Top 6 global media agencies for activity growth: dentsu X leads the way

International league table singles out Dentsu X as the most active agency in terms of client work, while Mediabrands takes the top slot among holding companies.

by Robin Langford 01 August 2022

Dentsu X, Initiative and Zenith have topped a list of top media agencies, based on client activity.

The Overall Activity Volume Rankings report, published by RECMA this month, showcases the market share and growth of the media agencies, based on their overall activity.

It evaluates over 900 media agencies across 70 countries, is the reference quantitative ranking based on the activity volume, a metric including both traditional buying billings and non-traditional activities which cover online paid media as well as fee-based activities on digital, data & analytics, content, marketing, sponsoring.

The report highlights dentsu X as the fastest growing media agency globally, with 8.8% year on year agency growth.

This is the third consecutive year the dentsu international media agency has secured the top spot for growth in the global rankings, growing 81% over that time.

Commenting on the RECMA ranking, Sanjay Nazerali, Global Client & Brand President, dentsu X, said: “Our continued rapid growth, for four years running, is testimony to the way we engage with clients, understand motivations and innovatively adopt digital solutions so we can connect audiences with product and grow their business too. Our client results show this, and this leading RECMA position show that we truly grow together.”

London-based media agency Initiative comes in at number two on the list thanks to a high increase this year mostly due to the big win in the US of T-Mobile and a massive organic increase of Amazon.

Zenith is at number 3 with a 31% rise, followed by Starcom and UM.

On a larger scale by group, Mediabrands is leading the ranking by growth over three years (+30.9%) ahead of Publicis Media (+22.3%) and densut intl (+20%). Follow Haves Media (+15.5%), OMG (+10.5%) and GroupM (+9.2%).

RECMA was created in 1991 and specialises in collecting, cross-checking and validating data. The team uses a field force of 20 researchers who are in direct contact with the local networks in 60 markets on a daily basis.