Now in its third year, the Revolution Agency survey this year differentiated between digital suppliers as well as agencies. As clients have acknowledged in this month's feature (p62), many are turning to a mixture of suppliers and agencies to service their marketing communications needs, with many using a smaller supplier for specific tasks.
There is only one reliable way of rating agencies, and that is by asking the clients for whom they have done work to rate them. As in 2005 and 2006, Revolution asked its client readers - taken from Revolution's subscription base of 12,500 - to rate the agencies and suppliers they had used in the past 12 months. The response was higher than last year, with more than 500 clients completing the survey.
The top agencies and suppliers - which Revolution has limited to ten due to the complexity of the survey - is complemented by a breakdown of suppliers of specialisms, such as SEO, data supply, email marketing, usability and web analytics.
The average of an agency's scores for the separate attributes was used to produce its final survey. This method provided a balance between agencies and suppliers that are specialists in particular agencies.
Also, because clients' opinions were only included if they said they had used a particular agency or supplier in the past 12 months, it meant their opinion was based on usage and not perception. Total anonymity for respondents ensured honest ratings and, to incentivise respondents, each contributor was entered into a draw to win an iPod, kindly provided by Weboptimiser.
This year's top ten agencies and suppliers only features three of the agencies which appeared in last year's Top 30: Agency Republic, Glue and E3 Media.
The top agency/supplier was ranked as Enable Interactive. The Bristol-based agency also topped the tables for new technology, its ability to act technically and account management. Enable Interactive works with clients such as Alliance & Leicester, Channel 4 and WWF. It has also embraced the growing passion for responsible business and works with ethical brands including Remploy, which specialises in getting disabled people into work.
A surprise entrant at number two was data collection and storage company Quantum. It was rated top for understanding business and data collection, and second for account management. Poke - which topped the top 30 in 2006 - also continued to make its presence felt. Although it didn't appear in the top ten overall, it did appear in the top ten for creativity, ROI, understanding business/sector, fifth for new technology and fourth for its ability to work well with other agencies.
Aegis-owned Glue came in at number six overall but was rated joint top in the creativity stakes, its three Cannes gold Lions for Mini, Royal Navy and Coke Zero reflecting that accolade. Also at the number one slot for creativity were Enable, Agency Republic and Swamp. Swamp, which was acquired at the beginning of 2007 by Brahm, also proved an illustration of the fragmenting strategy that clients are adopting by using a variety of providers for their marketing communications.
TOP 10 AGENCIES
1 Enable Interactive 9.78
2 Quantum 9.61
3 Swamp 9.33
4= Agency Republic 9.22
4= Foolproof 9.22
6 Glue 9.21
7 E3 Media 9.14
8 Code Computer Love 9.00
9 Web Liquid 8.92
10 I-spy 8.86
CREATIVITY
1= Glue 10
1= Enable Interactive 10
1= Agency Republic 10
1= Swamp 10
5= E3 Media 9.5
5= Quantum 9.5
7= Poke 9
7= Haygarth 9
7= Universal McCann 9
7= Code Computer Love 9
11 Underwired 8.8
12 I-spy 8.75
13 I-level 8.67
14= Squeeze Digital 8.57
14= Harvest Digital 8.57
16= Soup 8.5
16= Foolproof 8.5
18 Web Liquid 8.36
19= Summit Media 8.33
19= Zed 8.33
19= Global Beach 8.33
22 Dog Digital 8.25
23 Crayon 8.11
24= TBG London 8
24= Avenue A/Razorfish 8
