ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was

 
CONTINUE READING
ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was
28                                                                      March 2019                      29

                                                                  ADVERTISING
                                                                  AGENCY OF
                                                                  THE YEAR
                                                                  MOTHER
                                                                  A  s its 21st year of existence, 2018 was
                                                                     the year that Mother supposedly
                                                                  came of age. It was marked by the
                                                                  joyful, anarchic work for which Mother
                                                                  has always been famous, showing that
                                                                  years do not define this agency; they
                                                                  are, instead, a mere chronology for this
                                                                  proud independent that shows no sign
                                                                  of selling up or selling out.
                                                                     Mother’s seminal “masterclass in
                                                                  crisis management” for KFC, the “FCK”
                                                                  print ad, showed an honesty and
                                                                  lightness of touch that helped the
                                                                  fast-food chain navigate what looked in
                                                                  danger of being a very serious business
                                                                  problem, when changes to its supply
                                                                  chain in February meant that it ran out
                                                                  of chicken. The ad became a global
                                                                  phenomenon, reaching more than
                                                                  one billion people, and engendering
                                                                  warmth for a brand that had been in
                                                                  the press for all the wrong reasons.
                                                                     The agency also managed to tap in
                                                                  to the public psyche – or “popular
                                                                  culture” as is the industry trope – with
                                                                  its “Rang-tan” ad by repurposing a
                                                                  Greenpeace film for Iceland. Although
                                                                  vetoed by Clearcast (fuelling the ad’s
                                                                  fame further), the moving spot showing
                                                                  the impact of palm-oil production on
                                                                  the habitat of orangutans became a
                                                                  sensation, garnering more than 62
     2018’s title was                                             million views. It became the most-
                                                                  shared and commented-on ad of 2018.
     particularly hard-fought,                                       The ad also translated into business
                                                                  success for the supermarket – even
     in a tumultuous 12                                           more remarkable, given that Christmas

     months for the industry                                      is a time when Iceland’s bigger rivals
                                                                  splurge enormous amounts of money
     amid Brexit uncertainty,                                     in a bid to seize the Christmas crown.
                                                                  Iceland has only a 2.1% market share
     agency consolidation and    Aside from 2018 being a year     and a much smaller ad budget, but its
                                                                  consideration score rose 5.9 points
                                 when Mother’s production
     leadership changes.                                          following the campaign. Moreover, one
                                 of brilliant, distinctive and    million people signed a petition calling
     Here is Campaign’s pick                                      for the ad to be shown on TV.
                                 effective work was apparent
     of those that came out      to all, there was also
                                                                     Ikea has long provided a rich seam
                                                                  for Mother to mine when it comes to

     the other side with a       highly coveted new business
                                                                  creative and strategic excellence, and
                                                                  2018 was no different. The retailer’s
     cock-a-doodle-doo           coming through the doors
                                                                  long-running “Wonderful everyday”
                                                                  brand platform allowed Mother to flex
                                                                  its muscles with its “Ghosts” spot,
                                                                  which encouraged people to “be a
                                                                  maverick with fabric”. This is just one
                                                                  example of the agency transforming
                                                                  Ikea’s brand perceptions beyond
                                 Mother’s “Rang-tan” ad for
                                 Iceland became the most-shared   flat-pack furniture. Mother is also
                                 and commented-on ad of 2018      doing its best to help reinvent high- »
ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was
30                       March 2019                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    March 2019                       31

