Editorial
Big winners and big data
Strategy editor Emily Wexler on how a few AOY winners are upping their analytics game.
Upfront
Holiday giftvertising
We know you’re still focused on Halloween, but we couldn’t resist coming up with a few ideas to help brands be festive this season.
Trend alert: brands get crafty
An anthropological guide for brands getting into handcrafted messaging.
Forum
It was a very good year
Despite woes over globalization and shrinking budgets, Max Valiquette looks on the bright side.
On being a dinner-date-worthy brand
Get past millennials’ BS-meters and be authentic, says Havas’ Maggie Windsor Gross.
Back Page
Back page: DIY airplane award
Didn’t snag any hardware last night? Don’t worry, KBS has got you covered.
Features
The trouble with shareable content
Brands are using more graphic content to break through, but have consumers had enough?
Coffee Crisp’s survival guide
Strategy looks back at how the chocolate bar fought fierce competition to become a Canadian icon in 75 short years.
B!G Awards
B!G Gold: Taxi and Canadian Tire show off true north strength
Nothing says Canadiana like a truck made out of pure ice.
B!G Silver: Rethink unlocks national pride for Molson
How a travelling beer fridge took the world by storm.
B!G Bronze: JWT and Mazda reinvent the test drive
The pair turned the big screen into a driving machine.
Taxi and Canadian Tire nab top B!G honours
From particularly Canadian executions to a driving playground for movie-goers, check out this year’s B!G winners.
B!G judges
Read up on the panel that selected this year’s winners.
Agencies of the Year
AOY Gold: How to win AOY #LikeLeoBurnett
After Honourable Mentions the past two years, the agency has finally struck Gold.
AOY Silver: Rethink digs up winning ideas
From “piss off Putin” briefs to uber-successful Molson Canadian fridges, this Toronto agency is basking in a glowing year.
AOY Bronze: DDB’s partner quest
From turning down pitches to opening a Montreal office, this Canadian network has had a banner year.
DAOY Gold (tie): John St.’s appetite for acceleration
The shop is taking a new approach to measurement and analytics.
DAOY Gold (tie): Think like an agency, act like Lg2
How independence and a desire to instill brand equity in the hearts and minds of consumers has rewarded this national shop.
DAOY Silver: From A to Zulu: how to stick to your creative guns
Nothing’s stopping this indie shop from being the most creative company in the world.
DAOY Bronze: Proximity goes big on data
How the agency is structuring itself to deal with a numbers-heavy future.
MAOY Gold: OMD turns up the heat on tech
A recap of the returning winner’s big year: including the addition of a new tech-focused division and a data-driven planning model.
MAOY Silver: Planning for success at PHD
The agency breaks down the barriers in its approach to media.
MAOY Bronze: MEC’s groundbreaking year
The media agency is building on its Momentum, beefing up analytical tools and ditching the digital department.
PR AOY Gold: North Strategic does it their way
How the young, fast-growing shop landed the top spot in the competition’s newest category.
PR AOY Silver: Narrative fashions its own storyline
The Bensimon Byrne shop has moved into the big leagues and forged its own unique identity along the way.
PR AOY Bronze: Veritas expands its influence
The shop plans to amp up its influencer engagement with its new Growth & Innovation Lab.
Media Directors of the Year: Courtemanche and Warring tie for tops
We couldn’t pick just one. Read up on how the PHD/Touche and Dentsu Aegis execs secured their wins.
Leo Burnett wins AOY
Missed last night’s show? Here’s a quick recap: John St. and Lg2 tied for Gold Digital AOY, OMD picked up top spot on the Media AOY list and North Strategic won our inaugural PR AOY. Check out who else placed at this year’s awards.
AOY Jury
Read up on this year’s panel of Agency of the Year judges.
DAOY Judges
Who scored this year’s entries to determine the Digital winners?
MAOY Jury
Meet the Media Agency of the Year judging panel.
PR AOY jury
Here’s the panel that scored this year’s inaugural PR Agency of the Year entries.
AOY: Process & Shortlists
Here’s who made the shortlist and how we crown the winners.
Publisher's Note
Why failure is good
Strategy publisher Mary Maddever on advice from Kevin Spacey and Agency of the Year winners.
