Agency Report Cards 2022: We grade 30 APAC networks | Advertising

Welcome to Marketing campaign Asia-Pacific’s annual Company Report Playing cards. In our twentieth yr conducting this vital business benchmark, we’ve opted for high quality of analysis over amount of stories, utilizing each data-driven metrics in addition to an in-depth qualitative evaluation in grading companies.

It means our Company Report Playing cards stay probably the most diligent and complete within the business. It additionally means they’re extra nuanced – companies are hardly ever all dangerous or all good and our evaluation displays this. The strong stories under, obtainable solely to Marketing campaign Asia-Pacific members, consider 30 of the highest marcomms company networks in Asia-Pacific.

The Company Report Playing cards can be found to Marketing campaign members solely.Not a Marketing campaign Asia-Pacific member? Turn into one now.

As in previous years, every report card incorporates an in depth evaluation of the company’s efficiency, with grading in 5 key classes: enterprise; innovation; DEI and sustainability; creativity and effectiveness; and administration. We proceed to incorporate folks initiatives, corresponding to retention, coaching and wellbeing initiatives, underneath the administration grade, which additionally takes into consideration efficiency in all the opposite areas.

As sustainability points have change into extra necessary for shoppers, customers and due to this fact companies as effectively, we assigned a 40% weighting to sustainability in its class with DEI this yr, up from 30% final yr. Sustainability’s weighting will seemingly improve once more for the FY 2023 analysis subsequent yr.  

Particulars concerning the standards and the grading course of can be found under. Additionally, you will discover key data corresponding to every company’s enterprise breakdown, prime shoppers, specialisations and experience, and the way the company graded its personal 2022 efficiency. 

What’s new?

The most important change this yr is the change to a numeric grade as the first grade. The extra complete our analysis has change into, the rarer it’s for an company to over-or-under-perform in all classes to separate themselves. By making use of a main numeric grade, we’re capable of establish the higher-versus-lower-performing companies inside the identical letter grade. 

We additionally modified the grading scale to correspond extra intently to a commonly-perceived rating out of 10. Most companies are doing a ‘good’ job, however our previous grading had ‘good’ (B-) companies scoring as little as 5.8 out of 10. So we have upgraded the size this yr to the chart under and we adjusted final yr’s grades to the brand new scale. 

The upshot is that many extra scores are nearer collectively, a phenomenon compounded by the very fact extra companies carried out at a great however not nice stage in 2022. Whereas distinctive enterprise outcomes have allowed some companies to separate from the pack, fewer had been capable of hit on all cylinders this yr. 

Whereas 2021 was a robust yr for enterprise as companies rebounded from Covid-hit losses, few companies had been capable of maintain the expansion in 2022. The enterprise part witnessed probably the most downgrades (14), adopted by administration (10).  Fewer companies slid backward (4) on DEI & Sustainability this yr, although most (16) maintained their grade. The best areas of enchancment, nevertheless had been in Innovation and Creativity & Effectiveness as with 14 upgrades in every. In a yr wherein the metaverse and AI emerged as new instruments for experimentation and creativity and Covid restrictions in lots of markets had been lifted, the standard of labor within the area improved. 

Ultimately, simply over half (16 out of 30) companies acquired an upgraded rating this yr. Ten companies acquired a decrease grade, and 4 maintained their rating.

We eliminated 11 companies this yr from our rankings, together with efficiency companies and a few smaller or much less energetic networks in our area, in an effort to deal with high quality over amount.

Integration efforts at sure holding firms proceed to problem our evaluations on an company model stage. Publicis consumer work most regularly runs throughout companies now, so all its company manufacturers are lumped underneath the Inventive and Media umbrellas, which this yr additionally contains Digitas underneath Inventive. Isobar in the meantime, has change into a part of Dentsu Inventive, which was judged independently of Dentsu’s Japanese operations this yr because the community was developed with its personal distinct id exterior of Japan. As Dentsu’s new built-in company construction takes maintain in 2023, we count on to once more embody the Japanese operations in our evaluation subsequent yr 

CRITERIA

We assess every company community within the following classes:

1. Enterprise progress: We assess a mixture of general income, new-business income (utilizing each reported figures and recorded figures from 2022 in Marketing campaign AI’s new enterprise company rankings utilizing information from consultancy R3’s New Enterprise League in APAC markets, which we relied on in 2021), natural progress, profitability, consumer wins and losses, and diversification of income. 

2. Innovation: A qualitative evaluation of Asia-based initiatives and improvements primarily based on their enhancements to the company, folks, shoppers and business.

3. DEI & Sustainability: We qualitatively assess the diploma of dedication to progress in each of those areas, recognising initiatives at holding group stage however with extra weight given to regional and native initiatives.

4. Creativity & Effectiveness: Compelling and efficient marketing campaign work, judged qualitatively. Regional and international awards recognition is included, with greater weighting given to wins at main reveals. Work demonstrative of excessive effectiveness for shoppers can also be thought-about.

5. Administration: A qualitative evaluation of management efficiency primarily based on the 4 classes above plus different parts, corresponding to key regional choices, administration stability, contributions to the business by company leaders, dedication to employees coaching and improvement, employees annual turnover, and extra.

PROCESS

Most companies kindly reply to a written submission type that asks for particulars throughout all elements of the enterprise. Based mostly on this, plus in depth impartial analysis and, normally, an hour in dialog with the company’s regional chief(s), Marketing campaign Asia-Pacific’s senior editors assess every company’s efficiency throughout the 5 grading classes, assigning a grade between 0 and 10 in every class. These level values and their letter-grade equivalents are proven under.  

As soon as the 5 class grades are assigned—and mentioned at nice size by all of the editors working collectively—a ultimate grade is calculated by averaging the 5 grades. This yr for the primary time we’re displaying the numerical averages first, which offer a extra granular view of how every company has progressed or regressed. We have now additionally modified the scoring this yr to provide greater numerical values to grades to create scores extra reflective of company contributions on a commonly-perceived scale of 1 to 10.

Letter grade

Description

Level worth for class grades

Level worth vary for general grade

A

Unmatched

9.5

9.3 and up

A-

Excellent

9

8.8 – 9.2

B+

Wonderful

8.5

8.3 – 8.7

B

Superb

8

7.8 – 8.2

B-

Good

7.5

7.3 – 7.7

C+

Common

7

6.8 – 7.2

C

Passable

6.5

6.3 – 6.7

C-

Wants work

6

5.8 – 6.2

D+

Poor

5.5

5.3 – 5.7

D

Actually poor

5

4.8 – 5.2

F

Failed

0-4.5

0.0 – 4.7

Previous Company Report Playing cards: 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

(Report Playing cards previous to the 2015 version had been revealed in print solely)