            AGENCY OF THE YEAR
street stalwart Debenhams with a new               RUNNERS-UP                                        long-term results, while staying                                                          services, including social content,
positioning based on the theme “do a                                                                 relevant and winning new business. It                                                     marketing technology and analytics
bit of Debenhams”.                                 Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO                          has a strong focus on people and their                                                    to existing clients. Fees for work
   Aside from 2018 being a year when               It’s a fitting tribute to group chairman          learning and development.” New-                                                           “unrelated” to media planning and
Mother’s production of brilliant,                  Dame Cilla Snowball that in her final             business wins came from Burger King                                                       buying rose 8%.
distinctive and effective work was                 year in charge of AMV, it was named               and Western Union, among others.                                                             Manning Gottlieb OMD also
apparent to all, there was also new                one of the best in the UK. Having                 With Neil Munn now running the UK                                                         produced a wide range of award-
business coming through the doors.                 passed the baton on to Sarah Douglas              agency, as well as the BBH network,                                                       winning work, picking up more
Yes, the loss of Moneysupermarket.
com was a blow, but this was mitigated
                                                   and Justin Pahl, Snowball can reflect
                                                   on a year in which AMV produced
                                                                                                     and Ian Heartfield made sole chief
                                                                                                     creative officer, BBH should be in good       MEDIA AGENCY                                trophies than any other agency at the
                                                                                                                                                                                               Media Week Awards 2018 and being
by Mother winning briefs from
Sky, The Body Shop and Superdry,
                                                   some of its most talked-about and
                                                   challenging work for Bodyform and
                                                                                                     hands for the future.
                                                                                                                                                   MANNING GOTTLIEB                            named Warc’s top media agency in
                                                                                                                                                                                               Europe for effectiveness.
                                                                                                     McCann UK
                                                                                                                                                   OMD
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Manning Gottlieb OMD retained
among others.                                      Maltesers, while also showing great                                                                                                            The integration of the John Lewis &                                                                                            £45m Specsavers business (left)
   With a claimed 15 new clients                   new-business momentum in the shape                In an age where change can feel                                                           Partners and Waitrose & Partners’                                                                                                 and ran Christmas “mash-up” for
under its belt – and all the creative              of Asda and Virgin Airlines. AMV has              overwhelming, how reassuring to see                                                       Christmas campaigns brought a new                                                                                                 John Lewis and Waitrose (below)
opportunities that they offer – the
agency claims that 2018 is its fourth
consecutive year of growth. Contrast
                                                   led the industry in tackling diversity,
                                                   and as one judge said: “Leadership x
                                                   talent = results, while also tackling the
                                                                                                     that McCann’s century-old mantra of
                                                                                                     “Truth well told” remains as relevant
                                                                                                     today as when it was first coined. In
                                                                                                                                                   “I   t has had a blinder of a year,” the
                                                                                                                                                        judges said of Manning Gottlieb
                                                                                                                                                   OMD’s record-breaking 2018 as it won
                                                                                                                                                                                               level of media inventiveness, as
                                                                                                                                                                                               Manning Gottlieb OMD “mashed up”
                                                                                                                                                                                               the two sister brands in a speeded-up
that with the fortunes of some of its              biggest issues the ad industry faces in           fact, you could argue that it is more         the UK government’s £150m media-            ITV ad break.
rivals, particularly within the holding            terms of equality and diversity.” The             relevant than ever, judging by the            buying account, defended the £45m              Pearson and his leadership team,
company groups.                                    agency was also second-most awarded               impact the agency has on its clients’         Specsavers business and produced            which includes other bright, long-
   So the business is firing on all                in Cannes globally.                               businesses. Its work on Aldi has              innovative work for clients.                servers such as Natalie Bell, managing
cylinders creatively, and bringing                                                                   resulted in the supermarket overtaking           Billings shot up 30% to £650m and        director, and Clare Peters, executive
in new business to fuel growth, but                Adam & Eve/DDB                                    non-discount competitors and being            profits rose 10% last year, driven          director, also raised the bar when it
what of the softer metrics that are                In 2018 the A&E/DDB the remaining                 named one of the UK’s best-loved              “predominantly by value-added,              came to investing in people.
increasingly important in keeping staff            co-founders James Murphy and David                brands, firmly established in the             fee-based services”, the agency said.          Its staff-retention rate was 82%,
happy and engaged?                                 Golding announced they would be                   national consciousness. McCann also           Headcount was up from 380 to 500.           the gender pay gap was just 4.4%
   Mother has never followed the                   leaving the agency that they had led to           won the first Cannes Lions Grand Prix            This success marked the culmination      (although that figure, for parent
hierarchical approach that now looks               an unprecedented run as five-time                 for Creative eCommerce with its work          of years of investment in internal talent   company OMD Group UK, includes
so hopelessly out of touch and                     winners of the Campaign Agency of the             for Microsoft Xbox. It’s little wonder        and succession planning, as Manning         sister agency OMD) and the senior
alienates so many staff. While its                 Year prize. The agency they have left to          that one of the judges commented:             Gottlieb OMD has groomed its                leadership was 62% female. The agency
leadership is clear – and 2018 marked              their successors, led by Tammy Einav              “Great creative, delivering impressive        management team. Tim Pearson, chief         has 16% BAME representation.
the first full year under the team of Ana          and Mat Goff, is in excellent health.             results for clients.” It’s also little        executive, and Paul Knight, chief              Meanwhile, the agency’s staff
Balarin, Chris Gallery, Hermeti Balarin            John Lewis continues to be its creative           wonder that the agency’s client list          operating officer, have both been at the    well-being programme, The Gym
and Katie Mackay-Sinclair, supported               yardstick and, despite the pressure, it           expanded with wins from Just Eat,             agency for two decades and counting.        and Spa, won best learning and
by global partners Michael Wall and                managed to charm viewers with the                 Princes and eBay among others.                   Manning Gottlieb OMD maintains           development strategy at HR Magazine’s
Robert Saville – it also looks after its           retailer’s Christmas spot, featuring Sir                                                        that it is now Omnicom’s biggest            HR Excellence Awards 2018.
people. Free breakfast and lunch are               Elton John. Having picked up one of               VCCP                                          media agency in the UK, ahead of               Manning Gottlieb OMD also
standard but it also offers a £1,000               the biggest domestic accounts of the              While so many other agencies were             international networks OMD, PHD and         proudly claims that 10% of its staff are
bonus to people who successfully give              year in the National Lottery, as well as          literally losing their heads, how             Hearts & Science, and it can justly         “boomerangers” – people who have left
up smoking and has focused on                      Booking.com, the agency had plenty to             refreshing to see VCCP as a beacon of         claim to have built a uniquely British      the business but then returned at a        breaches. Goodstuff’s co-founders,         back from a series of largely global        billings last year, winning £85m in
supporting the mental wellbeing and                get its teeth into. Generally, the work           stability in turbulent times. No crisis of    culture, with a focus on media              later date.                                Andrew Stephens and Ben Hayes, kept        account losses. Notable wins included       new billings from clients such as
resilience of staff with an initiative             was excellent as usual.                           confidence here – instead, a focus on         creativity and effectiveness.                  Developing this distinctive culture     up its reputation for giving back to the   Lidl’s £70m planning business and           Associated British Foods and
