The Top Tier
Posted on
by Chief Marketer Staff
| 1 | THE MARKETING ARM 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1800, Dallas, TX 75201 Phone: (214) 259-3200 URL: www.TheMarketingArm.com Ownership: Omnicom Group CEO: Ray Clark At a Glance: Tops the list in its sophomore year here. Credit strong 2005 cross-selling among the four shops that merged in ‘04 (Marketing Arm, USM&P, Millsport, Davie-Brown), plus 20 wins including Wal-Mart, XM Radio, Anheuser-Busch, Staples. (Lost in 05: BMW, Reebok.) Bought mobile-phone shop ipsh (yes, “ipsh”) to round out its content-conscious reach. See profile on p. 44. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $56,000,000* 2004: $45,675,000* 2003: $6,750,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 730%* Agency Age: 13 Net Revenue/Employee: $213,740* |
| 2 | ARNOLD BRAND PROMOTIONS 101 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02199 Phone: (617) 587-8000 URL: www.arnoldworldwide.com Ownership: Havas CEO: Ed Eskandarian At a Glance: Agency of the Year. Top-notch campaign work, thanks to its ad-agency roots, brand-centric culture and penchant for sales results. Solid growth in 2005, half of it from current clients. Witness Fidelity Investments’ Paul McCartney gig (PROMO’s top EMMA winner) and Olympic training for Tyson. New in ‘05: RadioShack, Mobile ESPN, Estee Lauder (all AOR). Lost Volkswagen of America (after 10 years), Goodyear and Dunlop. Class act. See profile on p. 12. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $54,000,000* 2004: $29,500,000* 2003: $22,500,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 140%* Agency Age: 16 Net Revenue/Employee: $89,404* |
| 3 | ePRIZE LLC 1 ePrize Drive, Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069 Phone: (248) 543-6800 URL: www.eprize.com Ownership: Independent CEO: Josh Linkner At a Glance: Plays the game very well. Owns the online sweeps space with solid execution and clever creative. Tripled net revenues since 2003, mostly via current clients. More than doubled staff in ‘05. Helped Coca-Cola build iCoke, an online global platform for promos tailored by country. Continues to build its chops on loyalty marketing. See profile on p. 43. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $26,204,371 2004: $14,233,048 2003: $6,467,895 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 305% Agency Age: 7 Net Revenue/Employee: $179,482 |
| 4 | MOMENTUM WORLDWIDE 161 Sixth Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10013 Phone: (212) 367-4500 URL: www.momentumww.com Ownership: Interpublic Group of Cos. CEO: Chris Weil At a Glance: Still pushing the envelope, geographically and strategically. Added a layer of global management, including its first-ever worldwide CMO (Kevin McNulty). Annexed sister shop World Creative Group to build its star power. Won 2005 and 2004 PRO Award for Most Innovative Communication Strategy (GM Hot Button, Coke’s GPS can). Most ‘05 growth came from current clients; new wins include Intel, Verizon Wireless, Marriott, Microsoft, Comcast and U.S. Army (2006). |
NET REVENUE 2005: $94,770,000* 2004: $81,000,000* 2003: $60,562,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 56%* Agency Age: 22 Net Revenue/Employee: $195,402* |
| 5 | PROMOWORKS 500 E. Remington Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173 Phone: (847) 310-2600 URL: www.promoworks.com Ownership: Independent CEO: Mike Balogh At a Glance: Masters of the sampling universe. Almost 400 clients, especially CPGs (Kellogg, Hershey, Kraft). Crafts creative executions in store aisles: Put Thomas the Tank Engine toys on the floor for kids to try; demo’d steam-released SudaCare Shower Soothers with a table-top shower. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $32,409,601 2004: $23,563,000 2003: $17,524,800 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 85% Agency Age: 7 Net Revenue/Employee: $119,593 |
