AKAR has updated the map of Russian media agencies, including more than 130 companies with detailed classification by service areas. The ADPASS platform has divided participants across eight parameters: from media buying and consulting to AI services and geographic coverage. This is the first attempt to systematize the segment following the departure of international networks and the emergence of dozens of independent players working directly with Russian advertisers.
Why the map appeared now
The Russian media buying market underwent structural changes over three years. The departure of Dentsu, Publicis, and GroupM in 2022 freed up market share, which was claimed by local teams — some former employees of international networks launched their own agencies, while others strengthened existing players' positions. In parallel, transparency requirements grew: the ad labeling law and the need to operate through Russian legal entities forced advertisers to reconsider their contractor selection criteria.
The AKAR map captures the current state of the industry. The classification accounts for six service directions: media buying, consulting, research and analytics, media planning, media strategy, and AI services. Geographic coverage is divided into federal and regional levels, placement channels span digital, TV, outdoor advertising, and radio. Additional filters show AKAR membership, holding affiliation, and participation in industry ratings.
What the classification gives a brand
Agency selection traditionally started with recommendations or a tender among three to five well-known names. The map expands the search funnel: you can filter players by a specific combination of services — for example, media planning plus analytics plus regional work. For a brand, this reduces the risk of overpaying for a universal agency when only narrow expertise is needed.
Classification by placement channels allows you to immediately exclude contractors without experience in the media priority for your brand — saving up to two weeks at the selection stage.
The "AI services" parameter stands out as a separate line item. This refers to contractors who have implemented media planning automation, reach forecasting models, or dynamic bid optimization. For a brand with a budget of five million rubles or more per month, the difference in CPM between manual and algorithmic campaign management can reach 15–20 percent — while maintaining target reach.
Data limitations
The map is built on data provided by the agencies themselves and does not include financial metrics. There is no information about turnover, number of clients, or case studies. AKAR membership or participation in a rating is an indirect signal of reliability, but not a guarantee of results. Holding affiliation can mean access to cross-media resources or bureaucratic delays in approvals.
Absence from the map does not equal absence from the market. Some agencies deliberately do not publish their client base, working with a narrow circle of clients under NDA. Others focus on niche channels — podcasts, Telegram Ads, programmatic audio — and do not fall under the standard AKAR classification.
How to use the map when selecting a contractor
The sequence of actions for a marketer looks like this. The first step is to determine mandatory parameters: do you need only media buying or a full cycle from strategy to reporting, which channels are critical, is regional expertise important. Second, filter agencies on the map and compile a long list of 10–15 candidates.
Third step — request three case studies from each agency for the past year with budget, KPIs, and actual results. Pay attention to the structure of reports: if an agency shows only reach and impressions without linking to conversions or awareness growth, this signals analytics issues. Fourth — verify the presence of certificates from advertising platforms (VK, Yandex, MyTarget) and experience working with the ORD labeling system.
Fifth step — hold a meeting with the team that will manage the project. Clarify who specifically is responsible for media planning, who for buying, who for analytics. If one manager combines all roles, there's a high risk of delays and errors when scaling a campaign. Sixth — agree on success metrics before launch: CPM, CPC, CPV — technical indicators; the overall assessment should include a business result — traffic growth, leads, sales.
Trends in service offering structure
The emergence of the AI services category in the AKAR classification reflects market demand for automating routine operations. Agencies are implementing algorithms for dynamic budget redistribution across platforms, forecasting peak hours for impressions, and automatically generating A/B tests for creatives. For a brand, this means reducing the cost of acquiring a target action by 10–25 percent through precise real-time bid optimization.
Consulting and research are highlighted as separate sections. Some agencies offer pre-campaign audits of competitors' media strategy, demand seasonality analysis, hypothesis testing on small budgets before full-scale launch. This approach reduces the risk of budget waste on ineffective channels — according to ETC agency experience, testing a hypothesis on 5–10 percent of the planned budget allows you to adjust the media plan before the main wave starts and increase overall campaign efficiency by 30–40 percent.
Frequently asked questions
Where to find the AKAR media agency map
The current version of the map is published on the ADPASS platform. Access is open without registration; filters allow you to select agencies by service areas, geographic coverage, and placement channels. Data is updated by agency representatives.
How to choose an agency for media buying in regions
Use the "geographic coverage" filter in the AKAR map and request case studies from candidates indicating cities of placement and achieved reach. Be sure to verify the presence of direct contracts with regional media — this affects campaign launch speed and placement cost. Regional expertise is critical for retail networks and local services.
What are AI services in media planning
These are automated tools for optimizing advertising campaigns: algorithms predict platform effectiveness, redistribute budget between channels in real-time, and generate creative variants for A/B tests. Implementing AI services reduces CPM by 15–20 percent while maintaining target reach and reduces manual analytics time from several days to hours.
In brief
- The AKAR map has systematized more than 130 media agencies across eight parameters — from media buying to AI services, simplifying the search for a contractor suited to specific brand tasks.
- Classification by placement channels and geographic coverage allows you to filter candidates in minutes instead of spending days searching through recommendations and tenders.
- A separate AI services category highlights agencies with media planning automation — the difference in CPM between manual and algorithmic management reaches 15–20 percent.
- The map does not contain financial metrics and case studies — you need to request agencies to confirm their experience with budgets and actual campaign results.
- When selecting a contractor, verify the project team structure: if one manager combines media planning, buying, and analytics, there's a high risk of delays when scaling.
- Consulting and research as a separate service block allow you to test hypotheses on 5–10 percent of the budget before full-scale launch — this increases campaign efficiency by 30–40 percent.
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