In 2001, AURORA took the pioneering step of giving advertising agency rankings for the first time. As no formal documentation was available, the only way to do this was to ask the agencies to declare their billings and categorise their top 5 clients.
However, over the years, agencies began to inflate their billings with the result, as we explained in our 2002 rankings, that the total billings exceeded total adspend figures provided by media research houses. Furthermore, some agencies were being ranked lower than perhaps what their true position should have been even though they were providing us with accurate figures, and they decided not to participate.
In an effort to resolve the matter, AURORA has opted to alter the methodology by which such information is collated. This year instead of asking agencies to provide billings, AURORA asked a selection of the leading media establishments – newspaper groups, TV channels and radio stations to provide lists of their top advertising agencies as well as advertisers. Billing figures are not provided; instead media establishments have ranked their agencies and clients in terms of the business they provide. We sent our questionnaire to 14 establishments of which ten replied. The rankings you see below have been provided to AURORA by the media establishments have not been altered or changed by AURORA.
The purpose of this method is not to give a definitive list as we have done in the past. The purpose is to provide a clearer idea of the top agencies in Pakistan, nothing more or less. In a sense, this provides us with an even more authentic idea of who the top players are because it is coming from those sources where the advertising spend is going – the media establishments. As always, if you have nay views about this methodology, we will welcome them at [email protected]
Print Media
1: Dawn Group of Newspapers
Advertising Agencies Advertisers
01 Orient McCann-Erickson Habib Bank Limited
02 Synergy Advertising Mobilink
03 JWT – Asiatic Bank Alfalah
04 Interflow Communications Samsung
05 Manhattan Pakistan New Allied Electronics
06 Evernew Entertainment Pakistan Tobacco Company
07 The Circuit Muslim Commercial Bank
08 Manhattan International PIA
09 Midas Indus motor company
10 Spectrum Communications United Bank Limited.
11 Prestige Communications PTCL
12 Publicis Pakistan Sui Northern Gas Pipelines
13 Manhattan Communications Citibank
14 Argus Advertising Sony Pakistan
15 Maxim Advertising Union Bank
2: Jang Group of Newspapers
Advertising Agencies Advertisers
01 Orient McCann-Erickson Mobilink
02 Manhattan Pakistan Instaphone
03 Evernew Entertainment Dawlance
04 Midas Samsung
05 Interflow Communications Eden Developers
06 Synergy Advertising United Bank Limited
07 JWT-Asiatic LG Pakistan
08 Pak MediaCom Ufone
09 Mindshare Pakistan Nokia
10 Maxim Advertising Unilever Pakistan