called SelfSpace. It has jumped on                                                                   producing brilliant and effective work           Landing the UK government’s              has been impressive, considering the       industry by staging its third media        Betway’s £30m media account. OMD            Peperami. It also increased profits by
board the industry’s pledge to attract a           Bartle Bogle Hegarty                              and expanding its client roster. VCCP         account, the biggest success in             agency has had to share Omnicom’s          showcase for media owners to present       UK’s chief executive, Dan Clays, also       21%. Client retention, meanwhile, was
more diverse talent base with gusto.               Always known for its consistent                   succeeded in winning a place on one of        Manning Gottlieb OMD’s history since        Bankside headquarters in London with       ideas to creative agencies and by          secured some valuable client retentions     95%, and it was the best part of £200m
   One Agency of the Year judge said               creative excellence, in 2018 BBH was              the biggest pitches of the year as            its foundation in 1990, was an              a string of other agencies since the end   launching a £1m fund, Startstuff, to       in closed-door renegotiations.              ahead of the next biggest independent
of Mother’s performance: “A really                 also recognised for its equally                   strategic and creative lead for Shell         appropriately patriotic win and the         of 2016.                                   support agency start-ups.                  OMD UK’s board is 65% female and            by billings. The7stars has put a lot of
good story, with a balance of work,                important focus on effectiveness – it             globally, showing that its worldwide          undoubted highlight of the year.               The fact that Colin Gottlieb,                                                      headcount has risen by a third to           emphasis on transparency, and it was
effectiveness and business                         was named Effectiveness Company of                footprint can match its competitors.             The Crown Commercial Service             co-founder of Manning Gottlieb, is         MediaCom                                   389 – two further reassuring health         the only entrant that included its
performance along with some long-                  the Year at the IPA. The agency’s work            And while some agencies struggled to          set tough standards on media                EMEA chief executive of Omnicom            Britain’s biggest media agency had an      indicators. Glowing client testimonials     audited financial accounts as part of its
standing initiatives.”                             with Audi, which won the Effectiveness            represent contemporary Britain, its           transparency, and said quality of           Media Group has meant there has been       excellent year when it retained Sky, the   from McDonald’s and NSPCC underline         submission for these awards. »
   Managing to accomplish just one of              Grand Prix, continued to impress and              Nationwide and Cadbury campaigns              service, rather than pricing, would be      a watchful eye looking out for his old     country’s biggest advertiser, and          how OMD UK has regained its place as
these tasks is difficult enough but                there were other highlights such as               have a creative heart and deliver             key in this complex, competitive            agency. He and former partner Nick         Coca-Cola, expanded its Mars brief in      one of the UK’s best media agencies.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Q: HEAR ABOUT THE
successfully achieving all four marks              “Super Bolt” for Virgin Media and                 results. As one judge summed it up:           review, which encompassed more than         Manning should feel proud at how far       the UK and helped to win Adidas and
out Mother, and is the reason that it is           “Purpose pays” for Barclays. One of the           “Another agency where diversity and           90 clients across government.               their creation has come.                   defend Shell globally. Revenue was up      PHD
Campaign’s Advertising Agency of the
Year 2018.
                                                   client judges said: “BBH continues to
                                                   deliver great creative that delivers
                                                                                                     talent are top of the agenda alongside a
                                                                                                     great performance.”
                                                                                                                                                      So its victory was a significant
                                                                                                                                                   endorsement for Manning Gottlieb’s
                                                                                                                                                                                                  At a time when network media
                                                                                                                                                                                               agencies are under scrutiny and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          5%. MediaCom also produced award-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          winning work, notably a Grand Prix for
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Simplicity was a winning formula for
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     PHD in 2018 as it played a leading role     CHICKEN WHO COULD
                                                                                                                                                   approach. “We far exceeded the              financial pressure, Manning Gottlieb       Tesco’s “Food love stories” at Cannes      in the global HSBC win and delivered
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ONLY LAY EGGS IN
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 WINTER?
                                                                                                                                                   guidelines set by the ISBA 2.0              OMD stands out as a beacon of positive     Lions, and it was ranked as the top        for existing clients such as Sainsbury’s.
                                                                                                                                                   framework and the resultant structures      change and decency.                        media agency in the world in the Gunn      Three-quarters of PHD’s clients have
     AGENCY OF THE YEAR: THE JUDGING PROCESS
     Panel of top marketers joined Campaign’s editorial team in a process audited by PwC
                                                                                                                                                   and processes have set a new industry
                                                                                                                                                   benchmark for all UK agencies and           RUNNERS-UP
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Media 100 report. The judges were also
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          impressed by UK chief executive Josh
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     “paid for additional services” in the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     past year; its dynamic creative             A: SHE WAS NO
     This is the first year that Campaign has       eye on the rigour of both the shortlist            In the end, though, the final decisions
                                                                                                                                                   clients to strive for,” the agency said.
                                                                                                                                                      Retaining Specsavers, one of its         Goodstuff Communications
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Krichefski’s commitment to his staff,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          through the launch of Mental Health
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     production team has enjoyed stellar
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     growth and experiential has expanded
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 SPRING CHICKEN
     opened up the awards to external judging.      process and final decision-making.               resided with Campaign’s team, as always.      biggest clients, in a marathon pitch        2018 was another good year for             Allies, a team designed to support the     strongly. The agency broke new ground
     For more than 30 years, the decisions             There are too many judges to mention          And making our choices was as exacting        process that involved no fewer than 13      Goodstuff. It passed 100 staff and         health of employees. Employee churn        by appointing joint heads of planning
     were the preserve of the editorial team.       here (the full list is on campaignlive.co.uk),   and agonising a process as ever.              rival agencies, was another important       notched up £112m in billings. Wins         was 17%. The judges described              to look after brand and performance
        But to bring the UK Agency of the Year      but they did a phenomenal job of sifting           So the winners on these pages are very      test. Manning Gottlieb OMD was              included Groupon and Subaru but the        MediaCom’s entry as “very compelling”      respectively in recognition of clients’
     scheme in line with Campaign’s other           through the entries, offering useful             much Campaign’s winners, the companies        “absolutely exceptional”, according to      judges were also struck by how the         and “brilliantly written” and it was       changing needs. The judges praised the
     awards globally, we have introduced new        pointers and comments on the calibre of          and people we are so proud to celebrate       Chris Carter, Specsavers’ commercial        independent agency turned down a lot       a very close contender for agency of       agency’s gender pay gap of 2.56% as
     categories and now have a panel of senior      each one and lending their marketing             and elevate for all their achievements over   trading director.                           of pitches as part of its mantra of “be    the year.                                  one of the lowest in the sector.
     marketers to whittle the entrants down to      nous to the process. Thank you to all our        the past year. Huge congratulations to all       Other retentions included the            good, do good”. Award-winning work
     a shortlist. PwC also stepped in to keep an    judges for their excellent direction.            our winners. You set the highest bar.         Financial Conduct Authority and,            included Hiscox’s “The honeypot            OMD UK                                     the7stars
                                                                                                                                                   importantly, the agency grew                network”, an innovative use of data on     “What a comeback” was the judges’          The UK’s biggest independent agency
                                                                                                                                                   organically by selling additional           out-of-home sites to illustrate cyber      verdict, as the Omnicom agency fought      claims it became a top 10 agency by
ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was
32                   March 2019