| 6 | DIGITAS 33 Arch Street, Boston, MA 02110 Phone: (617) 867-1000 URL: www.digitas.com Ownership: Digitas Inc. CEO: Laura Lang At a Glance: Targeted-marketing savants. Zoomed to attention with the Pontiac Apprentice Early Order program (won the Super Reggie and an EMMA) and Catch a G6 (PROMO’s top IMA winner). Picked up Buick’s interactive work in 2005, thanks to strong results for GM sib Pontiac; also added more online work from AmEx, and won Virgin Life Care, KitchenAid, AARP, Turner Entertainment Networks’ GameTap online gaming. Built “My Wish List” holiday site for AmEx, prompting 131,000 new-card applications. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $252,000,000* 2004: $245,000,000* 2003: $206,000,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 22%* Agency Age: 26 Net Revenue/Employee: $210,000* |
| 7 | GMR MARKETING 5000 S. Towne Drive, New Berlin, WI 53151 Phone: (262) 786-5600 URL: www.gmrlive.com Ownership: Omnicom Group CEO: Gary Reynolds At a Glance: Topped $100 million in net revenues, mostly via new work from current clients (think Unilever, SABMiller, Wrigley). Revamped its new-business team in late 05, bringing in new clients AAA, Harley-Davidson and BP. Put Ronald McDonald and Olympic athletes in 96 school gyms for Big Mac; toasted Rusty Wallace’s NASCAR retirement for Miller with Rusty’s Last Call tour. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $111,000,000* 2004: $91,300,000* 2003: $83,000,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 34%* Agency Age: 27 Net Revenue/Employee: $277,500* |
| 8 | ARC WORLDWIDE 35 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601 Phone: (312) 220-3200 URL: www.arcww.com Ownership: Publicis Groupe CEO: Marc Landsberg At a Glance: Steady performance under Mark Landsberg after heavy turnover in 2004 (including the exit of CEO Nick Brien). Solid growth (including SABMiller and more P&G work) brought net revenues over $100 million; impressive campaign work overcame staffing disruptions. Took top PRO Award with Cadillac Under 5; kept abreast of consumer gadgets as marketing tools. New in ‘05: SABMiller, Gillette, Levi Strauss, Sprint, Sony Entertainment, Western Union and American Medical Association. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $114,800,000* 2004: $98,000,000* 2003: $96,000,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 20%* Agency Age: 2 Net Revenue/Employee: $195,904* |
| 9 | ASPEN MARKETING SERVICES 1240 North Avenue, West Chicago, IL 60185 Phone: (630) 293-9600 URL: www.aspenms.com Ownership: Independent CEO: Patrick O’Rahilly At a Glance: Nearly doubled net revenues from 2003, mostly via added work from current clients. Won Mutual of Omaha in 2005; prepped an 11-city tour for summer 2006. Handled GM’s Owner Appreciation Days direct mail; built awareness for the new AT&T with patriotic events. Bought SRI Analytics in early ‘05. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $76,080,507 2004: $59,371,116 2003: $39,194,574 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 94% Agency Age: 20 Net Revenue/Employee: $245,421 |
| 10 | CIVIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LLC 450 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016 Phone: (212) 426-7006 URL: www.cegny.com Ownership: Independent CEO: Stuart Ruderfer, David Cohn At a Glance: Our 2005 Agency of the Year is growing nicely. Hired Parke Spencer as president, added 25% more staff, moved to bigger digs. Picked up eBay’s Skype launch, Verizon Wireless, GSN and Scudder Financial; snagged Showtime’s consolidated account. Brokered a $23 million tourism deal for NYC and The History Channel; paired History Channel with competitor HBO for Rome blitz. Founders Ruderfer and Cohn still hands-on. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $5,286,775 2004: $3,175,877 2003: $1,410,000 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 275% Agency Age: 7 Net Revenue/Employee: $278,251 |
