±±¾©Èü³µpk10

Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO was the most successful agency in new-business terms in 2007, according to a new report from the AAR.

The research, compiled from new-business activity among London-based agencies, revealed that AMV led the field after picking up 14 wins in total, including Birds Eye and Clarks. Second place went to CHI & Partners with 12 wins, while Beattie McGuinness Bungay, Fallon and TBWA\London shared third place with ten wins each.

Fallon, ±±¾©Èü³µpk10's Agency of the Year for 2007 was the best in terms of converting new-business opportunities. It won five out of five pitches.

Mustoes and Wieden & Kennedy came joint second, both converting 80 per cent of business opportunities into wins. AMV also scored well, with a conversion rate of 76.5 per cent, or 14 out of 17 pitches, to put it into fourth place.

BMB had the most new-business opportunities from any source, with 20 converted into ten wins.

AMV, Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners and WCRS shared the top spot for the most roster new-business opportunities - all reaching seven pitchlists where the client's choice was from a list of agencies with whom there was an ongoing relationship.

CHI & Partners had the most wins without a pitch where there was no prior client relationship. The agency won six accounts that way, followed by Albion, Dye Holloway Murray, Fallon, Mother and TBWA\London, which all won three accounts in 2007 without undergoing a formal pitch process.

Martin Jones, the director of advertising at the AAR, said: "I think the most significant observation is that the more selective agencies are in the number of pitches that they do, the more likely they are to be successful.

"If you look at the conversion rate of the most successful agencies, they are only doing five to six pitches a year, whereas agencies with lower conversion rates are often doing 12 to 15.

"Fallon, Wieden & Kennedy and all of the top ten are doing about five to seven pitches. The only one that stands out is AMV, with 17, and that is really unusual."

Laurence Green, the managing partner at Fallon, said: "We've learnt the hard way that less is more. At one point in our middle years, we were pitching roughly a dozen times a year, and this is just debilitating. Doing fewer pitches is better because it is not only fairer to your business, it is better for your people and fairer to your existing clients."

NEW-BUSINESS WINS
Rank Agency Total
1 AMV 14
2 CHI & Partners 12
3= Beattie McGuinness Bungay 10
3= Fallon 10
3= TBWA\London 10
6 M&C Saatchi 9
7= Albion 8
7= DLKW & Partners 8
7= Leagas Delaney 8
7= Leo Burnett 8
Source: AAR.

PITCH CONVERSION RATE
Rank Agency % Pitches
1 Fallon 100.0 5
2= Mustoes 80.0 5
2= Wieden & Kennedy 80.0 5
4 AMV 76.5 17
5= Karmarama 71.4 7
5= Leagas Delaney 71.4 7
7 M&C Saatchi 63.6 11
8= Albion 60.0 5
8= Hooper Galton 60.0 5
8= Krow 60.0 5
Source: AAR.