26= R.O.EYE 7.5
26= Halpern Cowan 7.5
28 Carat Digital 7.33
29 Dare 7
30 Mediacom 5.5
31 Diffiniti 4.67
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
1= Swamp 9.5
1= Quantum 9.5
1= Code Computer Love 9.5
1= R.O.EYE 9.5
5 Underwired 9.33
6 Web Liquid 9.27
7= Glue 9
7= Universal McCann 9
7= Foolproof 9
10= Poke 8.5
10= E3 Media 8.5
10= I-spy 8.5
10= Agency Republic 8.5
10= Soup 8.5
15 Summit Media 8.43
16 I-level 8.33
17 Squeeze Digital 8.29
18 Dog Digital 8
19 Harvest Digital 7.88
20 Crayon 7.78
21 TBG London 7.67
22 Halpern Cowan 7.5
23= Carat Digital 7.33
23= Diffiniti 7.33
25 Global Beach 7
26= Haygarth 6.33
26= Dare 6.33
28 Avenue A/Razorfish 6
29 Mediacom 5.75
UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS/SECTOR
1 Quantum 10
2 E3 Media 9.75
3= Enable Interactive 9.5
3= Agency Republic 9.5
3= Swamp 9.5
3= Code Computer Love 9.5
3= Foolproof 9.5
8 Poke 9.4
9 Web Liquid 9.18
10= Glue 9
10= Zed 9
10= R.O.EYE 9
13 I-spy 8.75
14 Summit Media 8.71
15= I-level 8.67
15= TBG London 8.67
17 Harvest Digital 8.63
18 Squeeze Digital 8.57
19 Universal McCann 8.5
20 Global Beach 8.33
21 Dog Digital 8.25
22 Crayon 8.11
23 Soup 8
24 Underwired 7.8
25 Halpern Cowan 7.5
26 Carat Digital 7.33
27= Haygarth 7
27= Dare 7
29 Diffiniti 6.67
30 Avenue A/Razorfish 6.5
31 Mediacom 6.25
NEW TECHNOLOGY
1 Enable Interactive 10
2= Glue 9.5
2= Agency Republic 9.5
2= Foolproof 9.5
5 Poke 9.4
6 Summit Media 9.14
7= E3 Media 9
7= I-spy 9
7= I-level 9
7= Zed 9
7= Swamp 9
7= Quantum 9
7= Soup 9
7= R.O.EYE 9
15 Web Liquid 8.82
16 Dog Digital 8.75
17 Haygarth 8.67
18= Crayon 8.63
18= Harvest Digital 8.63
20= Universal McCann 8.5
20= Code Computer Love 8.5
22= TBG London 8.33
22= Carat Digital 8.33
24 Squeeze Digital 8.29
25 Dare 8
26 Underwired 7.8
27 Halpern Cowan 7.5
28 Global Beach 7.33
29 Avenue A/Razorfish 6.5
30 Diffiniti 5.67
31 Mediacom 5.25
WORK WELL WITH OTHER AGENCIES
1= E3 Media 10
1= Haygarth 10
1= Quantum 10
4 Poke 9.6
5= Agency Republic 9.5
5= Swamp 9.5
5= Foolproof 9.5
8 I-spy 9.33
9= Squeeze Digital 9.25
9= Glue 9.25
11= I-level 9
11= Universal McCann 9
11= Code Computer Love 9
14 Web Liquid 8.91
15 Summit Media 8.86
16 Soup 8.5
17= Harvest Digital 8.25
17= Dog Digital 8.25
19= Underwired 8
19= R.O.EYE 8
21 Crayon 7.78
22 Carat Digital 7.67
23 Halpern Cowan 7.5
24= Dare 7.33
24= Diffiniti 7.33
26 Global Beach 7
27 TBG London 6
28 Mediacom 5.5
29 Avenue A/Razorfish 4.5
DATA COLLECTION
1 Quantum 9.5
2= I-level 9
2= Enable Interactive 9
2= R.O.EYE 9
5 E3 Media 8.75
6 I-spy 8.67
7 Web Liquid 8.64
8= Swamp 8.5
8= Universal McCann 8.5
8= Soup 8.5
11 Crayon 8.22
12 Summit Media 8.14
13 Harvest Digital 8.13
14= Squeeze Digital 8
14= Zed 8
14= Code Computer Love 8
17= Glue 7.67
17= Underwired 7.67
19 Poke 7.6
20= Dog Digital 7.5
20= Agency Republic 7.5
20= Halpern Cowan 7.5
23= TBG London 7.33
23= Carat Digital 7.33
23= Dare 7.33
26 Global Beach 7
27 Haygarth 6.33
28 Mediacom 6.25
29= Diffiniti 6
29= Avenue A/Razorfish 6
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
Lightspeed Research was selected by Revolution to be its fieldwork
partner for the 2007 Agency Survey. An online methodology was chosen as
the fastest and most accurate way to gather the opinions of the target
audience of clients. Email invitations were sent to all client
subscribers of Revolution between 2 and 29 November, explaining the
purpose of the research as well as the expected length of the survey.
Readers could then click on a link to reach the online survey, hosted on
Lightspeed's secure servers. The survey asked respondents to name and
score a digital advertising agency they have used in the past 12 months,
as well as other digital suppliers. Criteria for rating included return
on investment, creativity and their ability to work well with other
agencies.
