The global creative and media new business landscape for 2023 was relatively muted despite big accounts such as Pfizer, Uber and Kimberly-Clark put under review, according to analysis by independent marketing consultancy R3, which aggregates agency wins to create a pitch league.
The total number of accounts awarded fell 2.9% last year while overall value increased 5.3%.
Publicis Groupe topped the new business league holding group rankings for 2023, with its Pfizer win pushing it past WPP; its closest competitor for the last eight years.
The value of creative accounts globally increased by 8.4% across a 13.7% decrease on volume. Holding companies accounted for most of those wins, with Publicis Groupe, WPP and Interpublic leading in that order.
Three independent agencies -- Wieden+Kennedy, M&C Saatchi Group and Mother -- rounded the top 20 creative new business league.
Media contributed less to revenue, with 17.1% more accounts awarded on a value that increased only 0.4% on the previous year.
Publicis Media, OMD and Zenith led in media volume. Publicis Groupe, Omnicom and WPP took the top three places for media in the holding company rankings.
The global trend of higher-value creative accounts is witnessed in the US (+28.9%). In Europe, Asia Pacific, and China, Creative new business recovery was slow with companies putting less accounts into review and allocating smaller budgets.
The inverse can be said for Media. The US registered a 187% increase in number of media reviews at a 14.5% decrease in overall value. China’s Media landscape remained strong with fewer accounts competing for 38% more media revenue.
“It’s becoming clearer where marketers prioritize creative and media,” says Greg Paull, principal and co-founder at R3.
“In the US and Europe, there’s growing interest in the impact of creative effectiveness on overall business growth and cultural relevance; placing a premium on impactful and innovative creative work.
“In regions where connected platforms are more critical to customer engagement and conversion, media is more important. Particularly with partners that can offer CRM and data solutions. China and Asia-Pacific are two examples where media revenue is strong, and less investment finds its way to creative partnerships.”
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