| 11 | RYAN PARTNERSHIP 50 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 Phone: (203) 210-3000 URL: www.ryanpartnership.com Ownership: Independent CEO: David Ryan At a Glance: Steady and solid. Spun off its integrated marketing arm in October to form Catapult Marketing Services (see No. 24). Tied Orville Redenbacher’s to Lost (EMMA winner); brought Dr Pepper into Wal-Mart to court teens. Helped Unilever extend Dove with Cool Moisture, despite an Apprentice snafu. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $50,355,000 2004: $42,413,000 2003: $37,806,000 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 33% Agency Age: 22 Net Revenue/Employee: $145,956 |
| 12 | OCTAGON 800 Connecticut Ave., 2 East, Norwalk, CT 06854 Phone: (203) 354-7422 URL: www.octagon.com Ownership: Interpublic Group of Cos. CEO: Rick Dudley At a Glance: Sports buffs with a penchant for events. Leveraged The Home Depot’s ESPN tie for Scott’s lawncare; built out Sprint’s NFL Pro Bowl sponsorship with a wireless-balloting sweepstakes. Beefed up Century 21’s Home Run Derby. Teamed up with Civic Entertainment Group to pitch sponsorships for New York’s MTA. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $37,900,000* 2004: $26,733,192* 2003: $20,455,846* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 85%* Agency Age: 23 Net Revenue/Employee: $220,349* |
| 13 | ERIC MOWER & ASSOCIATES 500 Plum Street, Syracuse, NY 13204 Phone: (315) 466-1000 URL: www.mower.com Ownership: Independent CEO: Eric Mower At a Glance: Smart and congenial. Among PROMO’s Top 10 for strong campaign work. Gave Kodak good exposure with a savvy Cinderella Man tie-in that bumped sales 15% to 20%; helped Fisher-Price boost Kmart’s holiday toy sales without cutting prices. Got families spinning (on Schwinn bikes) to raise awareness for Sorrento cheese, and donations for MS Society. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $25,628,716 2004: $23,370,740 2003: $18,768,010 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 36% Agency Age: 47 Net Revenue/Employee: $128,144 |
| 14 | PUBLICIS DIALOG 950 Sixth Avenue, 4 Herald Square, New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 279-6950 URL: www.publicisdialog.com Ownership: Publicis Groupe CEO: Debbie Yount At a Glance: On task online, and beyond. CEO Debbie Yount added duties as first-ever chief holistic officer for Publicis USA; she split Dialog CEO duties when Ted Barton took charge of the San Francisco office in December. Dressed up General Mills’ Progresso soup with an online soap opera for office workers at www.homesweetcube.com; helped Sprint/Nextel quell b2b customers’ nerves post-merger with a “Yes, you can” direct-mail campaign. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $60,250,000* 2004: $55,384,000* 2003: $43,000,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 40%* Agency Age: 12 Net Revenue/Employee: $172,142* |
| 15 | PIERCE PROMOTIONS & EVENT MANAGEMENT 123 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 Phone: (207) 523-1700 URL: www.piercepromotions.com Ownership: Omnicom Group CEO: Clint Pierce At a Glance: More than doubled size in 2005, mostly from new clients including Verizon, Clorox, Dunkin Donuts, Sony Ericsson and General Mills. Gillette work opened the door at P&G for lead event- and mobile-marketing shop. Omnicom sibs refer clients, too. Added staff, especially creative. Helped Gillette court women with the Venus Find Your Vibe tour; conducted Milk Bone’s Make Your Dog Famous contest for Kraft Foods. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $20,000,000* 2004: $9,050,000* 2003: $7,056,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 183%* Agency Age: 16 Net Revenue/Employee: $116,959* |
| 16 | THE GEORGE P. JOHNSON CO. 3600 Giddings Road, Auburn Hills, MI 48326 Phone: (508) 513-3398 URL: www.gpjco.com Ownership: Independent CEO: Robert Vallee Jr. At a Glance: First time in the PROMO 100; made the Top 25 by merit of size and campaign work. Event specialist whose 2005 growth came mostly from current clients, including IBM, Toyota and DaimlerChrysler. Helped Chrysler court Chicago Auto Show crowds with special access to test drive courses; launched Honda’s 2006 Civic with a festival-style tour. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $142,600,000 2004: $133,500,000 2003: $117,900,000 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 21% Agency Age: 92 Net Revenue/Employee: $191,153 |
