Publicis Groupe and GroupM posted the strongest net new business activity when retentions are included, according to COMVergence figures for 2023.
Lead image: It’s all smiles for Zenith boss Jason Tonelli, whose agency has topped new business rankings for 2023.
Out of 40 agencies assessed, Zenith came out top with a net new business billings value of $166 million (US$108 million), including $128 million in new business.
The agency won 15 new clients, including picking up the largest account up for grabs this year, the Aussie portion of the global Adobe review, which has media billings of $55 million. The agency also won Superloop ($17 million), RAC Queensland ($9 million) and Italian dairy goods group Lactalis ($6.5 million), the parent company of Galbani, Lactel, Parmalat and President. Zenith also retained Disney Studios ($41 million).
In second place, Publicis stablemate Starcom also had a strong year, securing $51 million in new business and $80 million worth of retained business, including Metcash, Subaru and Bega.
Wavemaker, last year’s B&T Media Agency of the Year, picked up $75 million in new business, $77 million in retained business, and lost $58 million. Its major account wins included Allianz ($20 million), Macquarie Group ($28 million), while it retained Mitsubishi ($43 million) and the South Australian Governent ($45 million).
Another leading performer was IPG Mediabrands’ Initiative, which had the second highest value of new business wins ($53 million), picking up Priceline Pharmacy, Sanitarium and Fantastic Furniture.
Atomic 212 led the charge of the indies, with a net value of $66 million in winning pitches for wins include the BMW Group, Craveable Brands, My Muscle Chef and the Northern Territory government.
By group, Publicis’ media arm (net $344 million) and GroupM (net $187 million) topped the pile.
In 2023, COMvergence assessed 202 media account moves and retentions (178 advertisers in total), worth $1.375 billion in combined billings.
The 20 largest reviews (pictured below) concluded in Australia in 2023 resulted in $691 million.
