Mediabrands retains top position on RECMA’s latest qualitative evaluation

Mediabrands Malaysia retains its position as the leading media network in RECMA’s latest qualitative evaluation for Malaysia, with Universal McCann (UM) and Initiative scoring a Dominant profile consistently for a five-year period.

The qualitative evaluation which is published twice yearly sees UM and Initiative including BPN in the top two positions with Dominant profiles, the only two media agencies in the country on that scale. 

Mediabrands as a network scored 44 points, leading 20 points ahead of its closest competitor network.

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, “Economically, the country has taken a hit over the past couple of years, and the industry has worked hard to fight for our survival. 

As a network, we have prioritised the longevity of our business, and our strategies have taken many forms besides financial measures. We have been carefully putting in place plans to address our sustainability, made talent improvements, and placed diversity, equity and inclusion high on the agenda. 

While these things are not necessarily measured in RECMA’s very extensive process, we believe they have played a contributing factor for our success as we’ve managed to solidify our culture and grow from strength to strength.”

UM attained a Dominant profile with a score of 23 points, ranking #1 in the Vitality ranking and #2 in the Structure ranking.

Audrey Chong, Chief Executive Officer of Universal McCann said, “The past year has been extremely challenging for us as we’ve slowly clawed our way back from the effects of the pandemic. UM has rallied together, and the team has demonstrated immense resilience by focusing on client excellence and upskilling digitally to meet the pace of change. 

Our activity growth and pitch performance have been extremely positive, and we are confident these are a direct result of our futureproof thinking and brand positioning.”

Initiative including BPN also attained a Dominant profile, with a score of 21 points, ranking #1 in the Structure ranking and #3 in the Vitality ranking.

Darren Yuen, Chief Executive Officer of Initiative said, “Initiative has once again retained our position as a challenger brand in the market. Over the past year, we have focused our efforts on building new capabilities and intensifying our consultancy scope and practices. 

As a result of enhancing our analytics and content services, we have managed to grow even further across non-traditional spaces and strengthen our positioning with both large and local businesses, as we continue to innovate and disrupt.”

RECMA is an independent media research company that publishes a wide range of media agency notation reports on a global scale.