What does it take to win agency of the year? Well, it’s not rocket science. All you need is a celestial constellation of work that has the judges seeing stars (okay, we’ll stop with the space puns, for now).
This year’s winning creative, media, digital and PR agencies entered the AOY arena with work that had judges praising their multidimensionality and ability to showcase talents across the board. Leo Burnett, for example, took home Gold in our agency competition for campaigns for clients big and small, across categories from financial to retail, and CPG to government. The work was also creatively distinct, from an emotional spot for Always to promotions that rely on Ikea’s functional benefits.
DDB/Tribal Worldwide showed digital diversity, picking up the top prize in the category for work that ranged from innovative new app tech for McDonald’s, to a dynamic website for Volkswagen and social videos for Canadian Tire. Over in media, Touché! activated across various channels, from real-time transit boards to street furniture to in-call Skype ads for three different retailers. And finally, MSLGroup, the Gold-winning PR agency, showed a multifarious mix of promotions to reach both traditional and unconventional media, from print journalists to online influencers.
These winners, plus Silver and Bronze in each category, picked up their awards at a gala in Toronto on Nov. 4. Read on to learn about this year’s 12 winning agencies’ not-so-secret success, and what they’re doing to create out-of-this-world work.
Agency of the Year Gold: Leo Burnett’s winning vision
Agency of the Year Silver: J. Walter Thompson perfects the art of collaboration
Agency of the Year Bronze: Taxi bounces back
Digital Agency of the Year Gold: DDB/Tribal Worldwide takes Gold for the team
Digital Agency of the Year Silver: Grip redefines branded content
Digital Agency of the Year Bronze: Rethink’s crafty ideas
Media Agency of the Year Gold: Touché!’s walk-on win
Media Agency of the Year Silver: Starcom’s silver lining
Media Agency of the Year Bronze: Jungle Media’s nimble advantage
PR Agency of the Year Gold: MSLGroup gains influence
PR Agency of the Year Silver: Citizen Relations’ adaptation
PR Agency of the Year Bronze: Media Profile’s winning partnership strategy
Campaign of the Year: SickKids’ Better Tomorrows
Media Director of the Year: Vision7’s Joseph Leon
Agency of the Year jury panel
PR Agency of the Year jury panel
Media Agency of the Year panel
