Droga5 Tops COMvergence 2020 US Creative Agency New Business Rankings

While clients found reasons to review media agency relationships toward the end of 2020, they seemed less likely to rethink creative assignments. A look at the top creative agencies for new business last year reveals that with fewer reviews a handful of agencies stood out. COMvergence released its 2020 Creative New Business Rankings with two of the top three spots going to agencies outside the big holding companies and the top four shops in the list taking in nearly half of the new business revenue tracked by the data research consultancy. There were just over 90 major U.S. creative assignments tracked by COMvergence in 2020, down from 155 in 2019. Droga5, which Accenture Interactive acquired in 2019, brought in $460 million in new business revenue, with the majority coming from winning creative responsibilities for Airbnb, Allstate and Hershey brand Kit Kat. Omnicom agency GSD&M managed to come in the No. 2 spot on the strength of winning the $390 million Capital One assignment early last year. Independent agency WorkInProgress trailed shortly behind thanks to Domino's delivering WIP its creative AOR duties near the end of the year in a move which ended the pizza delivery leader's 13-year relationship with CPB. COMvergence estimated the account at $370 million in media spend. Dentsumcgarrybowen was in the No. 4 spot on the strength of winning creative responsibilities for Hershey's flagship brand and Reese's, as well as retaining creative duties for American Express for a combined $300 million in media spending. Those top four agencies captured nearly half of the spending related to creative new business assignments measured by COMvergence. MDC Partners agency Anomaly rounded out the top five at $180 million as a result of winning U.S. creative duties for the flagship Coca-Cola brand. Coca-Cola has since launched a global creative and media review across its brand roster near the end of last year. Kansas City-based independent agency Barkley won more of the accounts measured by COMvergence than any other agency with six wins over the course of 2020, including ServiceMaster. Barkley also picked up creative responsibilities for Motel 6 after the chain dropped longtime agency The Richards Group and closed out the year by winning creative duties for four Post cereal brands. It was a good year for independent agencies overall, with 35 independent shops winning 52 of the U.S. creative reviews recorded by COMvergence, for about 40% of media spending reviewed in the year. In addition to WIP's being awarded Domino's creative account, another notable win was majority-independent Johannes Leonardo being named lead creative agency for Kraft brands Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Kraft Singles and Oscar Mayer. Omnicom topped COMvergence's list for agency groups, capturing over $560 million in media revenue across seven wins and two retentions while facing just over $100 million in losses. Accenture Interactive followed on Omnicom's heels and led based on wins alone, capturing $458 million in media revenue from new creative accounts across five wins and losing just $26 million. IPG won nine new creative accounts, more than any of the other agency groups. Such wins brought in $249 million in media revenue, with a retention responsible for an additional $55 million and the holding company facing $194 million in losses.