Warc, the global online advertising resource, recently announced the winners of the inaugural Warc Prize for Social Strategy. The prize is a search for social ideas (any strategy designed to generate 'earned media') that drive business results, and this year the big winner was BBDO. There were 18 campaigns awarded, four of which came from BBDO, and as a result, the New York-based worldwide advertising agency was named the best performing network in the competition.
There were 18 campaigns awarded, four of which came from BBDO
Awards received by BBDO included the Grand Prix for London-based AMV BBDO's “Mariachi” Doritos campaign and a Gold for their Mercedes A Class “#YouDrive” work. BBDO Toronto, meanwhile won Silver for its work on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, whilst BBDO Guerrero won a Bronze for the Philippines Department of Tourism. BBDO Worldwide president and CEO Andrew Robertson, believes his agency succeeded because “The best social work works best,” and that the Warc awards “Recognise social ideas designed to generate earned media and drive business results."
The “Mariachi” campaign earned AMV BBDO a Grand Prix at the awards
Prize Chairman Pete Blackshaw (who is also the global head of digital and social media at Nestle) was “Really impressed with both the quantity and the quality of entries." He said that the prize made him feel encouraged about efforts to show how social strategy can affect business, and he hoped to utilise what he'd learned "From the origination of the core idea and the insight, all the way to the social strategy and ultimately to business results."
Warc received 130 entries from all over the world showcasing a range of work
Warc CEO Louise Ainsworth said that they received “130 entries from all over the world showcasing a range of work,” which she thought proved that “Smart social strategies are delivering great performance." Other winners included McKinney, who earned a Gold for their work with Mizuno Running, Saatchi & Saatchi, who received a Gold for the ASB Bank's “Like Loan” campaign, and BETC, who also took home a Gold who the Evian “Baby & Me” spots. Details of all other winners can be found at http://www.warc.com/socialprize.
The Mercedes #YouDrive campaign was also a big winner for the agency
Warc is a premium online intelligence service, which includes over 8000 case studies and articles, which touch on best practices and new ways of thinking in the advertising world. Warc has users in over 100 countries, and is a resource relied upon by agencies, brands, and media groups alike. Warc Prizes recognise and reward advertising effectiveness, of which the Warc Prize for Social Strategy sits alongside the Warc Prize for Innovation and Warc Prize for Asian Strategy.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster who assumed at first that a 'Warc' was some kind of mystical creature from Game of Thrones.
