SINGAPORE: Eighteen of Singapore's top 20 agencies experienced strong
growth last year, including top ranked Dentsu Young & Rubicam, according
to gross income figures compiled by the Singapore 4As.
Only Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) and Lowe Lintas & Partners (LL&P) claim
to be down over the period.
BBH fell 10.6 per cent to Sdollars 4.95 million (about USdollars 3
million); while LL&P's gross income nearly halved since the merger
between Ammirati Puris Lintas (APL) and Lowe & Partners/Monsoon, which
in 1999 recorded gross income of dollars 4.65 million and dollars 4.98
million respectively. In 2000, LL&P had a gross income of dollars 4.86
million.
Ian Creasey, president of LL&P Asia Pacific said: "The Lowe Group had a
big revenue increase in 1999 resulting from a number of one-off projects
from clients such as SingTel."
But last year LL&P lost Audi, a regional account handled out of
Singapore, to Bates; it resigned Microsoft to overcome a conflict with
Sun Microsystems and some clients became inactive such as jewellery
retailer Goldheart.
"We declined to re-pitch for Audi because we were in the midst of the
merger and didn't want to over promise and under deliver", he said.
The big winners were: Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA, Leo Burnett, Euro RSCG,
Bates, DDB and Batey Ads.
Saatchi & Saatchi was up 35.2 per cent to dollars 20.37 million. The
agency attributed this growth to existing client Hewlett-Packard, the
agency's largest regional account.
TBWA was up a massive 114 per cent to dollars 12.13 million due to new
business wins including Seagram, Air Emirates and Samsonite and a growth
in billings from the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS).
In 1999, DBS' ad account was evenly split between TBWA and Saatchi &
Saatchi but then the financial institution increased its ad spend - to
try and promote itself as a regional financial institution - and TBWA
increased its share of the account according to Johan Fourie, CEO of
TBWA.
Leo Burnett's gross income was up 98 per cent to dollars 13.56 million
due to growth in billings from existing clients. "When we restructured
after the recession in 1997 we decided that what was going to make us
successful was to focus on big brand clients," said Leo Burnett managing
director, John Borzi.
The agency handled last year's launch campaign for SingTel's youth brand
Pod, it won two major projects from Coca-Cola - launching Heaven & Earth
and Coca-Cola Light - and it increased its share of the Prudential
account.
SINGAPORE AD AGENCIES GROSS INCOME
2000 1999 (%)
Advertising agencies (Sdollars (Sdollars change
million) million)
Dentsu Young & Rubicam 25.38 21.26 +19.37
Batey Ads 21.70 17.70 +22.59
Saatchi & Saatchi 20.37 15.07 +35.17
Ogilvy & Mather 19.93 17.06 +16.82
DDB Singapore 16.71 12.14 +37.64
Bates Singapore 15.65 10.33 +51.50
Euro RSCG 15.25 10.13 +50.54
Leo Burnett 13.56 6.86 +97.66
TBWA Singapore 12.13 5.67 +113.9
Publicis Eureka 10.64 7.71 +38.00
Impiric 10.56 9.20 +14.78
McCann-Erickson 10.07 7.65 +31.63
M&C Saatchi 9.06 7.00 +29.43
FCB Singapore 7.82 6.80 +15.00
J. Walter Thompson 7.19 6.25 +15.04
Nexus Asatsu 6.78 4.23 +60.28
Bartle Bogle Hegarty 4.95 5.54 -10.65
BBDO Singapore 4.92 4.13 +19.13
Lowe Lintas & Partners 4.86 9.63* -49.53
Dentsu Singapore 3.67 N/A N/A
* Gross income figures for Ammirati Puris Lintas and Lowe &
Partners/Monsoon combined.