ACT STRATEGICALLY
1= Glue 10
1= Enable Interactive 10
3= Agency Republic 9.5
3= Quantum 9.5
3= Foolproof 9.5
6 Web Liquid 9.36
7 I-level 9.33
8= Poke 9
8= E3 Media 9
8= I-spy 9
8= Swamp 9
8= Code Computer Love 9
13 Underwired 8.8
14 Summit Media 8.71
15 Haygarth 8.67
16= Harvest Digital 8.5
16= Universal McCann 8.5
18 Crayon 8.44
19 Zed 8.33
20 Dog Digital 8.25
21 Squeeze Digital 8.14
22= TBG London 8
22= Carat Digital 8
22= Soup 8
22= R.O.EYE 8
26 Halpern Cowan 7.5
27= Global Beach 7.33
27= Dare 7.33
29= Mediacom 6
29= Diffiniti 6
29= Avenue A/Razorfish 6
ACT TECHNICALLY
1= Enable Interactive 9.5
1= Agency Republic 9.5
1= Swamp 9.5
1= Quantum 9.5
1= Code Computer Love 9.5
6= Web Liquid 9
6= Glue 9
6= I-level 9
6= Universal McCann 9
6= Foolproof 9
6= R.O.EYE 9
12 Summit Media 8.86
13 Poke 8.8
14= E3 Media 8.75
14= I-spy 8.75
16 TBG London 8.67
17= Harvest Digital 8.5
17= Zed 8.5
19 Crayon 8.33
20 Squeeze Digital 8.29
21= Underwired 8
21= Dog Digital 8
21= Carat Digital 8
21= Soup 8
25 Global Beach 7.67
26 Halpern Cowan 7.5
27 Haygarth 7
28 Dare 6.67
29 Mediacom 6.5
30 Avenue A/Razorfish 6
31 Diffiniti 5.67
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
1= Enable Interactive 10
1= Quantum 10
3= Glue 9.5
3= Agency Republic 9.5
3= Swamp 9.5
3= Foolproof 9.5
3= R.O.EYE 9.5
8= Summit Media 9
8= E3 Media 9
8= I-spy 9
8= Haygarth 9
8= Universal McCann 9
8= Code Computer Love 9
14 Underwired 8.8
15 Web Liquid 8.73
16 Squeeze Digital 8.71
17 Harvest Digital 8.63
18 Soup 8.5
19 Poke 8.4
20 Zed 8.33
21 Dog Digital 8.25
22= I-level 8
22= TBG London 8
24= Global Beach 7.67
24= Carat Digital 7.67
26 Halpern Cowan 7.5
27 Crayon 7.44
28 Dare 7
29 Diffiniti 6.33
30 Mediacom 6
31 Avenue A/Razorfish 5.5
TOP 30 AGENCIES AS THEY RATED IN 2006
Rated Survey
07 06 05 Agency special- Score
name isms
- 1 1 Poke Creative Email Site Mb 9.01
Build
- 2 8 Precedent Creative Site 9.01
Build
- 3 5 Profero Creative Site 10.9
Build
- 4 - Spanner- Site Search 9.01
works Build
- 5 - Lawton Site Media
eMarketing Creative Email Build Planning Search 9.01
- 6 7 DC Site
Interact Creative Email Build Search 9.01
- 7 16 AKQA Creative Email Site Search 9.01
Build
- 8 6 Dare Creative Email Site 9.01
Build
- 9 15 Media Creative Media Search 9.01
Contacts Planning
- 10 - Summit Creative Email Site Media Search 9.01
Media Build Planning
7 11= - E3 Media Creative Email Site 9.01
Build
- 11= - Equi=Media Email Media Search 9.01
Planning
- 13= - Craik
Jones Creative Email 9.01
- 13= - Fortune Creative Email Site Search 9.01
Cookie Build
- 15 - DNA Creative Email Site Media Search Mb 9.01
Consulting Build Planning
- 16 18 Carat Email Media Search 9.01
Digital Planning
- 17 - MindShare Media
Inter- Creative Planning Search 9.01
action
- 18 10 Starcom Creative Email Media Search 9.01
Digital Planning
- 19 - Harvest Media Search 9.01
Digital Planning
- 20 - Draft Creative Email Site Media 9.01
London Build Planning
4 21= 11 Agency Creative Email Site Media 9.01
Republic Build Planning
- 21= - Wheel Creative Email Site Media Search 9.01
Build Planning
- 23 19 Digital Creative Email Site 9.01
TMW Build
- 24 - Publicis
Dialog Creative Email Site 9.01
Build
6 25 11 Glue Creative Site 9.01
London Build
- 26 19 I-level Email Media Search 9.01
Planning
- 27 - WWAV Rapp Site
Collins Creative Email Build 9.01
- 28 - Agency.com Creative Email Site Media Search 9.01
Build Planning
- 29 - Grand Creative Email Site Media Search 9.01
Union Build Planning
- 30 - Zed Media Creative Email Site Media Search 9.01
Build Planning
Mb = Mobile
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