According to the Marketing Services Financial Intelligence "private plums" ranking, St Luke's Holdings was the 28th best performing privately owned marketing services agency this year. Last year, it was ranked at 11th place. Law and Stanners left the agency in March after a fight over whether the agency should launch a New York office.
The survey showed how the advertising and marketing downturn was hurting the industry, with only half of the 50 companies in the ranking winning four plums or more, compared with 75% last year.
The awards were developed last year by the newsletter Marketing Services Financial Intelligence, with the aim of recognising privately owned companies that had strong financial credentials overall.
Three companies scored a full eight plums: BBH Holdings, which owns Bartle Bogle Hegarty; the direct marketing agency Tri-Direct; and the media-buying agency John Ayling Associates.
There were seven companies scoring seven plums, mostly failing to score full marks because of slower income growth.
However, St Luke's was not the worst performer in the survey. That prize went to Lorica, owner of design agency Corporate Edge, which tumbled 22 places on the survey from 16th to 38th place. Another design company, the Imagination Group, fell from 2nd place to 16th.
New-media consultancy Quidnunc Group scored no plums, while AKQA was disqualified for failing to file accounts within six months of their due date.
On the upside, several media agencies improved their performances. These included Walker Media Holdings, TSC Media and Media 北京赛车pk10 Services Holdings.
Freud 2.0 Holdings, which owns the PR company set up by Matthew Freud, rose to 18th place in the wake of its management buyout from the Omnicom Group.
The "plum" ranking is based on indicators including annual growth and profit margins.
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