28 November 2008
	THE BUSIEST AGENCIES Hungry for success By David Furlonger

One wonders whether anyone at Grid Worldwide Branding & Design got any sleep last year. During the AdFocus review period from July 2007 to June 2008, the agency entered 63 pitches* - the equivalent of more than one a week. Even if the agency hadn't been selected as our Branding & Design Agency of the Year, we would have had to find it a special prize for stamina. Branding and design was big this year. Six of our eight busiest agencies came from that category. For several of them, the activity is a reflection of two main themes. The first is the shift towards digital and other new media. Traditional branding and design is no longer sufficient in the modern environment. Agencies with digital skills, in particular, are in big demand. Ask Gloo, which specialises in digital work. It won 29 of the 30 pitches it entered, a hit rate of 97%. Several other agencies in that medium have enjoyed sharp growth. The second business influence is Africa. Clients in several countries across the continent - notably Nigeria - are increasingly using SA agencies to put across their message. Some agencies now earn over half their revenue outside SA and several have set up offices and joint ventures in a number of African countries. Others are branching out into Europe, Asia and beyond. Among advertising agencies, Ogilvy Johannesburg and Net#work BBDO remain clients' favourites. Ogilvy won 10 of the 13 pitches it entered, and Net#work eight of 10. McCann-Ericsson SA also had a relatively active year, scoring five from eight. Up-and-coming agencies are growing their business along with their creative reputation. Joe Public entered 11 pitches last year and won eight. Ireland Davenport was successful in eight out of 10. After winning five pitches from the seven it entered, how much longer can FoxP2 boast the "small" status it still enjoys? Among our busiest agencies, only four enjoyed a 100% success rate. One was EXP SA, the specialist sports sponsorship and branding agency run by Justin Sampson. The others were all media agencies. OMD just keeps getting bigger and bigger: another seven out of seven. Nota Bene isn't far behind, winning all six pitches it entered. The smaller shop, Mediology, also boasted a full sixpack. Eagle-eyed readers will notice Grid's pitch number differs from that in its profile earlier in AdFocus. The agency sent revised figures too late to be included in that section.