VMLY&R and OPMG Top Forrester’s Creative and Content Marketing Report

In the latest of Forrester’s agency Wave reports, VMLY&R and Omnicom Precision Marketing Group (OPMG) came out as the top leaders, with the market research company scoring the agencies high on strategy and current offerings. The report, released today, analyzed 13 agency networks, scoring them in 17 categories ranging from creative services to strategic vision and market presence. Once the scores were added up, the agencies were categorized by leaders, strong performers, contenders and challengers. The results from Forrester are designed to help CMOs by offering its clients objective industry research showing how agencies stack up against each other. VMLY&R scored highest in the “leaders” category, which it shared with OPMG and Accenture. Forrester found that BBDO, Ogilvy, Media.Monks, Deloitte and Publicis Worldwide were “strong performers” while Leo Burnett, Dept, dentsuMB, R/GA and MullenLowe were grouped in the “contenders” category. Forrester chose the agency networks from the company’s database that it qualified with a set of inclusion criteria. Those networks had to be willing to go through a comprehensive process of vetting, which involved taking data from the agencies frequently, understanding what their offerings are, talking with clients, filling out a detailed questionnaire and interviewing all the agencies. “We're very thorough… from that triangulation, we get a really accurate picture of not only what they do, but what they do best,” Jay Pattisall, principal analyst at Forrester who led the study, told Adweek. Who came out on top? VMLY&R scored highest, showing strengths in both current offerings and strategy, according to the Wave chart. Forrester noted that the agency is able to deliver creative strategy with a large team of diverse strategists, proprietary effectiveness and brand equity resources, combined with an insight approach that blends brand craft with marketing science. The agency also stood out for excellent creative services and digital development. Clients praised the network for being a digital native agency and one that was ambitious with its creative and brand strategies. “VMLY&R has undoubtedly seen great evolution and growth over the years to stay ahead and relevant, but our vision to be the most connected offering in the industry has been steadfast… We’ve stayed consistent…and have really found massive relevance with it in the marketplace,” Jon Cook, global CEO, VMLY&R, told Adweek. Strategy is what drove the success of OPMG, which scored highest in that category. OPMG’s high scores surprised even the network, since it was only formed several years ago, combining the expertise of agencies including Sparks & Honey, Credera, Critical Mass and Rapp. “We were more excited to win on the strategy side because…we'd always rather lead on strategy,” Luke Taylor, CEO of OPMG, told Adweek. Taylor said the reason the network scored high the on the strategy side is because it is focused on building out an end-to-end content operating system. “It's a combination of bringing together a lot of the workflow, a lot of the old design, a lot of the data aggregation and synthesis and a lot of the automation in a way that maybe Forrester hadn't seen in more traditionally creative companies. We're trying to leverage our tech and consulting skills to empower the creative process, make it braver, more relevant, more scalable, more effective,” Taylor added. Media.Monks made the list in a high position in the strong performers category just one year after the launch of its unified brand. “As first timers, we're thrilled to enter the zeitgeist as a ‘strong performer’ signaling how we’re disrupting the traditional agency hold cos and consulting firms that also populate the list,” Media.Monks co-founder Wesley ter Haar told Adweek. “Our new inclusion alongside the more traditional names in Forrester Waves of the past represents the sea change in the industry that this report is bringing to light: the need for a partner who can combine a portfolio of services to build impact across the entire experience ecosystem.” Surprises Pattisall said that the inclusion of data intelligence in creativity is the biggest thing to happen to creative agencies since Doyle Dane Bernbach’s creative streak in the 1960s. But what he found surprising in this Wave report was the extent to which “both digital agencies and heritage creative agencies have incorporated data intelligence as part of as part of their offer. That is truly foundational” for developing strategies and the work. The high scores of OPMG and the emergence of Media.Monks means that newer, digital native agencies are now playing alongside traditional agencies that have bolstered their digital and strategy offerings. Modern agencies need to combine data intelligence with business intelligence and creative intelligence, which means media and creative combine to maximize messaging. “That's really a useful integration strategy for clients that are looking for not only efficiency in all of their marketing, but the effectiveness by being able to measure it,” said Pattisall. He added that the Wave study isn’t about winners versus losers, but it was designed to show marketers what agency is appropriate for them, based on what they are looking for, and also what they should be looking for in a creative agency. “The real utility is that it will help marketers understand what data intelligence capability needs to be incorporated into their agency,” said Pattisall. “This is really about watching the industry transform in a way that it's needed to for many years.” Cook added that the Wave study sets the benchmark for assessing providers based on what brands need today. “It’s not just about delivering a big idea campaign, but about building on data and insights and ensuring that the operation as a whole is built on growth-oriented and future-forward foundations.” Omnicom Media Group and Publicis Media Lead Forrester Agency Assessment