While the top three remain unchanged from last year (Starcom MediaVest Group being first runner up followed by UM), the factors that have propelled them to the top go well beyond their revenue growth.
The MENA Media Network of the Year was a tough one to decide on, with several growth stories jostling for attention, and the custodians of those stories vying for a place in the top three. Not all contenders have made it, but there’s a clear indication that while the top three remain unchanged from last year, the factors that have propelled them into the top three go well beyond their annualised billing or revenue growth. Having said that, business growth remains the primary driver, accounting for 40 per cent of the score in the case of media agencies.
Business Growth
OMD’s title defence comes on the back of its claimed 11 per cent growth in billing, as audited by financial auditors KPMG. The agency acknowledges that this is at odds with the monitored billings (Statex), which indicates a 22.65 per cent drop in January to November 2014 against the same period the previous year ($1,673mn to $ 1,294mn). The difference is explained by the agency thus: “In 2014, our billings have diversified further, beyond what monitored sources can record, from digital and content to social, display and performance, as well as consulting.”
Campaign’s media sources validate the shift across agencies. As a percentage of billing, OMD’s digital investments contributed 19 per cent in 2014, up from 13.2 per cent the year before (Jan to Nov) – up 43 per cent. Content investments accounted for 8.2 per cent of billings, also up, albeit at a lower 12 per cent.
The agency’s high profile exit from the du pitch does not reflect in our scoring, as it comes into effect in 2015, and the agency continued to handle the account at the time of tabulating our report. Across media planning and buying, digital,
content and other areas of services, the agency won or retained 34 accounts. These included Apple, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Disney and Tetley. The agency was retained by Heinz internationally, while among losses was Wrigley, as a result of a re-alignment. New business billing accounted for $83mn, according to the agency.
Media Innovation
Pepsi: 2014 saw Pepsi’s first Shazam deployment for its ‘TV and Music’ campaign in MENA to strengthen the brand’s association with music, capitalising on dual screening and the high smartphone penetration.
Dubai Properties Group: To promote one of DPG’s newly built complexes in a cost-effective way, the agency used mobile geo-fencing technology to target communication towards residents and visitors to the neighborhood.
Mission Control: This was provided by the agency to beIN SPORTS during the World Cup. Serving as a real-time newsroom, Mission Control led to organic monthly brand lift of over1200 per cent, according to the agency.
Non ‘media’ Growth
Analytics billings have grown 67 per cent, mobile billings 200 per cent and research billings by 8 per cent. The data and analytics practice at OMD is 10 years old.
Awards and Recognition
The agency bagged 26 awards in 2014, from 54 shortlists. It was also the Most Effective Media Agency at Effies MENA.
Talent and Culture
OMD saw an 8 per cent growth in headcount during the year. It introduced a Nurture to Reach Your Goals (NRG) programme to encourage employees to lead a healthier life through fitness assessments, healthy meals and weekly fitness classes. An ‘OMD Day Out’ is organised twice a year. An ‘OMD Academy’ has been running since 2004 through weekly training modules. Around 150 hours of training has been provided in the year. The agency also conducts monthly Town Hall Debates.
The agency also came up with an augmented reality app ‘Experience OMD’, which provides new ways to share information with stakeholders, including access to all its social and digital platforms. On social media, the agency created a multi-channel strategy with hero initiatives on each platform such as ‘Wise Words’ on Facebook.
Industry Contribution and CSR
OMD Predicts: The annual conference dedicated to future marketing trends was attended by close to 300 delegates this year.
The Future of the UAE: In December 2014, OMD launched a Future of the UAE study to explore the future behaviors of UAE consumers, which aims to assess the impact of changes on lifestyles, shopping, technology and media consumption. On 4 October, 25 OMGers climbed the highest peak in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, raising over 491,000 AED for a Gulf for Food project. The agency also partnered START to improve the lives of children with special needs through art and education.
