KUALA LUMPUR – With 2018 well underway and most 2017 media billings reported, Dentsu Aegis Network Malaysia today takes stock of its industry standings, as published by RECMA and R3.

Nicky Lim, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Malaysia shared, “These are key merit-based metrics to really assess our performance in the industry. Last year had been challenging which the entire industry felt, but we’re glad to have come out strong. We continued to strengthen our media foothold in Malaysia, powered by Carat, Vizeum and dentsu X, and we’re indeed happy and motivated to be consistently ranked highly by two established global independent firms.”

“That said, it’s more critical than ever to ensure close collaboration and understanding between our network brands to grow our clients across the business and stay resilient. We’re cautiously optimistic about 2018, though we’re seeing some positive traction in the industry already.”

RECMA 2017 New Business Ranking

Globally, Dentsu Aegis Network posted USD2.34 billion of net new business in 2017, according to the latest data from RECMA analysing over 920 account moves. With three agency networks (Vizeum, Carat and dentsu X) in the top four, Dentsu Aegis’s new business gains were over six times greater than nearest holding group Publicis, which posted a net figure of USD376 million.

Vizeum topped the agency network rankings, with significant wins including ABInBev and William Grant and sons, helping Vizeum post over USD1 billion of net new business wins, ahead of seventeen other agency networks. Carat was 2nd in the rankings and dentsu X was 4th.

Commenting on the figures, Peter Huijboom, CEO, Global Clients & Media Brands, Dentsu Aegis Network said, “As pitches become more fragmented, our culture and one P&L operating structure really come into their own. Dentsu Aegis is built for collaboration and has been for a long time. That’s the real story behind these impressive numbers.”

RECMA 2017 Qualitative Report

Carat has achieved the #1 position in RECMA’s Global Qualitative Evaluation report. This is the 10th time in the last 11 reports in which Carat has been awarded the number one position. Carat also achieved a 17% gap to the second network.

“This is a brilliant, collective win for the network, demonstrating our differentiated product, strong talent and leadership,” said Will Swayne, Carat’s Global President.

RECMA’s Qualitative Evaluation report assesses what is happening underneath the top-line billings and new business headlines and looks at the following areas: Competitiveness, Momentum, Specialist Resources and Client Profile.

R3 Worldwide’s 2017 New Business League

Closer to home, Carat Malaysia cements its top position in the country in the media agencies new business league for 2017, closing the year with an impressive 14 new business wins, estimated at USD 1.64 million revenue, according to R3, the leading independent consultancy focused on tracking of agency performance, and marketing ROI.

The R3 New Business League has been compiled since 2002 using data supplied by multinational agencies on a monthly basis to R3. In addition, this data supplied is balanced against Client Estimates, Nielsen ADEX, discounted to appropriate levels and then converted to a revenue estimate.