AOY Insights: Wavemaker China makes a splash as Greater China Data Analytics Agency of the Year

Category: Data Analytics Agency of the Year – Greater China

Key clients: Calvin Klein, Colgate, Daimler, Honor, Huawei, Prada, The Swatch Group, Pernod Ricard

New clients this year: Dreame, Fotile, KEEP, Moji, Nongfu Spring, Swellfun

 

Highlights: On the back of yet another strong 12 months, Wavemaker China has come out on top as Greater China Data Analytics Agency of the Year, building on its silver win in the same category in 2022.

 

The agency’s spirit of “positive provocation” was borne out in its investment in future-driven solutions, strides in digital transformation, and shaping the evolving landscape of martech — all of which was underpinned by cutting-edge solutions in marketing and data analytics.

 

Wavemaker China’s in-depth knowledge of the Chinese market, along with the unparalleled advantage of being backed with the resources of the world’s largest holding group, has seen the agency become a trusted authority. Today, more than 80% of Wavemaker's business is focused on serving local clients rooted in the Chinese market. 

 

In addition to its strategic marketing solutions tailored for different platforms, categories, and audiences, the agency has developed a strong real-time data solution, embedding marketing models and consolidating fragmented data from various sources, including clients and their competitors into one dashboard. This comprehensive and holistic approach has resulted in high client retention — Wavemaker’s five longest relationships range from 13 to 17 years — and a high degree of satisfaction. 

 

Despite the difficulties of the pandemic, Wavemaker grew stronger through adversity backed by an overall client satisfaction score of 8.63, up 0.33 from 2022. Even amid the slow post-pandemic economy, Wavemaker grew with meaningful breakthroughs for its clients and expansion in China. Wavemaker China also ranked first in Comvergence's Q1-Q3 2023 new business report. 

 

It is the agency’s belief that data analytics only holds value when aligned with people and business scenarios. Its achievement of winning Greater China Digital Agency of the Year was accomplished through three pillars: 

 

Case study: 

Wavemaker’s robust analytics capabilities played a pivotal role in delivering valuable insights and driving campaign strategy with Brand D, a data-driven company that sought to innovate marketing campaigns using data insights.

 

By introducing and harnessing the power of modelling solutions and its advanced data intelligence suite, Wavemaker employed regression analysis during the annual budgeting process for Brand D, optimising the media budget needed to achieve the brand’s goals. Incorporating the MMM-derived ROI curve into Architect, its Choreographed-integrated planning tool, enabled the agency to propose optimised media allocation plans, which provided estimates of incremental awareness growth associated with each plan. 

 

Analysis of the impact across all media channels demonstrated how each investment contributed to the client’s business objectives, while a comparison of brand performance and media metrics over different timespans yielded continuous, actionable insights into optimising for effectiveness in the media mix.

 

“The goal of a brand is to make the right decisions and see them drive sustainable growth, but oftentimes, the right decisions depend on navigating and distilling data to provide the right, simple, actionable insights. Through our data analytics solutions, we play a critical role in untapping opportunities and translating them into actual business decisions — and that’s how we help clients find better ways to grow,” said Jose Campon, CEO of Wavemaker China.

 

*Wavemaker China also won “Silver: Greater China Programmatic Agency of the Year” and “Bronze: China Digital Agency of the Year, China Media Agency of the Year, and Greater China Performance Agency of the Year.”