MUMBAI: Single flagship clients account for over one-fifth of revenue for many media agencies, showing a symbiotic long-term relationship between them.

Mindshare earned 20.3 per cent of its revenue in calendar year 2011 from Hindustan Lever, the largest advertiser in the Indian market. The FMCG major’s media spend in 2011 was $214.7 million, handled entirely by Mindshare which had total billings crossing the $1 billion mark in the year, RECMA’s (Research Company Evaluating the Media Agency Industry) global billings report shows.

Incidentally, HUL has marginally scaled down its media spends in 2011 due to the slowdown in the Indian economy. The company had spent $241.9 million in 2010 to promote its rich and diverse reach of brands cutting across all segments.

The GroupM agency’s other clients in India include Pepsico, GSK, Nike, Ford, Star Network, ICICI, Lenovo, Kellogg’s, IBM, Nestle, and Aditya Birla Capital.

Source: RECMA
*figures in $millions

ZenithOptimedia, which had grossed a billing of $295 million in 2011, got 21.9 per cent of its revenue from Reckitt Benckiser. The company had spent $64.7 million in 2011 as compared to $80.2 million in 2010, according to RECMA. It has brands like Harpic, Air Wick, Calgon, Veet, Boots Healthcare, Nurofen, Strepsils, Clearasil, Adams Respiratory.

The Samsung business accounted for 29.7 per cent of Starcom’s billing of $295 million in 2011. The Korean company spent $81.8 million in 2011, up from $60.2 million in the previous year.

Allied Media, with a net billing of $235 million, made 27.9 per cent of its revenue from Pantaloons Retail, RECMA report shows. Pantaloons Retail had a media spend of $65.6 million in 2011, down from $74.2 million a year ago.

GroupM’s MEC derives 18.73 per cent of its revenue from LG Electronics. Out of MEC’s billings of $300 million in 2011, the consumer electronics major shelled out $56.2 million towards media in 2011. LG has also cut its media spend by almost 27 per cent ($77 million in 2010), according to RECMA.

Lintas Media Group got 14.25 per cent of its revenue from Maruti Udyog that spent $61.3 million on media in 2011. This was lower than what the company had spent in the year 2010 which was 65.5 per cent. Maruti Suzuki, Magyar Suzuki, M-800, Omni, Alto, WagonR, Swift, Dezire, Esteem, Zen, Estilo, SX4, Grand Vitara and Versa are the brands that run under the brand.

GroupM’s Maxus earned 10.26 per cent of its total billing of $570 million in 2011 from its Nokia account. The mobile phone handset maker Nokia spent $58.7 million on media, almost the same ($58.5 million) as in 2010.