WARC monitors 20 general and industry news sources. The dates noted are the first time we saw the account move mentioned.

Only accounts valued at $5m+ are included. City analysts estimate that such accounts represent about two-thirds of the total dollar volume at most major agencies.

Figures are quoted in billings and do not represent agency compensation or turnover. The impact on the agency depends on the method of compensation, which might be fees, commission, payment by results or some other method. According to a 2001 survey of European remuneration levels by the World Federation of Advertisers, the impact on the agency generally averages around 10% of the billing level for creative accounts and 2.5% for media accounts.

Winners and losers may place different values on the same business. Often, the loser of an account reports a lower figure than the winner of the business. This is not always for self-serving reasons – the winning agency may have an understanding that a new (larger) budget is available.

In cases where accounts have been consolidated from several agencies to one, we have allocated the loss proportionately among the losing agencies.

Our research is biased toward US and European media advertising. Coverage of below-the-line disciplines is relatively limited since account moves are less widely reported by the press.