          AGENCY OF THE YEAR
                                            that it remains the UK’s best digital        of the start-ups featured in 2018 had         R/GA also spent the last year
                                            innovation agency in a year in which         female founders, a rarity in the            extending its Woman Up programme,
                                            it lost is founder and chief creative        male-dominated tech community.              which it launched in 2016 to champion
                                            officer, James Temple. He defected to           The agency is also innovating from       female knowledge and wisdom. In 2018
                                            VR headset start-up (and recently won        within. It created a dedicated mixed-       Woman Up led campaigns for Pride
                                            client) Magic Leap, not long after the       reality studio, which is designed to        Week, National Mental Health
                                            agency also lost group creative director     push growth for clients who are             Awareness Week and International

DIGITAL
                                            Jon Andrews to Possible.                     marketing in the augmented and              Women’s Day, as well as hosting
                                                R/GA has replaced Temple with            virtual-reality space, such as Magic        monthly events to discuss topics such

INNOVATION
                                            Andre Le Masurier, who is joining in         Leap, McDonald’s and O2.                    as tackling unconscious bias in
                                            April from Google Brand Studio, and             It is growing its data capabilities,     recruitment, and parental leave policy.

AGENCY
                                            brought in executive leads in client         too, by bringing in engineers, scientists
                                            services and strategy, namely Iain           and analysts, and in 2018 it created a      RUNNERS-UP

R/GA LONDON
                                            Preston from Digitas and Rob Campbell        machine-learning algorithm for
                                            from Deutsch LA.                             Siemens to help the electronics             AnalogFolk
                                               In 2018 R/GA ran the second round         company classify digital content.           AnalogFolk simply cannot be
                                            of its IoT Venture Studio programme             Then there is the launch of a            ignored after another barnstorming

