EMM in the News

Meet the gatekeepers

Mediaweek: Posted 23 January 2004

The major players

In the UK, the major players in terms of the number of media pitches they work on are the AAR, Media Audits and Billetts. Fairbrother Media, Agency Assessments International, Agency Insight and EMM have all worked on large pieces of business, much of it international. AAI, for example, says that 60% of its work is international while EMM puts its figure at 75 to 80%.

The AAR is different from its rivals in that it not only charges clients but also charges agencies for its services. Haystack, which worked on the First Quench pitch in 2002, does make a small portion of its revenue by allowing agencies to post extra information on its website although the vast bulk of its revenue comes from clients. The rest of the consultants get all their revenue from clients.

Another organization that works differently from its rivals is the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, which provides search and selection services as one of the perks of membership. Debbie Morrison, director of membership services, says ISBA's advantage is that it can talk to current and former clients of an agency and get feedback from a marketing peer group. "We tend to hear if there are any grumbles," she says. "We tend to have a good handle on the philosophical matching of cultures."