EssenceMediacom has maintained its leadership in Campaign Red’s April APAC new-business rankings, despite exiting the global top 20 after the high-profile loss of the Coca-Cola North America account. The agency’s position in Asia-Pacific remains solid, thanks to significant wins that underscore the region’s growing strategic importance in global media planning.
Key Wins Drive APAC Dominance
According to preliminary COMvergence data, EssenceMediacom topped the APAC agency chart with $197.9 million in net new-business billings for the year to date. Nearly the entire amount stems from its Indian media account win for the Godrej Group, valued at $197.6 million following a competitive four-month pitch concluded in February.
Additionally, EssenceMediacom secured a $0.3 million brief for the launch of the Max streaming service in Australia, managing end-to-end media functions while supporting Warner Bros Discovery’s biddable media operations.
While globally the agency fell out of the top 20 following the $835.1 million loss of Coca-Cola’s North America business to Publicis Media, its regional dominance in APAC remains unshaken due to its continued strategic wins in high-growth markets.
Competitive Movements in the APAC Agency Rankings
EssenceMediacom’s commanding lead puts it far ahead of its nearest competitors:
- OMD took second place with $28 million, driven by its win of the Kimberly-Clark account, now managed by Omnicom across all markets outside North America (excluding South Korea).
- Starcom rose to third after retaining and expanding its long-term partnership with Dabur India, valued at $23.4 million.
- UM slipped to fourth with $13.1 million in new business, following its global win of King Living, managed centrally from its Sydney office.
- Initiative rounded out the top five with $12.4 million, following its successful pitch for Netflix’s media account in Australia, previously held by Wavemaker.
Emerging Regional Players
Among notable moves outside the top five:
- Hearts & Science picked up AS Watson’s media mandate in Hong Kong worth $12.3 million, prompting the agency to open a new office in the region.
- Involved Media, one of Australia’s leading independents, entered the rankings at eighth after securing accounts from Anytime Fitness, CareSuper, and BetterHelp, collectively worth $5.3 million.
Holding Company Performance: WPP Maintains the Top Spot
In the APAC holding company table:
- WPP leads with $156.8 million in net new billings, driven predominantly by the Godrej win via EssenceMediacom.
- Omnicom remains second with $60.3 million, powered by wins from OMD, PHD (Zurich), and Hearts & Science (AS Watson).
- IPG stays third at $26 million, buoyed by UM’s King Living win and Initiative’s Netflix win.
- Publicis Groupe is fourth with $25.5 million, gaining traction from Dabur’s digital and traditional media mandate via Starcom.
- Havas completes the top five with $1.1 million, having secured Pruksa Real Estate in Thailand and the Geely Auto media mandate.
Methodology & Forward View
The April rankings by Campaign Red are derived from COMvergence data and reflect only new wins (retentions excluded), offering a clearer view of fresh revenue entering agency portfolios.
With an increasing number of wins occurring at the group level, Campaign will now also publish a dedicated holding group table to capture the full picture of aggregate wins. Bespoke team wins will no longer appear in the agency-level breakdown.
Despite global turbulence, EssenceMediacom’s APAC leadership reflects the region’s resilience and growing role as a key revenue driver in global media agency dynamics.
