Income rankings are fine for the bean counters, but let's add real
glamour to the agency ratings. Let's cut to the heart of the argument to
find out who do creatives really want to work for?
Singapore: Three top choices led by Ogilvy & Mather - because it's a
huge agency, huge resources and a strong determination to succeed.
Next in line are Saatchi & Saatchi - an ideas powerhouse, which
London-based creative David Droga helped put on the map - and Bartle
Bogle & Hegarty - because the agency's "creative firepower is just
exploding".
China: O&M and Saatchi & Saatchi are caught in a spat over who earns
more dosh, but creatives have their eyes on only one agency - J. Walter
Thompson Shanghai.
The agency is headed by a Ben Stiller-lookalike chief executive Tom
Doctoroff, who has put a ping pong table in the creative department. "A
master stroke managerial decision", says Doctoroff of the move.
Manila: A toss up between McCann-Erickson - being big counts in this
market - and BBDO.
The latter's performance - led by creative chief David Guerrero -at last
month's Agency of the Year Awards has of course upped its creative
profile a notch or two.
Hong Kong: O&M is a clear favourite in this town for the same old
reason: it's big and has the resources.
But Grey Worldwide is creeping up. The agency's creatives apparently
enjoy excellent communications with clients. Saatchi is another creative
magnet.
Bangkok: Creatives say they're spoilt for choice in a town brimming with
creative agencies.
The choices boiled down to O&M, where Aussie creative Barry Owen left
his mark, BBDO and Leo Burnett.
