Sri Lanka’s best performing agency MullenLowe ends 2018 on a record high

• Records 22% revenue growth
• Organic growth remained flat; new business gains spurred revenue growth
• Named Agency of the Year in the Rest of South Asia Category by Campaign South Asia
• Awarded as the Most Effective Agency at the Effies
• 112 commercials produced in 2018
• One of the most-sought-after places for careers in advertising

MullenLowe Sri Lanka ended 2018 on a record high in creative reputation and financial performance. The Sri Lanka office, a recently acquired company by the New York based IPG group was named by Campaign South Asia as the Creative Agency of the Year in the rest of South Asia category. This recognition came hot on the heels of the company also winning the Agency of The Year 2017 at the Effies held earlier in the year.

“Awards mean nothing if you don’t have sound financial credentials to back your achievements and that’s exactly what we did in 2018,” said MullenLowe Sri Lanka Chief Executive Officer Thayalan Bartlett.

On the back of a record year in 2017, which saw revenues grow by 27%, the company continued to accelerate growth in 2018 – closing at 22% higher than its 2017 figures. With the exception of a few portfolios, organic growth remained flat. Growth in 2018 was once again spurred by new business which accounted for little over 12% of its total revenues. The company produced 112 commercials in 2018 at the rate of 2.15 commercials per week, up by 10% compared to 2017, when it produced 101 commercials at the rate of 1.9 commercials per week.

The company continues to dominate 80% of Sri Lanka’s top 10 most advertised categories and 50% of the top 20 most advertised categories making MullenLowe one of Sri Lanka’s best performing agencies in 2018. By the sheer width of the company’s cross category knowledge, MullenLowe will consolidates its reputation as one of the most influential brand communication companies in Sri Lanka. 

“One of our core principles is to hire people that scare us, but with exciting start-ups becoming the employer of choice across categories for creative minded people, the advertising industry faces the challenge of recruiting the best creative minds. The response of course is to do work that captures the imagination of those minds. The number of high quality resumes MullenLowe Sri Lanka receives from across the globe showcases how well we’re doing in our efforts to inspire and attract the best local and international talent to work with us making MullenLowe Sri Lanka one of the most sought after places for a career in advertising,” said MullenLowe Sri Lanka Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Director Dilshara Jaymanne. MullenLowe Sri Lanka Vice President and Executive Creative Director Chandu Rajapreyar said: “We are a 70 strong creatively propelled unit that has made some of the most spoken off online and offline advertising in the country. We commenced 2018 with ‘Leda Leda’ for Softlogic Life which became the most talked of piece of advertising across the board. This campaign became a ‘good problem’ for the agency as many of our clients kept asking us to produce campaigns like ‘Leda Leda’ or to better it for them and we revel in such challenges. I think what clients most like us for is our ability to start with well-honed strategy and end by making great advertising ideas that are contagious.”

Despite an uncertain business climate in the first quarter of 2019, the company is very optimistic that it will overcome the challenges this year too to maintain its leadership in every area of the business. The company is expanding and investing in technology, consumer and brand intelligence and talent at an unmatchable pace. 

It will soon announce a meaningful digital collaboration which will make MullenLowe a-one-stop-shop for a brand’s communication needs – covering brand strategy, brand consultancy, creative, activation, design, public relations and digital. By the end of the year the agency will have a combined team of over 100 professionals across all disciplines to manage the growing needs of brands to make their mark in a dynamic and complex market environment.