However, there are some big issues affecting the industry, including pressure on margins and the competition between agencies to become a strategic partner to clients. We provide an insight into the discipline's growth, its leading protagonists and the sectors generating the biggest turnover for it.
MARKET RESEARCH AGENCY OF THE YEAR - NUNWOOD
A year of strong growth, innovation and creativity resulted in Nunwood reclaiming its crown as agency of the year, a title it also won in 2004 and 2005.
It scored 40 business wins, with big names such as Unilever, McDonald's and Google among its clients.
The agency also recorded organic growth of 51% in 2007 - more than 12 times the 4% industry average. While the figures speak for themselves, Nunwood has demonstrated its capacity for innovation, with the fledgling Nunwood Film Productions business that it set up in 2006 generating approximately 拢500,000 in revenue over the year.
Source: Marketing Agency of the Year 2007
THE ONE TO WATCH - HALL & PARTNERS
When it came to winning new business in 2007, Hall & Partners was not slacking off. It signed 60 clients, including British Airways and Asda, bringing its total billings for the year to 拢3.9m.
The company has a clever strategy for boosting its organic growth, offering free research to brands to help them understand how digital advertising and the media as a whole assist in building brand relationships. No wonder, then, that existing clients also gave Hall & Partners their vote of confidence in 2007, generating 拢300,000 in billings for it.
MRS AWARDS APPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH
Year Client Agency
2007 4 Digital Group Various
2006 Vodafone HPI Research Group
Source: MRS
MRS AWARDS MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS
Year Client Agency
2007 Sky Oxford Strategic Marketing, SPA & CFl
2006 Vodafone Oxford Strategic Marketing, Research International
Source: MRS
PROJECTED AVERAGE GLOBAL GROWTH OF MARKET RESEARCH REVENUE
2006 4%-5%
2007 5%-6%
2008 5%-6%
Source: Esomar 2007
TOP FIVE BIG AGENCIES FOR GROWTH
Rnk Agency Turnover Turnover %
2006(pounds) 2005(pounds) chng
1 Research Now 7,951,000 3,639,000 118
2 Cello Group plc 30,964,631 16,105,071 92
3 BDRC 9,260,000 6,279,000 47
4 Banner Corporation 31,782,613 23,129,564 37
5 Hall & Partners Europe 16,300,000 12,900,000 26
Source: Marketing market research leagues 2007
TOP FIVE SMALL AGENCIES FOR GROWTH
Rnk Agency Turnover Turnover %
2006(pounds) 2005(pounds) chng
1 The iD Factor 1,910,000 1,007,000 90
2 YouGov 5,500,000 2,942,000 87
3 Retail Eyes 3,084,286 1,703,023 81
4 ABA 2,390,390 1,559,221 53
5 Progressive Partnership 1,744,758 1,144,384 52
Source: Marketing market research leagues 2007
For further reading, visit the MRS website (www.mrs.org.uk) or the
Esomar website (www.esomar.org)
% TURNOVER BY SECTOR
Sector
1 B2B 11.9
2 Public sector 9.4
3 Retail 7.7
4 IT 7.7
5 FMCG 7.5
6 Food 7.4
7 Media 6.2
8 Health 5.1
9 Leisure 3.6
10 Alcohol 2.7
11 Travel 2.6
12 Automotive 2.0
13 Utilities 1.6
14 Charities 1.0
Other 2.3
Source: Marketing market research leagues 2007