The use of pitches as a method for selecting agencies remains the most commonly used approach in Mexico, with usage rising to 94% in this edition (compared to 72% in 2023), placing the country above the global average of 86%.
Source: © 123rf
123rf Scopen’s eighth edition of its Agency Scope study in Mexico has found that brands in Mexico are betting on creativity more than ever to stand out and agencies increase their creative recognition
This is according to the Scopen’s eighth edition of its Agency Scope study in Mexico.
When it comes to agency selection methods for creative and media agencies pitching, other countries surpassing the global average include South Africa (96%), India (95%), the United Kingdom (93%), Spain (90%), and China (87%).
On average, 3.9 agencies participate in each pitch process, which typically lasts around three months.
3 tools
When creating a long list of agencies (creative and media), marketing decision-makers primarily rely on three tools: The Agency’s past work - cases and credentials (71%), their Own experience or personal knowledge (56%), a Recommendation from a colleague or friend (37%).
Creative agency
In creative agency selection, the most decisive factors in the suggested list-building process are:
- Creativity
- Strategic Planning
- The agency’s professional team
In contrast, the least influential factors are:
- Awards won by the agency
- Commitment to sustainability
- Capabilities via international network (considered “not important” or “only somewhat influential”)
Media Agencies
In the case of media agencies, the top selection criteria are:
- Strategic Planning
- Research capabilities
- Demonstrated results / ROI
The least valued aspects for media agencies are:
- Being an Independent agency
- Awards won
- Previous relationships prior to selection
“The international successes of Mexican agencies, reaffirmed by new Cannes Lions, are helping to enhance the overall perception of creative agencies in the country,” says César Vacchiano, president and CEO de Scopen.
“They are now seen as more creative than in the past.
"This is excellent news for the industry and is accompanied by growing ambition from advertisers, who are increasingly relying on creativity to overcome challenges such as reaching consumers, differentiating from competitors, and strengthening the prestige of their brands and companies,” he explains.
Length of agency relationship
Mexican marketers work with a creative agency for an average of 4.7 years, a slight increase from 4.5 years in 2023, and closely aligned with the global average of 4.8 years.
Over the last two years, Chile has overtaken Portugal as the market with the longest creative agency relationships, with an average of 6.2 years (Portugal: 5.7 years), while China continues to have the shortest average duration, at 3.1 years.
In contrast, relationships with media agencies in Mexico have shortened over the same period: from 5.2 years in 2023 to 4.5 years in 2025.
The global average for media agency relationships is 5 years, with Portugal and China again standing at the two extremes — the longest at 6.6 years and the shortest at 3.1 years, respectively.
Most common form of remuneration
The annual fee model (retainer) remains the most common form of remuneration in Mexico: 67% for creative agencies, 70% for media agencies.
Creative agencies
A significant 83% of Mexican marketing professionals declare themselves satisfied with the work their creative agencies deliver - above the global average of 79%.
Only 6% express dissatisfaction with the services they receive.
Clients who work with independent agencies are more likely to say they are very satisfied (40%) compared to those who work with network agencies (34%).
This high level of satisfaction is reflected in the low intention to change agencies in Mexico, which currently stands at 15%. However, this figure has slightly increased compared to 2023, when the intention to switch agencies was just 9%.
Media agencies
For media agencies, advertiser satisfaction in Mexico is slightly lower at 79%, though still above the global average of 78%. Notably, only 3% of advertisers report dissatisfaction.
The intention to change agencies (either “definitely” or “probably”) is 14%, similar to the trend observed with creative agencies.
Perceived contribution
Advertiser satisfaction in Mexico is also reflected in the perceived contribution agencies make to business growth: Creative agencies are credited with contributing an average of 27% to business growth (up 3 percentage points from 2023).
Media agencies are attributed an even higher contribution of just over 32% (up from 26% in 2023).
Challenges
The main challenges faced by marketing leaders in Mexico include: gaining a Better understanding of the consumers and ability to reach them, differentiating from new and emerging competitors, and developing a stronger understanding of the market, including consumers, channels, and media environments.
Most valued awards
The Effie Awards and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity are regarded as the most valued industry awards among Mexican marketing professionals.
Both have seen a significant increase in recognition compared to 2023: Effie Awards: 84% in 2025 vs. 51% in 20,23 and Cannes Lions: 58% in 2025 vs. 39% in 2023.
Most admired company
In this edition, Coca-Cola once again appears in first place as the most admired company for its marketing and communication in recent years, followed by Nike (which also retains second place) and Apple (which moves up one position).
Standout creative agencies
Regarding the standout creative agencies, seven rankings are compiled analysing different aspects: Spontaneous Awareness, Creativity, Exemplarity, Attractiveness, Market Perception, Client Evaluation, and Peer (Competitor) Opinion.
In these, as we have seen in recent editions, Ogilvy maintains a very prominent position, leading four of them (and appearing in 6 out of 7).
Also noteworthy is Terán/TBWA, which appears in 5 of the rankings (being the agency best perceived by its competitors), and BBDO, which was not in the Top 3 rankings in 2023 but appears in four of them this year.
M&CSaatchi also did not appear in the previous edition and now leads the Client Evaluation ranking, while DDB and VML, which were also not previously ranked, now occupy the second and third place in the Peer Opinion ranking.
Among media agencies, six rankings were developed, since Creativity is not evaluated in this case.
Havas Media is the agency that appears most frequently, leading four of the six rankings. Also noteworthy are Initiative and Starcom, which appear in three of them. Arena Media is the agency best rated by its clients, and Zenith is the one best perceived by its competitors.
About Agency Scope Mexico
The fieldwork for this edition took place between January and April 2025, and the results have been presented to subscribing agencies in recent weeks.
This time, a total of 766 professionals were interviewed: 343 senior decision-makers in marketing, communication, and advertising from 263 different companies — some of the most important in the country; 305 professionals working at creative agencies; 103 from media agencies; and 15 commercial media executives.
About Agency Scope
This biennial study is conducted in 11 markets around the world (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Spain, India, Mexico, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and South Africa), analysing trends in the advertising market to understand the processes, perceptions, and performance of the various agencies that advertisers work with.
The results include an analysis of the evolution, compared to previous editions of the study and are also benchmarked against findings from other markets.
In countries like Brazil, 10 editions have already been conducted; Argentina is currently undergoing its eighth edition, while in Spain, the study has reached its 24th edition.
This is the only study of its kind carried out in the industry, and its main value lies in providing subscribing agencies with first-hand information about their clients’ needs. As such, it becomes a unique tool to identify growth opportunities, improve performance, and offer new services.
