Dentsu reported full year organic revenue down 11.1%, ahead of guidance, and a December quarter better than expected.
For the full 12 months, the company posted a loss of JPY 159.6 billion (AUD1.94 billion).
Dentsu also announced a share buyback of JPY 30 billion.
Australia posted positive organic growth in the fourth quarter. In APAC (excluding Japan), organic revenue fell 18% in 2020 and was down 10.9% inthe December quarter.
Dentsu says the short-term outlook remains highly dependent on the progress of the pandemic with restrictions still in place across many markets, particularly the EMEA and the Americas.
Dentsu expects negative organic growth in the March quarter, returning to positive growth for the full year.
CEO Toshihiro Yamamoto says the the long-term effect of the pandemic will be to further boost digital use and innovation across the world.
"This fits precisely with our competitive advantage as one of the very few integrated global communication, data and marketing innovators," he says.
"As we look forward into 2021, uncertainties remain, but the board remains confident that the medium- and long-term growth drivers for our business are strong.
"With greater cost and balance sheet efficiency, we believe that our strategy will deliver future value for all of our stakeholders.”
And the quarterly numbers:
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