The food and beverage sector attracted the highest level of advertising investment, according to COMvergence’s Global Media Agency New Business Barometer for the first quarter of 2025.
Nova Expressão (pictured, left) tops the ranking of new business wins among media agencies in Portugal, according to the Global Media Agency New Business Barometer by consultancy COMvergence. Universal McCann (UM) ranks second, followed by Initiative in third place.
The new business ranking for media agency groups in the first quarter of 2025 is led by Publicis Media (pictured, right), ahead of Omnicom Media Group (OMG). IPG Mediabrands completes the top three in third place.
Portugal ranked 27th in the market performance rankings, with media agency new business totalling US$12 million (€10.6 million). The market recorded a client retention rate of 52%. Associação de Promoção da Madeira, Iberdrola, Santander, Zurich Insurance Group and Playmobil were identified as the top advertisers by new business investment during the first quarter of 2025.
After analysing 587 pitches and account moves across 48 countries, COMvergence found that the global retention rate stood at 23%.
“Zenith was the most successful agency network in retaining client relationships following a pitch, achieving a 95% retention rate, while Publicis Media recorded the highest retention rate among agency groups at 87%,” the consultancy’s analysis states.
By category, the food and beverage (FMCG) sector attracted the highest level of new business advertising investment for media agencies in the first quarter of 2025, accounting for US$1.46 billion (€1.29 billion) in new business.
The entertainment and media industry ranked second, with US$891.5 million (€783.5 million) in new business investment, followed by the technology sector with US$523.1 million (€459.7 million). Retail placed fourth, attracting US$490.3 million (€430.9 million), while the pharmaceutical industry completed the top five with US$450.7 million (€396.1 million).
