OMD Canada has retained top spot in RECMA’s annual Overall Activity Volume report for Canada, with activity totaling $1.08 billion in 2013—a 4.4% increase over the previous year.
Now in its 15th year, the Overall Activity Volume report is built around metrics including measurement of traditional buying and planning billings based on a compilation of agency client lists, as well as non-traditional activities ranging from search to branded content. The report is compiled from data relating to media agencies in 62 countries.
Fifteen of Canada’s 18 agency networks saw growth last year—including six in the double digits—with activity as a whole increasing 6% to $8.6 billion (all figures in U.S. dollars).
ZenithOptimedia was ranked second overall with 2013 activity of $1.01 billion, up 3% from 2012. It was followed by two GroupM shops: MediaCom, whose activity remained flat at $840 million, and Mindshare, whose activity increased 9% to $821 million.
Buoyed by several major account wins, Dentsu Aegis Network’s Carat saw total activity grow 37% to $607 million, putting it in sixth place behind Omnicom Media Group’s PHD Canada ($676 million, a 19% increase).
Cossette Media was the top independent on the list, occupying seventh place with total activity of $500 million.
Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) once again topped the Paris research company’s global chart, with total activity of $47.1 billion in 2013, an 18.3% increase over the previous year.
SMG first surpassed Omnicom Media Group’s flagship network, OMD, as the world’s largest agency network in 2011, and has continued to widen the gap since then. It now controls an estimated 12.5% of all global media agency activity.
OMD had total activity of $41.2 billion last year, while SMG’s sister network ZenithOptimedia was third with $36.1 billion in activity, followed by GroupM’s Mindshare in fourth with $34.6 billion in activity. Dentsu Aegis Network’s Carat was fifth, as its annual activity increased 19.3% (most among established networks) to $32 billion.
GroupM’s MediaCom and MEC occupied the sixth and seventh spots with global activity of $31.1 billion and $26.6 billion respectively, followed by Mediabrands’ UM ($19.2 billion), Havas Media ($17.7 billion) and Initiative ($13.7 billion).
The sheer scope of the failed Publicis Groupe/Omnicom Group merger comes into eye-popping focus when looking at the combined activity for the two organizations.
While GroupM remains the industry’s top-ranked agency group—with combined activity of $104.5 billion for its Mindshare, MediaCom, MEC and Maxus networks—a combined Publicis/Omnicom would have boasted $137.8 billion in activity divided between six networks.
As it stands now, Publicis’ media operations are second overall with activity of $83.1 billion split between SMG and ZenithOptimedia, followed by Omnicom Media Group with $54.7 billion split between its OMD and PHD networks.
Combined activity for the 15 networks measured by the report grew 12% to $334.9 billion. Together, these networks control an estimated 89% of all global media activity.