R  /GA London has continued to excel
   at delivering best-in-class work while
also continuing to grow substantially.
                                            from its office – the only London
                                            agency to offer such an initiative at this
                                            scale with the start-up community –
                                                                                         financial services offering, through
                                                                                         which it will deepen innovation around
                                                                                         next-generation banking and AI
                                                                                                                                     new-business record of winning 16
                                                                                                                                     accounts, which included becoming
                                                                                                                                     digital agency of record for Unilever’s
   Whereas 2017 was about introducing       culminating in a Demo Day where              automation. With lots of venture            food brands, and losing none. It also
a consulting arm, in 2018 R/GA              companies could pitch to potential           capital money being pushed towards          improved its already above-average
launched “transformation at speed”,         investors and R/GA clients. This has led     emerging fintech brands, this is a          BAME representation at senior
which is all about improving efficiency     to several start-ups partnering brands,      canny move.                                 management levels, which stands at
and productivity by embedding data          such as CupClub and Waitrose, Sensing           Google wants to be known as an           37.5%, and was recognised by the
that helps brands to thrive.                Feeling and Deloitte Digital, and            “actions” brand, rather than an             Financial Times as one of the UK’s
   It was this theme of constant            Sceenic tying up with Sky, Virgin and        “answers” brand. To this end, R/GA          top 100 companies for making a
reinvention that made R/GA stand out,       BT. It is important to note that the 70%     created four integrated campaigns in        long-term impact on their sector and
as well as a track record that showed off                                                Europe in just 14 weeks that embedded       society. The work continues to impress,
not only the agency’s fire power, but                                                    Google Assistant across four markets.       too, in the form of a Facebook
also the tangible outcomes it helped                                                     This drove a 30% growth in daily active     Messenger chatbot that AnalogFolk
brands achieve.                                                                          users for Google Assistant in Europe        created for Walkers’ “Win live”
   As one judge said of R/GA: “A                                                         and it is now Google’s partner for all      competition. Marmite’s “Taste face”
great mix of clients, which shows their                                                  things Assistant in Europe.                 app, using facial recognition for brand
depth of expertise. Great submission                                                        For McDonald’s it activated its new      building, was another highlight.
and really helped me understand the                                                      Disney partnership globally using           Importantly, AnalogFolk also showed
impact they are making for clients.”        It was this theme of constant                facial recognition and read-along           leadership, driving the conversation on
   On the subject of clients, R/GA                                                       books. It also delivered in-restaurant      digital transformation through its
                                            reinvention that made
picked up 11 new ones, including                                                         augmented reality through colouring-        collaboration with Microsoft on the
Google, Magic Leap and British              R/GA stand out, as well as a                 in sheets, and rewarding children who       Future of Decoded research and its
Land. This contributed to a 10%                                                          scanned healthy food options to go          AnalogFolk Academy YouTube
increase in the agency’s revenue            track record that showed off                 with their Happy Meals.                     masterclass series..
compared with 2017; this is no mean         not only its fire power, but                    The agency’s work on Magic Leap
feat coming as it does against a                                                         remains exciting, too. R/GA created         BrainLabs
backdrop of media consolidation and         also the tangible outcomes it                the virtual reality start-up’s global       Brainlabs continued to ruffle the
economic uncertainty.                                                                    tagline “Free your mind” and launched       media establishment’s feathers with
   It is testament to the breadth and
                                            helped brands achieve                        the developer kit and first-ever creator    an impressive run of new business in
quality of R/GA London’s capabilities                                                    conference LEAP.                            2018 that included a global brief for
                                                                                                                                     Vodafone to help bring its digital
                                                                                                                                     media-buying in-house. For a major
                                                                                                                                     advertiser to place its trust in a
                                                                                                                                     six-year-old start-up to deliver that
                                                                                                                                     level of transformation put Brainlabs
                                                                                                                                     on the map as one of the UK’s most
                                                                                                                                     significant innovation agencies. It
                                                                                                                                     rounded off an impressive new-
                                                                                                                                     business year in which it also began
                                                                                                                                     working with Formula One, the
                                                                                                                                     Financial Times and American Express.
                                                                                                                                     What also sets this young performance-
                                                                                                                                     marketing agency apart is its culture,
                                                                                                                                     which places a high premium on
                                                                                                                                     innovation and self-improvement, as
                                                                                                                                     well as its employees being happy at
                                                                                                                                     work. One judge aired a view that was
                                                                                                                                     echoed across the panel: “Love this
                                                                                                                                     agency’s chutzpah. The purpose stuff
                                                                                                                                     doesn’t feel like empty platitudes.
                                                                                                                                     Fresh thinking throughout.” »

                                                                                                                                     R/GA London: new clients include
                                                                                                                                     virtual reality start-up Magic Leap
ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was
34                   March 2019

         AGENCY OF THE YEAR
                                            showed that a physical
                                            delivery can offer
                                            something unique. It
                                            recruited Cardiff City FC
                                            player Junior Hoilett to kick
                                            promotional footballs into
                                            gardens in the Welsh capital.
                                            The scheme boosted conversion

CUSTOMER                                    to BT Broadband by 69%.
                                               For World Sight Day in October,

ENGAGEMENT                                  Wunderman created a campaign
                                            for the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust

AGENCY                                      that told the story of a girl and her
                                            “uninvisible friend”. Playing out across

WUNDERMAN                                   on-street digital displays, geo-targeted
                                            ads and a large blimp installation in
                                            east London, the campaign generated a

