THE KNOWLEDGE

When client-agency relationships break down, their demise has become swifter than ever, so what can agencies do to mitigate the risks and make sure that they (and the client) are in it for the long haul?

Only one UK-based agency made the top 20.

Meanwhile, indie agencies command the top 20.

WPP reported a drop in revenues, as it undergoes a strategy overhaul, while Dentsu also struggled and Omnicom continues to navigate a post-takeover period following its acquisition of Interpublic. Havas and Publicis, meanwhile, returned more positive results. 

Tables are ranked by net new business.

The marcomms M&A sector is undergoing a notable global rebound after two challenging years, driven by new private equity entrants and strategic acquisitions in technology and influencer infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Campaign Red lists the key creative wins reported globally last year.

US indies dominate the table.

Publicis Groupe shops make up the rest of the top five.

Team culture and being “obsessed with new” are pivotal, rapid change is the norm, and it’s goodbye to the all-knowing boss.

Meanwhile, Publicis Groupe tops holding company table.

Suresh Balaji talks tech experiments and details how he is ripping up the rule book when it comes to agency partnerships. 

They have been variously described as 'voices that matter', 'culture translators' and 'an effective way to cut through the noise' while recent findings have shown they also offer a strong ROI so are they a real alternative to the traditional marketing mix?

Effectiveness, efficiency and AI capabilities – how do agencies measure up?

Recent research by the IPA found that budgets play a far bigger role in campaign's effectiveness than ROI, yet the focus remains on the latter. How can the balance be shifted?

Hybrid working, salaries, opaque pitching practices and in-housing were among the most popular topics that piqued the interest of subscribers to The Knowledge in 2025.

Initiative maintains first place in the individual agency rankings.

US agencies dominate the penultimate rankings for the year.

Meanwhile, Omnicom and Dentsu suffer losses.

Campaign Red examines how a merged Omnicom-IPG compares to the remaining 'big four'.

Meanwhile, US agencies dominate the top of the table

It has been a tough few years for agencies, but according to Campaign School Reports data, three-quarters of the 27 agencies providing declared income data grew year on year in 2024.

Meanwhile, two agencies, Hearts & Science and Infinite Roar, enter the top 20.

The rise of single-client units, their promise of efficiency, and the risk of staff churn and creative stagnation. 

Katherine Paterson is back as marketing director at B&Q, reprising the role 12 years after she held the same position.

Meanwhile, Hearts & Science leaps into top 20.

Three new agencies enter the league.

Power 100 marketers would like to see a rethink of the new-business pitch, with better chemistry, snappier processes and longer-term relationships emerging as top priorities.

Notorious Communications entered the October rankings after being appointed to William Hill’s media buying and planning account.

As audiences shift and ad budgets splinter across streaming and social, TV’s once-dominant position is being redefined. Campaign uses School Reports data to find out which media agencies are investing differently and why. 

Campaign’s Power 100 marketers reveal the functions they’re taking inside their own walls and why external agencies still matter as part of a hybrid model.

With brands such as Marks & Spencer, MG Motor, and TfL choosing to stick with an incumbent over appointing a new shop, Campaign examines the benefits of fostering existing relationships – and why contract renewals are also expected to increase.

Spark Foundry is among five new agencies entering the top 20 this month.

Despite universal agreement that time-based billing is unfit for purpose, most agencies remain chained to it. Campaign explains why progress has been painfully slow and who is willing to gamble on outcomes over hours.

The Specialist Works jumped up the September rankings after becoming Lebara's agency of record.

With the industry expected to begin voluntarily complying with the ‘less healthy food’ ad ban from 1 October, what changes have brands made to their creative and media plans? 

The move towards project work over retained accounts in recent years is likely to continue – and some are redefining what a 'project' or 'retained' work is – meaning that creative and media agencies are having to reassess their relationships with clients

Dentsu X, The Specialist Works and VCCP Media are new to the top 20 rankings.

With a little over half of School Reports shops at the end of 2024 stating that they had a gender transitioning policy, against the backdrop of a UK Supreme Court ruling in April this year on the legal definition of a woman and the rollback of DEI policies being driven by the US presidency, agencies must find a way to make further progress on the inclusion of transgender and gender-diverse people.

Chris Doe, UK marketing and innovation director at Pilgrim’s Europe, discusses appointing Joint as lead creative shop and why the company doesn’t want to go down the in-housing route. 

Publicis has temporarily secured its place as the world's largest advertising group, while WPP deals with the fallout of continued client cutbacks.

More agencies gave out bonuses to all of their staff in 2024, with the median level of payment also rising, but was it at the expense of lower salary rises?

Top five spots mostly occupied by agencies outside of the top five last month.

Campaign’s annual analysis of salary data from School Reports agencies reveals modest growth at entry level, little change in the middle and big gains at the top.

Concerns about redundancies, company restructures and AI are stopping agency staff from moving jobs, while recruiters report agencies’ hiring efforts are slowing.

The marketing boss at Entain, which owns betting and gaming brands including Coral and Foxy Bingo, explains how agencies are assigned and her ‘ruthless’ reallocation of budgets.