| 17 | DRAFT 633 N. St. Clair St., Chicago, IL 60611 Phone: (312) 944-3500 URL: www.draftworldwide.com Ownership: Interpublic Group of Cos. CEO: Howard Draft At a Glance: The biggest shop here just keeps growing, here and abroad. Draft’s biggest 05 wins: Nokia’s and CA’s (Computer Associates) global accounts. Also new: Avaya, Gillette, GlaxoSmithKline, S.C. Johnson, United Airlines (January 06). Tina Manikas promoted to global role expanding retail and promotions; new offices in Bentonville and Los Angeles. Top 10 in campaign work. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $387,400,000* 2004: $365,430,000* 2003: $338,000,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 15%* Agency Age: 28 Net Revenue/Employee: $276,714* |
| 18 | RELAY SPONSORSHIP & EVENT MARKETING 303 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60601 Phone: (312) 297-1400 URL: www.relayworldwide.com Ownership: Publicis Groupe CEO: Wally Hayward At a Glance: Sports pros. Almost doubled net revenues over two years, thanks to more work from current clients and new wins, including projects from Dunkin Donuts, United Airlines and Astra Zeneca. Ran Canandian Club’s poker tournament with Chris Moneymaker in 1,000 bars (and off-premise); helped Cingular reach Hispanics soccer fans by sponsoring the Mexican National Team’s U.S. tour. Merged in July with U.K. research firm Sponsorship Intelligence to expand its research capabilities in the U.S. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $16,445,000* 2004: $14,300,000* 2003: $8,470,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 94%* Agency Age: 5 Net Revenue/Employee: $65,780* |
| 19 | PROMOTION GROUP CENTRAL 444 N. Orleans Street, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60610 Phone: (312) 467-1300 URL: www.promogroup.com Ownership: Independent CEO: Kelly Drumm At a Glance: Knows retail; builds campaigns with legs. Helped Blockbuster Online drive membership; paired Levi Strauss (Dockers) with JCPenney and XM Satellite Radio for a spring gift-with-purchase, then put JCPenney, Best Buy and Verizon together for a back-to-school cell phone offer. Net revenues dipped in 2005, with no new-client wins. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $7,029,887 2004: $9,592,890 2003: $3,462,481 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 103% Agency Age: 36 Net Revenue/Employee: $242,410 |
| 20 | VELOCITY SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT 230 East Ave., Norwalk, CT 06855 Phone: (203) 831-2027 URL: www.teamvelocity.com Ownership: Aegis CEO: David Grant, Alex Nieroth, Mike Reisman, Bob Wilhelmy, Harlan Stone At a Glance: Big PGA and NASCAR fans. Brought Toyota to NASCAR; opened a Charlotte, NC office (May 2006) to do NASCAR for Toyota, ConAgra, FedEx, Vitamin Water. Struck PGA Tour deal for FedEx to make it golf’s biggest sponsor. New clients drove ‘05 growth: Toyota, Vitamin Water, Ameriprise, Masterfoods, Path Pharmaceutical (Prevacid), Universal Studios (theme parks); Sentient (jet leasing). Lost retainer client The Home Depot in April ‘05; weathered the conviction of a former VP in January ‘06. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $17,076,000 2004: $13,739,000 2003: $9,974,600 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 71% Agency Age: 7 Net Revenue/Employee: $179,747 |