T   he close of 2018 was a time of
    endings for Wunderman: nine days
into the new year its founder, Lester
                                            23% rise in traffic for the charity.
                                               On the B2B side, Wunderman
                                            designed and launched a website for
Wunderman – known as the father of          EY that aimed to reposition the
direct marketing – died at the age of 98.   consultancy as one that thinks and acts
But he stayed with us long enough to        digitally. It helped EY increase traffic
see the agency he founded in 1958           by 46%. For Microsoft, it created
become, to most observers, the senior       Microsoft Pivot 1, an innovative,            Proximity                                    customers of Virgin Media, the event’s
partner in the merger with J Walter         interactive webcast that highlighted         Proximity has no shortage of creatively      headline sponsor. For the Open
Thompson – a turn of events that            the tech company’s place as a thought-       prestigious clients: at the end of 2017 it   University, it created “The Open
would have seemed scarcely plausible        leader in digital transformation and AI.     won Ikea’s UK CRM account from               diaries” videos, in which students
60 years ago.                               It attracted 1,000 registrants and           seven-year incumbent Lida and in May         shared their experiences to tackle
   As a global network, Wunderman’s         connected Microsoft to 700 businesses.       added Audi to its suite of Volkswagen-       misconceptions about barriers to
performance in recent years has been           The agency’s success, which has           owned brands. The agency’s stated            education. Viewers of these were more
strong enough to make former chief          included organic growth across all its       focus on creative customer                   than four times more likely to explore
executive Mark Read the natural             key accounts, led to the creation of         engagement has allowed it to grow            the OU’s site than those seeing generic
successor to Sir Martin Sorrell at the      82 new roles in 2018. In March, it           business across its existing clients, too,   Facebook ads. With creative tech sister
helm of WPP. And in the UK, it has          launched an on-site operating model,         which include TV Licensing and               agency Code Worldwide, Rapp
delivered the same mix of business          Wunderman Inside. And in September           Procter & Gamble. Its achievements in        developed a creative automation
performance and innovative creativity       it bolstered its capabilities with a         2018 ranged from a campaign for Virgin       solution for Burberry, while for PayPal
that resulted in it being named             majority stake in Dutch marketing            Holidays that helped the brand grow          it launched the brand’s “digital kitty”
Customer Engagement Agency of the           technology firm Emark.                       email revenue by 58%, and almost             service, MoneyPools, in the UK.
Year by Campaign in 2017, too.                 The judges were unanimous:                double engagement rates, to a striking
   Under the banner of “year of the         Wunderman offers “strong work with           film for UK Black Pride that offered         TMW Unlimited
client”, the agency placed its focus on     real insight and creativity at the heart”,   visibility for one of the most               TMW’s work in 2018 included a
expanding its work with existing            as well as showing a “clear exerted push     underrepresented communities in the          campaign for Unilever brand Simple
clients. It was named lead digital          to build and invest in internal culture”.    country, LGBT people of colour. On top       featuring the members of Little Mix, a
agency by Panadol, more than doubled        As one judge pointed out, 2019 could be      of that, Proximity took home 13 awards       partnership that also included a
the size of its GSK account, added more     a truly exciting year: “With the merger      at the DMAs, across seven clients and        limited-edition product range and
work for Microsoft and Samsung, and         with JWT, we’re about to find out what       including three golds. It was also           content tie-up with Superdrug. For
expanded its BT-EE business by 18%.         they are really capable of.”                 ranked the top large company in              Virgin Trains, it set out to create “the
It joined Shell’s “agency of the future”                                                 Campaign’s Best Places to Work.              most tailored customer journey ever”
roster, launching several programmes        RUNNERS-UP                                                                                with improved email communications
for the energy brand. Wunderman also                                                     Rapp                                         that boosted open and click-through
picked up accounts with Selfridges,         MRM/McCann                                   Rapp won 15 new clients last year,           rates and helped drive sales growth. In
Nestlé Purina and Bose.                     Two of MRM/McCann’s big successes            including PokerStars, Montblanc and          November, TMW’s powerful Armistice
   Wunderman’s work in 2018 clearly         in 2018 came via Microsoft. It               Waitrose. As part of Omnicom                 Day work for Westminster Council
illustrates what one judge called “a        continued to produce acclaimed work          Precision Marketing Group, Rapp also         marked the centenary of the end of
dual focus on tech and creative”. For       for Xbox alongside sister agency             picked up business in the global Ford        World War One. The hour-long film
Ikea, it created the Ikea Toybox, an        McCann London, with custom                   review. The agency’s work included a         aimed to bring to life some of the
AR-enabled app that allows families to      controller campaign The Fanchise             360-degree VR red carpet experience at       London and Westminster people
turn the retailer’s cardboard boxes into    Model bagging 44 awards globally,            the Bafta television awards for              behind the huge sacrifices made. »
building and play materials. The            including the inaugural Grand Prix in
agency handles the account for Ikea’s       Creative eCommerce in Cannes. In
loyalty scheme, and the project was         July, the agency beat on-site specialist
informed by data analysis of 50 million     Oliver, as well as Wunderman, to be
rows of dialogue across 17 years of         named Microsoft’s in-house agency of
parents’ online conversations, which        record, with 35 of MRM’s people
found that 50% of parents struggle for      working at Microsoft’s site in Reading.
creative play ideas. It was launched live   Other wins included Macmillan Cancer
                                                                                         Q: WHAT DO YOU CALL
                                                                                         A CHICKEN IN A
on stage at Cannes with a group of          Support, Subway and SaferLondon, as
10-year-olds, generating significant        it converted 81% of the pitches it took
earned-media coverage.
   Since the proliferation of
                                            part in. It also picked up extra work
                                            from Moneycorp and Tommee Tippee             SHELLSUIT?
smartphone technology, traditional
direct mail has only continued to lose
                                            and defended its Direct Line Group
                                            business. MRM is keen to support
                                                                                         A: AN EGG
prestige and relevance for many             diversity. A quarter of its creatives are
advertisers. However, in a campaign for     over the age of 45 and half are women;
BT, “The garden drop”, Wunderman            its board also has an equal gender split.
ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was
36                      March 2019                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      March 2019                      37

            AGENCY OF THE YEAR
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Droga5 London:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  highlights included
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Solange Knowles
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Ferguson-directed
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  dance performance
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  for Uniqlo

                                                     Standout projects in 2018 included           The agency has fostered a loyal
                                                  work with Spotify for which the agency       team, with 24% of staff clocking up
                                                  turned the brand’s virtual playlist into     five or more years in service. Of its
                                                  a brand platform and activation. The         senior leadership, 64% are female and
                                                  ‘”Who we be” experience, which               15% BAME.
                                                  included performances by artists                The judges praised Amplify’s culture
                                                  Dizzee Rascal and Cardi B at London’s        and delivery of high-value experiences,
                                                  Alexandra Palace, reached an audience        which demonstrate clear client results.

