Tipping the advertising awards scales

Media agency of the Year MediaCompete has been identified as the agency to beat due to its impressive business growth - over 50% in the last year - and the incorporation of creative and innovative solutions into the often uncreative disciplines of media planning and buying.

MediaCompete CEO, Paul Wilkins, attributes part of the agency's success to adding a creative approach to media planning, thereby allowing all creative disciplines to work together productively. This approach is also underpinned by business tools, such as Economiser, which demonstrates a client's return on investment and how to get the most out of money spent.

"The Economiser is unique to MediaCompete and gives intelligent and researched insight into what creative works, which elements work and which media work for a particular client," says Wilkens.

"But the driving force behind our success is definitely our people - both our clients and employees, added Wilkens. "We mix the old, more experienced heads with the youngsters and it works."

MediaCompete has offices in 102 countries, including 22 in Africa. Its is currently the third largest media agency in South Africa, in terms of billings. Clients include the FirstRand Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Edcon, Mazda, NuMetro Film Distributors, Nokia, P&G, Wits Business School and Wyeth.