Global Branding and Packaging Groups

The biggest shift here is The Coleman Group Worldwide’s leap to the top with almost 13m in fees deriving from its global branding business. Its UK acquisition, Planet, was eighth in last year’s chart, with fee-income of 2.25m.

The biggest decline in fortune is WPP’s Coley Porter Bell, which fell back on branding fees from last year’s 5.4m – earning it top slot in 1997 – to 4.1m this. The loss of Promodes as a client is in part responsible for this downturn in fortune.

Business has generally been good for specialist branding groups, with Design Bridge upping its fees from 5.1m last year to 7m this and Jones Knowles Ritchie up from 2.6m to 3.7m. But Wickens Tutt Southgate hasn’t done so well. Last year, figures compiled before its deal with Rodney Fitch & Company put fee-income from branding and packaging at 2.5m. Now the combined figures of the two groups are down to 1.9m.

Groups whose workload tends to feature fmcg client Procter & Gamble heavily have also remained healthy, despite reliance on a major client. PI Design International is up from 4.14m fee-income reported last year to 4.23m this, and Siebert Head is up from 2.3m to 2.45m.