| 21 | ALCONE MARKETING GROUP 4 Studebaker, Irvine, CA 92618 Phone: (949) 770-4400 URL: www.alconemarketing.com Ownership: Omnicom Group CEO: Bill Hahn At a Glance: Moved the furniture a lot this year. Consolidated its four divisions in fall 2005, only 15 months after they split (promotions, fulfillment, digital and merchandise). Promotions staff is now single client contact, tapping other resources. Bought The Marketing Shop in October; Bill Hahn became Alcone CEO in January ‘06. Current clients juiced spending in ‘05, especially Sprint/Nextel; this year Pernod Ricard shifts some brands to other shops. Beefed up Copa Tecate soccer blitz for Heineken; got Jamie Lee Curtis to pitch Hasbro games for holidays. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $48,500,000* 2004: $39,500,000* 2003: $35,400,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 37%* Agency Age: 30 Net Revenue/Employee: $265,027* |
| 22 | TRACYLOCKE 1999 Bryan St., Dallas, TX 75201; 131 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 10897 Phone: (214) 259-3739 URL: www.tracylocke.com Ownership: Omnicom Group CEO: Ron Askew At a Glance: Riding retail under new CEO Ron Askew (July 2005). Formed FreshWorks sib-shop alliance to serve 7-Eleven; goosed Uproar (kids’ marketing) and Launch Point (R&D) units. Creative chief Mike Musachio took charge of Wilton, NYC; Witteman drives retail strategy. Allied with researcher Retail Forward; adding ad work (via retail clients). New in ‘05: InBev, Kimberly-Clark, Levi Strauss. Added work from 7-Eleven (now AOR), Hasbro and Pepsico (account-specific for foodservice and retail). Passed the $100 million mark in net revenues. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $105,600,000* 2004: $96,000,000* 2003: $87,087,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 21%* Agency Age: 93 Net Revenue/Employee: $201,143* |
| 23 | COLANGELO SYNERGY MARKETING 28 Thorndal Circle, Darien, CT 06820 Phone: (203) 662-6600 URL: www.colangelo-sm.com Ownership: Independent CEO: Rob Colangelo At a Glance: Smart work, often tongue in cheek. Helped Red Stripe beer poke fun at Super Bowl spots with a “Hooray Commercial Bowl” ad contest; touted Schick’s Quattro razors with infomercial parody (men’s) and nightclub sampling (women’s). Growth picks up after a conservative 2004 with ‘05 business coming evenly from current clients and new wins. Hired Thierry Anglade (from Bates/141 Worldwide) to head client services. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $25,984,259 2004: $21,646,562 2003: $20,195,673 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 29% Agency Age: 13 Net Revenue/Employee: $179,202 |
| 24 | CATAPULT INTEGRATED SERVICES, INC. 55 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06880 Phone: (203) 682-4000 URL: www.catapultmarketing.com Ownership: Independent (D.L. Ryan Cos.) CEO: David Ryan At a Glance: First showing in the PROMO 100. Formed in October 2005 via spin-off of Ryan Partnership’s integrated marketing group. (Ryan broke out Catapult revenues for ‘03-’05 for this ranking.) Stellar campaign work: Won an EMMA and Reggie gold for Sunbeam’s tie-in with Robots: The Movie; put Mott’s behind The Wiggles’ U.S. tour; gave consumers 15 minutes of fame as The New Face of Timex. See profile on page 42. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $13,211,000 2004: $10,141,000 2003: $9,943,000 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 33% Agency Age: 1 Net Revenue/Employee: $176,147 |
| 25 | MARKETING DRIVE WORLDWIDE 372 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897-2530 Phone: (203) 761-9125 URL: www.marketingdrive.com Ownership: Interpublic Group of Cos. CEO: Dean Buresh At a Glance: Respectable growth; solid campaign work. Management shuffle put Michael Harris in charge at Wilton (and Craig Millon in Boston) with Chris Barr and Kathryn Benedett’s January 2006 departure. Grew Bentonville office; added staff there and elsewhere. New in ‘05: Krispy Kreme, Bandai (both AOR), Abbott, Merck, Sega (all project). Won Reggie gold for M&Ms work for Kroger. Helped Visa spur card applications with in-branch campaign; showed Dannon how to capitalize on New Year’s dieting. See profile on page 46. |
NET REVENUE 2005: $60,500,000* 2004: $59,000,000* 2003: $55,000,000* 2-YR Growth ‘05-’03: 10%* Agency Age: 7 Net Revenue/Employee: $114,801* |
| *Revenue estimated by PROMO editors; not verifiable | ||
