For the fourth year in a row, BBDO has been ranked the most effective agency network in the world in the WARC 100. The annual WARC 100 from the World Advertising Research Centre tracks the rankings of campaigns based on their performance in more than 80 effectiveness and strategy competitions over the past year. Its intent is to reflect the business impact of a campaign. Seventeen of the top 100 most effective campaigns of the year were created by 11 BBDO agencies for 16 brands, with BBDO India's #ShareTheLoad campaign for Ariel topping the list at #1. Other awarded work included campaigns for Bonds, DB Export, the Economist, Guinness, New Zealand Transport Agency, Pedigree, Sainsbury's and Snickers, to name a few.
Four BBDO agencies were ranked among the top-ten individual shops in the world, including AMV BBDO in the UK (#2), BBDO Mumbai in India (#3), Colenso BBDO in New Zealand (#9) and BBDO New York in the USA (#10). Six other BBDO agencies finished among the top 50. In addition, Proximity London was the number one ranked digital specialist.
Andrew Robertson, President and CEO, BBDO Worldwide, said: “BBDO is all about 'The Work. The Work. The Work.' Great work that works great. The best work results come from smart thinking that drives brilliant creativity. That's why this ranking matters to us. This year, we had the top-ranked campaign in the world, four of the top-ten individually ranked agencies, and were the number-one network in the world (for the fourth consecutive year) all of which demonstrates the strength and depth of the network.”
David Tiltman, Head of Content at WARC, added: “The WARC 100 represents the best work in marketing – breakthrough campaigns that have a business impact. To have topped these rankings four years in a row is a significant achievement. In a fast-changing industry, BBDO is consistently delivering results for its clients.”
Winning the WARC 100 completes a global triple crown for BBDO. Earlier this year, BBDO topped The Gunn Report for the 11th year in a row as the world's most creative agency network. In addition, BBDO was ranked number one in The Directory Big Won as the world's most awarded agency network across all marketing communication disciplines.
The agency that claimed the top spot this year was adam&eveDDB, which is no surprise given the remarkable, consistent success of their annual John Lewis Christmas campaigns. Grey London and MullenLowe Mumbai took the 4th and 5th places respectively. Top three media agencies were Starcom New York, Mindshare New York and Atomic 212 in Australia. The agency networks below BBDO were Ogilvy & Mather and McCann, and the top holding companies were WPP, Omnicom and Interpublic. The top brand was Vodafone followed by Ariel, John Lewis, IKEA and Dove, with Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Nestle leading the advertisers. The top performing country, meanwhile, was the USA.
David Tiltman said, of the WARC 100 as a whole: “This year’s WARC 100 reflects an industry in flux. It’s clear from the rankings that TV-led, ‘big idea’ advertising, when executed well, is still highly effective. But we’re seeing a range of alternative approaches also capable of generating business results – from data-driven ‘moment marketing’ to stunts or events designed to focus consumer attention.”
Check the WARC 100 website for a comprehensive rundown of the results for 2017.
