Omnicom and Aegis top the AdNews ratings while Blue Freeway is in a “death spiral”
Omnicom and Aegis are Australia’s best-performing marketing groups, while Blue Freeway is far the worst, according to an assessment published in today’s print edition of AdNews.
The magazine says Omnicom – which includes creative shop DDB and media agency OMD – and Aegis, which owns media agency Carat, both score 4.5 marks out of a possible five.
Meanwhile, AdNews’s annual Agency Report Card ranks Blue Freeway as the poorest-performing holding company, with just one mark out of five.
The scores:
Aegis
- 4.5/5
- Interests include Carat, iProspect and Apollo
- AdNews assessment: Although the delay in launching second media agency Vizeum is dragging on, Carat deserves praise for retaining the Tourism Australia account
Omnicom
- 4.5/5
- Interests include stake in Clemenger Communication Group, DDB, Davinci, PHD, Traffik, NetX, OMD, Porter Novelli, Whybin TBWA, Mango PR
- AdNews assessment: “DDB continues to go from strength to strength… Tribal DDB’s profile has diminished”.
Photon
- 4/5
- Interests include BMF, BWM, Naked Communications, AdPartners, Bellamy Hayden, Frank PR, City PR
- AdNews assessment: BMF was a “star buy” for Photon although the group has been overshadowed by an 80% fall in share price
WPP
- 3.5/5
- Interests include: GPY&R, JWT, Ogilvy, The Campaign Palace, Wunderman, PPR, Mediacom, Hill & Knowlton, Grey
- AdNews assessment: GPY&R had a “horror year” while Toby Jenner has “revitalised” Mediacom Sydney
Mitchell Communications Group
- 3.5/5
- Interests include Mitchell & partners, MPG, emitch, Visual Jazz, Spark Impact
- AdNews assessment: “Room for improvement in the creativity stakes”
Publicis Groupe
- 3/5
- Interests include ZenithOptimedia, Publicis Mojo, Saatchi & Saatchi, Starcom Mediavest, Leo Burnett
- AdNews assessment: Saatchi & Saatchi has had a “rocky” six months losing staff and clients; Leo Burnett is now in “great shape”
Interpublic
- 3/5
- Agency interests include McCann Erickson, MRM Worldwide, Draft FCB, Initiative, Universal McCann, Lowe, Weber Shandwick
- AdNews assessment: Draft FCB needs to try harder, Lowe is most improved
Havas
- 3/5
- Interests include Euro RSCH, The Furnace, The Red Agency, MPG
- AdNews’ assessment: Euro needs to replace Volvo but red Agency is “growing in stature”
Blue Freeway
- 1/5
- Interests include Holler, Max Australia, Spectrum, Viva9, Clear Light Digital, Spin
- AdNews assessment: In an “apparent death spiral” although Holler is performing well
Linkedin
What about STW?
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STW has been scored under WPP, which owns a stake.
Cheers,
Tim
Don’t even know why Blue Freeway is included.
It’s basically a private group, and from what people on the inside have told me, they are gradually isolating the companies which are performing badly from those that are performing well.
Or as one put it … “all the bad news is about Blue Freeway. The companies that are performing well are just keeping their heads down until this privatisation is sorted out, whilst the companies that are performing badly are scared ****less of what’s going to happen once it’s private”
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Small club that … the ones performing well …
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