--- title: "PHD vs The Media Lab: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is PHD or The Media Lab more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the media agencies set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/phd-media-vs-the-media-lab" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # PHD vs The Media Lab: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is PHD or The Media Lab more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the media agencies set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: PHD and The Media Lab - **Competitive set**: media agencies - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **PHD Share of Search**: 28.3% - **The Media Lab Share of Search**: 5.4% ## Is PHD or The Media Lab more popular in search? - In September 2026, PHD had more branded searches than The Media Lab among media agencies in New Zealand. PHD had about 780 branded searches, while The Media Lab had 150. PHD made up 28.3% of all media agency searches we track, and The Media Lab accounted for 5.4%. - PHD was ahead of The Media Lab in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PHD’s share of searches among media agencies in New Zealand moved from 30.6% to 28.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 930 to 780. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Media Lab’s share of searches among media agencies in New Zealand moved from 4.9% to 5.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 150. ## Top media agencies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, PHD was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. The Media Lab was mentioned in two out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. PHD was listed before The Media Lab in two out of three answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Together | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | PHD | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | The Media Lab | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | MBM | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | OMD | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | dentsu | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | WPP Media | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Spark Foundry | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about media agencies - Asked ChatGPT "Which media agency should I hire in New Zealand?": 1. The Media Lab, 2. Together, 3. PHD - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best media agencies in New Zealand?": 1. Together, 2. PHD, 3. OMD, 4. MBM - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best media agency in New Zealand for advertising campaigns?": 1. Together, 2. MBM, 3. PHD - Searched Google, AI Overview "advertising agency nz": 1. The Media Lab Not named in any answer: dentsu, WPP Media and Spark Foundry. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand media agencies in September 2026? - In September 2026, PHD lost share of searches among media agencies in New Zealand, from 31.3% to 28.3%. ## Month by month | Month | PHD estimated searches | PHD Share of Search | PHD rank | The Media Lab estimated searches | The Media Lab Share of Search | The Media Lab rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 930 | 30.6% | 2 | 150 | 4.9% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 930 | 33.5% | 2 | 120 | 4.3% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 520 | 26.4% | 2 | 100 | 5.1% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 630 | 26.8% | 2 | 120 | 5.1% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 920 | 31.2% | 2 | 90 | 3.1% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 920 | 28.4% | 2 | 150 | 4.6% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 750 | 25.9% | 2 | 120 | 4.1% | 4 | | May 2026 | 770 | 27.4% | 2 | 120 | 4.3% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 760 | 28.7% | 2 | 180 | 6.8% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 780 | 27.9% | 2 | 150 | 5.4% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 950 | 31.3% | 2 | 180 | 5.9% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 780 | 28.3% | 2 | 150 | 5.4% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using PHD’s and The Media Lab’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **PHD**: Measured on the search terms “phd agency”, “phd aotearoa” and “phd media”, summed into one figure. - **The Media Lab**: Measured on the search terms “The Media Lab” and “themedialab”, summed into one figure. - [PHD profile](/demand/nz/brands/phd-media) - [The Media Lab profile](/demand/nz/brands/the-media-lab) - [All media agencies in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-media-agencies): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is PHD or The Media Lab more popular in search? In September 2026, PHD had more branded searches than The Media Lab among media agencies in New Zealand. PHD had about 780 branded searches, while The Media Lab had 150. PHD made up 28.3% of all media agency searches we track, and The Media Lab accounted for 5.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "PHD vs The Media Lab: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/phd-media-vs-the-media-lab This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/phd-media-vs-the-media-lab. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.