BRAND                                             of more than one billion, resulted in an
                                                  85% increase in followers of the “Who
                                                                                               As one noted: “Amplify’s entry lived up
                                                                                               to its principles and ethos. Its claim to   INDEPENDENT
EXPERIENCE                                        we be” playlist and won a Q Award for
                                                  Best Festival or Event 2018.
                                                                                               want to be creatively brave, culturally
                                                                                               connected, curious and executionally        AGENCY
AGENCY                                               The agency also created one of the
                                                  most memorable activations of the
                                                                                               excellent shines through.”
                                                                                                                                           DROGA5 LONDON
AMPLIFY                                           summer, with the UK launch of                RUNNERS-UP
                                                  YouTube Music. Across four days,
                                                  YouTube Music In Residence staged a          Bearded Kitten                              O  nly a few years ago, Droga5 London
                                                                                                                                              was a non-starter. After launching in
                                                                                                                                                                                       shown it can also create populist
                                                                                                                                                                                       stories. The best example of this is a
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   RUNNERS-UP
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Cult
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Beefeater Gin’s global creative account.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Other notable wins included Kingston
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  agency moved into pure-play social
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  clients, in-house production and brand

T  here wasn’t much hype around
   Amplify’s 10th birthday in 2018.
This agency has never been one for
                                                  takeover of 180 The Strand, with a
                                                  collection of music spaces and
                                                  performance areas for talks and gigs.
                                                                                               Bearded Kitten has a simple mission
                                                                                               statement: “We design fun.” And that is
                                                                                               what it does, delivering activations for
                                                                                                                                           2013 and failing to match the calibre of
                                                                                                                                           its New York headquarters, founder
                                                                                                                                           David Droga declared the outpost
                                                                                                                                                                                       series of ads for Amazon Prime Video.
                                                                                                                                                                                       The video-streaming platform’s
                                                                                                                                                                                       biggest brand campaign followed
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Cult was started in 2012 by serial
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   entrepreneurs Cat Turner and Bridey
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Technology, BBC Top Gear, Richmond
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sausages, UGG and Havana Club Rum.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    For Beefeater, Impero set out to return
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  consultancy. Something must be
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  working beyond its business, too, as it
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  has an 88% talent retention rate.
grandstanding, combining a humble                    And when Google wanted to scale up        brands including Red Bull, Amazon           “needed to operate in a different way”.     protagonists whose lives were               Lipscombe, with a focus on social                the brand to its “gritty” London roots
approach with the urgency of a                    its Curiosity Rooms, taking an existing      and Time Out. In 2018, the agency’s            By early 2016, a new management          transformed for the better by TV            creative, but it has since evolved to            and relaunched it with an urban,              Republic of Media
start-up. Yet with a decade’s skin in the         two-day format and turning it into a         experiential billings increased by 60%      team was in place: chief executive Bill     binges, such as a couple who rekindle       keep pace with the shifting digital              youthful design and an outdoor and            Republic of Media is a media planning
game, it has set down some solid                  five-week showstopper on Piccadilly          and staff headcount by 50%. Arguably,       Scott, chief creative officer David         their passion while watching the            landscape. Its services have expanded            digital campaign. A nationwide tour           and buying agency founded in 2012,
financial and creative credibility.               Circus, it turned to Amplify to do it.       its standout campaign was for beer          Kolbusz and chief strategy officer          romantic show Outlander.                    into strategic consultancy, emerging             with “do-gooder” celebrities for              with offices in Edinburgh and
   So this momentous year for the                    With such a broad range of output         brand Lagunitas in the UK, which            Dylan Williams. The pressure was on            The work caught the attention of         tech innovation and production, and in           Richmond Sausages, an UGG                     Manchester. 2018 brought great
agency that describes its mission as              and a strong leadership team that            included a series of events leading up      for the trio to turn the shop around, but   management at the tech giant’s Seattle      2018 it won new business from Amazon             influencer campaign to make autumn            success: billings grew 43% to £95m,
“joining the dots between people,                 likes to let its work do the talking, it’s   to the opening of London’s first beer       the backdrop could not have been more       HQ and has the potential to build into      Fashion, Netflix, Dunhill, PepsiCo and           and winter cool, and a packaging              bringing it closer to its ambitious goal
brands and culture” passed without                easy to see why Amplify wins so many         “circus”. This included performances        bleak. After the UK voted to leave the      along-running creative platform.            NBC Universal. To meet these                     overhaul and launch ads for protein           of being the largest independent
fanfare but with a slew of client wins            plaudits. Among these, it was named          and interactive games. The campaign         European Union, economic growth                There were other gems in the form of     demands, the agency poached Digitas’             brand Goodness Shakes rounded off             agency in the UK by 2022; it is currently
and enviable creative work.                       Most Admired Agency by fellow brand          featured 22 events delivered across         slowed, squeezing prospects in the          Bulk Powders’ tongue-in-cheek ads           Matt Watson as executive creative                the agency’s creative work. On the            less than a third of the size of the
   The agency bagged 13 new clients,              experience agencies in Campaign’s            nine countries.                             advertising industry as well. This          starring Anthony Joshua, Tom                director. It also grew the Cult family           talent side, Impero claims it has 77%         market leader. The year started with
including Asos, BrewDog and Sipsmith,             Future of Brand Experiences report.                                                      climate made it an even more difficult      Daley and Lucy Watson, which picked         with a studio in Brooklyn, New York,             female staff and no gender pay gap.           winning Velux. It went on to scoop up
which joined long-standing clients                   Other notable successes for the           Haygarth                                    time to be an independent business.         up a Cannes bronze Lion. The agency         and hired Ruben Musca, as head of                                                              Beaverbrooks Jewellers, Magners Cider,
