Mediabrands peaks at highest RECMA score

Mediabrands Malaysia peaks as the leading network with a qualitative score of 50 points in RECMA’s latest qualitative evaluation for Malaysia. This serves as the highest score for the network historically in Malaysia, leading 27 points ahead of its closest competitor network.

The qualitative evaluation which is published twice yearly cements Mediabrands agencies Universal McCann (UM) and Initiative including BPN in the top two positions, being the only media agencies with a dominant profile in the country.

Agency rankings are based on 18 criteria, with the qualitative scores tabulated to give a profile ranging across the following levels – Dominant, High, Very Good, Good, Average and Emerging. This new edition of the Qualitative evaluation features 15 agencies in Malaysia and stands as a key tool to assess competition on a local basis.

Bala Pomaleh, Chief Executive Officer of Mediabrands Malaysia commented, “Mediabrands as a network has reached our highest score ever as a network in this latest evaluation. This is a true marker of the momentum and leadership demonstrated by both UM and Initiative. Both agencies were the only ones to attain a dominant score which is a clear indicator of their performance and competitiveness across pitches, new business, expertise, and growth. This monumental achievement is a direct result of the advancement of new capabilities and collaborative efforts across our teams, and we are extremely proud to have consistently maintained this position.”

UM attained a Dominant profile with a score of 25 points, with a +3 points progression over a three-year period. The agency ranks #1 in the Vitality ranking with the highest number of awards won (149 awards), and activity growth (69%) over a three- year period. UM is ranked #2 in the Structure ranking, with the highest score on resources staff across each of the three criteria – digital experts, data & analytics, and content & events.

Audrey Chong, Chief Executive Officer of Universal McCann said, “The on-going challenges of the pandemic truly showed the mettle of the team. At each step of the way, UM-ers rallied together to become more resilient, determined, and innovative in pursuit of excellence for our clients. The teamwork to futureproof together with our Mediabrands family was extremely critical in bringing together this success, and the results are clearly reflected in this latest RECMA report.”

Initiative including BPN maintained a Dominant profile with a score of 25 points, a +1-point progression over a three-year period. The agency ranks #1 in Structure due to its client portfolio with the highest number of big advertisers in the market (threshold of USD4 million). The agency also holds the second highest number of local clients and the second lowest exposure to top three clients, which contributed to the high Structure scores. Initiative is ranked #2 in Vitality, with an A+ in compitches (competitive pitches) in 2021 and the highest number of pitch participation over a three-year period.

Darren Yuen, Chief Executive Officer of Initiative said, “Initiative has managed to maintain a Dominant position for a second consecutive report, a testament that we are on the right path to success. The strong structure ranking is a direct result of the confidence and trust that has been put in us by our clients, and we are proud to have them believe in our journey together. We’re excited to continue scaling this momentum with innovation, cultural disruption and partnership across the wider Mediabrands network.”

RECMA is an independent media research company that publishes a wide range of media agency notation reports on a global scale. RECMA further provides strategic intelligence reference tools that help the top 500 global advertisers in their decision-making and agency sourcing, collecting and analysing data from more than 1400 media agencies in 90 countries.

More details on RECMA can be found here: https://www.recma.com/