The Labour government is reforming the Conservatives’ Apprenticeship Levy. But with more than £5m of agency funds going unused last year, can the incoming Growth and Skills Levy improve uptake and help agencies bring in more diverse talent?

Agencies and brands are at times unaware of who is paying pitch consultants, what for and how much. Campaign investigates what is – and isn’t – working in intermediaries’ business models.

As part of a wider look at intermediaries' business models, Campaign asked 14 UK pitch consultants to explain how they operate.

Meanwhile, Initiative moves up the agency rankings after winning account from Wavemaker.

Tricky deliberations, outside influences and questionable entries can make the quest to recognise the best work with an award a difficult one. 

Meanwhile, Stagwell rises up the holding company table

“Life admin” is the label often given to dealing with pensions and a slew of other benefits that adland employers offer staff. 

“The hunger, determination and optimism of a young creative can be a powerful force. Their mere presence on a brief brings an added element of competition, which keeps us all on our toes,” Adam & Eve/DDB co-chief creative officer Ant Nelson says.

When the AA, the UK's advertising, media and marketing’s industry body, took its first close look at the impact of hybrid working on staff, it pointed out a likely consequence: “Mandating more days in the office creates more potential leavers.”

It is no secret that adland employers have been cranking up the number of days they require staff to be in the office since the pandemic.

Clouds had been gathering over the advertising, media, and marketing industry for some time, threatening budget and staffing cuts.

It has been a weird five years in workplaces, and things are likely to get stranger yet.

Four of the big six grew but overall growth was modest.

Centrica’s group brand and marketing officer Andy Freeman discusses building up his internal team, plus the ‘crunchy’ five-year path to launching British Gas’ new brand platform. 

The benefits that companies offer employees, ranging from private healthcare to life insurance and income protection cover, was one of the common factors among those businesses that made the Best Places to Work list, which returned a higher rate of satisfaction with the perks on offer than those that failed to make the cut.

Eight new agencies join the table.

Campaign’s new data product, the School Reports Tracker, allows users to compare agencies' performance across 14 different metrics using historical data. What can it tell users about adland's recovery from Covid-19?

Meanwhile, OMD and Initiative jump into the league.

People’s Postcode Lottery head of marketing Anna Russell explains how pace and trust are essential for agencies working with the brand and its in-house team as it targets new audiences.

In two-fifths of pitches in 2024, brands did not reveal the media spend to agencies in advance. Should shops and consultants be demanding more information?

Pilot reaches for the stars.

Meanwhile, European wins make a splash.

On the holding company side, Publicis Groupe makes a stellar start to the year

UK companies were the second most targeted for acquisitions in H2, after the US.

Holdco full-year results roundup.

The7stars moved into the top five while two new agencies made it into the league.

Artificial intelligence, human creativity, new governments, defending inclusivity and not listening to your mum. This year’s A Listers reveal their thoughts on where the industry is going in 2025 and the difficulties along the way.

Publicis Media edges closer but is unable to knock the Omnicom shop from the top.

The Omnicom shop held on to its lead position in the new-business rankings, despite pressure from Publicis Media.

Industry figures say the prevalence of personality-led marketers means it is tricky for agencies to adapt to new ways of thinking.

Campaign’s first survey of talent uncovers a disconnect between bosses and their staff on issues including pay transparency, hybrid working and diverse leadership.

Reshuffle at the top pushes PMG and the7stars down the rankings.

From salaries and bonuses to pitching and new-business rankings, subscribers to The Knowledge were interested in a range of issues.

Meanwhile, two new shops enter the league

Meanwhile, UK wins cause a stir.

UK revenues were flat or in decline for the majority of the 'big six'.

Previous frontrunner Horizon Media drops to 17th.

Meanwhile, four new agencies enter the top 20.

With Amazon Prime having joined the pack of ad-tier streamers, marketers from across the globe explain to Campaign how far video on demand will shake up their strategy in the next year – and where it needs to improve.

E-commerce the most active sector by billings

Some in adland say the industry is saturated with purpose-led work, but for others it still has an important role. Campaign has spoken to CMOs across the globe to get their views on whether and why the popularity of purpose-led ads is on the wane. 

DACH region win boosts WPP agency to second place.

New-business media billings in the region dropped by almost a third.

As she carries out a global media review, Conny Kalcher explains how agencies should work in harmony together, reduce staffing changes and help the insurance sector move away from ‘doom and gloom’ narratives.

If the coming five years are as unpredictable as the last, all marketers will need to be nimble. In so far as they can make plans, those in Campaign’s Power 100 have revealed what’s top of their agenda for change – but also what must remain the same.

Meanwhile, Horizon Media maintained its lead for the second month in a row.

New entries shift others down the table.

Six agencies have broken the $1bn mark.

Exclusive analysis of festive ads from the IPA Effectiveness Awards shows how key ingredients have allowed brands to pull ahead of rivals – by up to 10 percentage points of market share.

The biggest pitch the industry is thought to have ever encountered moves Group M up the table.

Agencies are diversifying the services they offer, a strategy that is linked to spending more time on where their existing clients want to expand – and successful repitches.