The latest RECMA Qualitative Evaluation Report has delivered a significant milestone for dentsu South Africa, with Carat ranked as the country’s number one media agency and iProspect securing the number three position. Together, these results place dentsu in a joint first-place position among media networks in South Africa.
The rankings mark the first time Carat has claimed the top position in the South African market, achieving the highest overall Quali-score of 16 points. iProspect ranked third with 13 points, resulting in two dentsu agencies earning places in the national top three.
At network level, dentsu achieved a total score of 29 points, matching Omnicom Media as South Africa’s highest-ranked media group. Notably, dentsu achieved this position with only two contributing agency brands, compared with four contributing brands within the competing network.
Changing competitive landscape
Widely regarded as one of the industry’s most respected independent benchmarking organisations, RECMA evaluates agencies across 18 criteria spanning competitiveness in pitches, business momentum, resources, organisational strength, and client portfolio quality.
“This is not simply a ranking result. It is evidence of a changing competitive landscape,” said Lerina Bierman, Head of Media Brands at dentsu South Africa.
“For a long time, conventional wisdom suggested that leadership in media belonged to the largest networks with the most brands. These results challenge that assumption. Having the number one and number three agencies in the country, while sharing the top network position, proves that excellence, capability and performance are more powerful than scale alone.”
Commitment of our people
Bierman added: “What makes me most proud is what sits behind these rankings. Every point reflects the commitment of our people, the trust of our clients and the effectiveness of the work being delivered every day. To see Carat take the number one position for the first time, and iProspect continue its rise into the top three, is a defining moment for our media business. It signals that we are not following the market. We are helping shape where it goes next.”
The report also highlights the strength of iProspect’s momentum, ranking the agency first in South Africa on RECMA’s Vitality Index, while Carat’s balanced performance across momentum, capability, resources, and client profile secured its overall market leadership position.
This achievement builds on a strong record of industry recognition, including Media Agency of the Year 2025 (Financial Mail AdFocus), SCOPEN’s Most Balanced Media Agency of the Decade 2026 and Cannes Lions Media Network of the Year 2026.
Together, these accolades reinforce dentsu’s position at the forefront of South Africa’s media industry, with two of the country’s top three agencies demonstrating that leadership is defined not by scale, but by the strength of its people, capability, and performance.
