 8.
