Murtaza Aftab of Helipad Productions has joined Synergy Group as the new associate creative director. He joins the Dentsu-affiliated full-service agency group amid the departure of Sidra Salman next month, Taimoor Leghari joining Manhattan International two months ago, and Ella Hussain joining Liberty Books six months ago.
Murtaza Aftab will be responsible for creative ownership, strategic development, and overall concept development. He will work with a team of new hires, Haroon Riaz, and Usama Qasmi, in the same role, creative director Kayzad Giara, and recently probation-cleared art director Sajid Yaqoob.
Synergy Group comprises Carat-affiliated Synergy Dentsu, digital shop Synite Digital, and Edelman-affiliated Syntax Communications. Per the RECMA media agency ranking for the fiscal year ending June 2021, the Synergy Group reported $7 million in earnings, a 23% drop year on year.
It was ranked 10th among 11 of the largest media agencies in Pakistan, with Brainchild Communications Pakistan taking the top spot, ousting GroupM Pakistan. An analysis by Profit magazine suggested that this was due to the strategic sports marketing initiatives undertaken by Blitz Advertising on behalf of Z2C Limited, with the agency launching the Pakistan Super League in 2016. The agency group is credited with reviving multiple sports, such as Kabaddi, Hockey, and Squash.
Synergy Group has among the best talent retention streaks in the market, with LinkedIn insights showing a 10-year average. As of the 20th of October 2022, LinkedIn insights data shows that the top creative agency retention durations are:
- RED Communications with 6.9 years
- IAL Saatchi & Saatchi with 4.0 years
- Adcom Leo Burnett with 3.9 years
- Blitz Advertising with 3.8 years
- Digitz Digitas with 2.0 years
These averages explain why the largest investor in the media ecosystem in Pakistan, Z2C Limited, has hired a head of culture to drive employee retention strategies while eroding the variables that lead to quiet quitting. To learn more about factors driving brain drain in advertising, read the study below by Profit.
