In South Africa’s agency market, being well known is no longer the same as being well regarded. The results of AGENCY SCOPE 2025 show a clear distinction between agencies that dominate awareness and those that earn trust through consistent performance, strategic strength and lived client experience. Reputation, the study suggests, is now shaped as much by delivery and peer credibility as by visibility.
Cesar Vacchiano, President and CEO, SCOPEN International, said: “The AGENCY SCOPE study reveals that awareness alone is no longer enough. The agencies that lead consistently are those that combine strong market presence with real performance, credibility and trust.”
Now in its sixth South African edition, the biennial study draws on 553 interviews with senior marketing and media decision-makers—people who appoint agencies and evaluate their performance daily.
Johanna McDowell, CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company and SCOPEN’s South African partner, notes: “What makes AGENCY SCOPE so valuable is that it captures how agencies are experienced, not how they describe themselves. For marketers, it’s a reliable guide to who is really delivering value. For agencies, it’s a clear signal of where they’re strong and where they need to sharpen their proposition. That’s uncomfortable for some, clarifying for others, but valuable for everyone.
AGENCY SCOPE measures everything from spontaneous awareness and creativity to client satisfaction and competitor opinion, creating the most comprehensive view of how agencies are genuinely experienced—and which ones stand out when marketers must choose.
The verdict? Some agencies dominate awareness. Others dominate trust. Very few do both.
Creative agencies: Seven ways to measure reputation
AGENCY SCOPE identifies seven key rankings for creative agencies, offering a nuanced view of how agencies are seen by the market, their clients and their peers.
- Spontaneous Awareness
- Creativity
- Attractive Agencies (shortlisted by marketers)
- ‘Ideal’ Agencies
- Overall Market Perception
- Overall Client Satisfaction
- Overall Competitors’ Opinion
South African marketers are spontaneously aware of an average of 6.7 creative agencies—a powerful indicator of agency presence and momentum.
Agencies that come to mind first are more likely to feature strongly across the other measures. Taken together, the rankings reflect both long-term brand equity and lived client experience.
Three agencies appear consistently in the top three across multiple rankings: Joe Public, Ogilvy and TBWA\.
Top three creative agencies overall
Ogilvy: Leads three rankings outright: Creativity, Overall Market Perception and Overall Competitors’ Opinion. It also places second for Spontaneous Awareness, Attraction and ‘Ideal’ Agency. Broad-based strength, consistently applied.
Joe Public: Tops Spontaneous Awareness, Attractive Agency and ‘Ideal’ Agency rankings, and places second for Creativity and Market Perception. High visibility backed by strategic confidence from marketers.
TBWA\: Ranks third for both Creativity and Attraction, holding firm in a fiercely competitive set.
Media agencies: Influence over volume
Media agencies are assessed across six rankings, mirroring the creative framework but excluding creativity.
- Spontaneous Awareness
- Attractive Agencies
- ‘Ideal’ Agencies
- Overall Market Perception
- Overall Client Satisfaction
- Overall Competitors’ Opinion
Marketers recall an average of 4.7 media agencies spontaneously, two fewer than creative agencies. As with creative agencies, awareness here is shaped by longevity, direct working experience and sustained market presence.
Top three media agencies overall
PHD: Leads Overall Market Perception and Ideal Media Agency, places second for Attraction and third for Spontaneous Awareness. Marketers trust PHD’s strategic judgement.
Carat: Ranks first for Competitors’ Opinion and third for Market Perception, Agency Performance and Ideal Media Agency. Peer respect and consistency in delivery.
The MediaShop: Tops Spontaneous Awareness, ranks second for Ideal Media Agency and third for Attraction. Strong market visibility that translates into consideration.
What the rankings reveal
Three of the most influential measures—Market Perception, Client Satisfaction and Competitors’ Opinion—are built on the same 11 attributes, including original and effective creativity, strategic planning, integrated services, innovation, digital and data capabilities, value for money and evidence of transformation.
For agencies, these represent a benchmarking tool. For marketers, a reality check on who is delivering, not just promising.
AGENCY SCOPE is SCOPEN’s biennial study of creative and media agency performance, measuring reputation through the eyes of marketers, clients and competitors. It is conducted across 10 global markets, with France joining the programme in 2026. Each year, SCOPEN conducts more than 2,500 CMO interviews worldwide, making it one of the most robust studies of its kind.
SCOPEN Africa was launched in South Africa in 2015 in partnership with the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company. For information on SCOPEN Africa please visit scopen.com. AGENCY SCOPE 2025/26 is the sixth edition of the study since 2016.
The IAS (Independent Agency Search and Selection Company) in association with the AAR Group (UK) was founded in South Africa in 2006. IAS specialises in client/agency relationship management and helping clients find agencies.