Google, PlayStation and Airbnb. The               agency included the launch of Young          Last year Haygarth restructured its key        Despite these challenges, Droga5         created the visual identity and launch      production, and Karl Velasco, as group           Isobel                                        Rumchata, Ripe Insurance, Scottish
new-business wins represented £5.4m,              Blood 2, an update to its original work      departments – tech, PR, social and          London has more than fulfilled its          campaign for Coal Drops Yard, a             head of fashion and beauty. At the start         Isobel is 15 years old but prides itself on   Rugby, Rangers FC and Utilitywise.
increasing Amplify’s total billings by            exploring the hopes, fears and realities     experiential – to create one connected      ambition, becoming one of the hottest       beautiful piece of design that featured     of 2018, Cult launched a research and            its start-up feel. In 2018 it brought that    Seven of its 12 new client wins, which
42% to £25m.                                      of young people growing up in Britain.       offering for brands. The agency, which      agencies on the UK ad scene.                the work of 20 different artists,           development arm called The                       independent streak to clients such as         will yield £13m in 2019 billings,
   As a result, Amplify boosted its               The research and films were                  handles experiential for Coca-Cola’s           In 2018, the benefits of the agency’s    illustrators and photographers.             Experiment to create products that               BrewDog, which spread an anti-                resulted from competitive pitches
creative department, growing the team             complemented by a series of talks            product portfolio, also revamped its        labour came to fruition. Droga5                And it transformed the House of          integrate emerging technology with               advertising message and offered to buy        against major network agencies. For
from six to 25, under the leadership of           enabling the agency to prove its deep        creative process to deliver better          London recorded an 85% pitch                Peroni from a pop-up bar into a fashion     human need. The innovation lab                   a one-million pints round instead. The        Republic of Media’s biggest and
executive creative director Jeavon                knowledge of key audience groups.            insights from live activations. After the   conversion rate and beat more               incubator, which unveiled its               produced Mindscape, an Amazon                    agency’s second campaign for the              founder client, bet365, the agency
Smith. He was made partner and                       The agency’s footprint is also            success of a Ferrero Rocher campaign,       established agencies to blue-chip           collections during London Fashion           Alexa and Google Home voice app that             brand played on the slogans of historic       helped widen its reach during a Fifa
board director in recognition of his              expanding. In the UK, its student-           with a “Behind the layers” experience,      accounts, bringing it into the big          Week in February 2019.                      offers support to people suffering from          mass-market beer advertising to get           World Cup year and managed the
output during his first 18 months with            focused agency Seed has nearly tripled       Haygarth focused on helping brands          league. Wins included Barclaycard,             Droga5 London’s once empty trophy        anxiety or panic attacks.                        people to try IPA beer. Isobel’s first        brand’s broadcast sponsorships,
the agency.                                       in size in the past two years, with          to explore the monetisation of              BMW’s Mini Electric, Amazon Prime           cabinet now holds 54 prizes. While                                                           work for ice-cream brand Kelly’s of           including Premier League Football on
   Recruits included creative directors,          turnover rising from £3.4m to £9.5m. In      experiences. Internally, Haygrath grew      Video in the UK and Germany, Pernod         industry leaders expound on how work        Impero                                           Cornwall featured locals talking about        Sky and BT Sport. Last year its work for
strategists, planners, architects and 2D          addition, Amplify launched its first         its workforce to 115 and introduced a       Ricard’s Kahlua, Canada Goose,              should not be done only for awards, the     Creative agency Impero boasted 40%               their favourite flavours in their native      the Scottish government won prizes at
and 3D designers, as the agency sought            standalone international office in           new graduate programme. Judges              eDreams, and London shopping and            agency’s accolades are a key sign of its    growth and a pitch win rate of more              Cornish tongue. On the new-business           the Campaign Media Awards,
to enhance its creative reputation                Australia, with founding clients             praised its impressive financials and       restaurant district Coal Drops Yard.        business transformation. Its output has     than 65% last year. In March, it beat            front, Isobel won 10 out of 13 pitches,       Marketing Society Star Awards and
beyond its brand experience work.                 Google, Spotify and Campari.                 employee culture.                              Where Droga5 London really shines        started to trigger envy from other          Leo Burnett Madrid, Lola MullenLowe              including Buzz Bingo, Jet, Caffè Nero         YouTube Works for Brands Awards.
                                                                                                                                           is in the work. Kolbusz is a bold,          advertising leaders and attract talent      and Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam to                and the aforementioned BrewDog. The           Republic of Media was also named in
                                                                                                                                           eccentric creative leader who is not        who want to work in a place that clearly                                                                                                   the London Stock Exchange 1000
                                                                                                                                           afraid to push boundaries, and this         prioritises creativity.                                                                                                                    Companies to Inspire Britain.
                                                                                                                                           attitude trickles down to his team. Take       The shop boasts a stable leadership
                                                                                                                                           its ad for genealogy company Ancestry,      team and 92% staff-retention rate,                                                                                                         Uncommon Creative Studio
                                                                                                                                           a Brexit-themed musical released as         including home-grown talent such as                                                                                                        Uncommon marked its one-year
                                                                                                                                           Prime Minister Theresa May struggled        Charlene Chandrasekaran and Dan                                                                                                            anniversary in 2018. Started by ex-Grey
                                                                                                                                           to reach an exit agreement with the         Morris, both recently promoted to                                                                                                          London executives Natalie Graeme,
                                                                                                                                           European Commission. The film               creative directors.                                                                                                                        Lucy Jameson and Nils Leonard, it
                                                                                                                                           featured a cast of European characters,        On the work front, its success looks                                                                                                    vowed to be a new kind of creative
                                                                                                                                           including a German butcher and an           likely to continue this year as the                                                                                                        business, and, so far, it has. In just a
                                                                                                                                           Italian grandmother, serenading             agency has already unveiled its debut                                                                                                      short span, it went from a team of three
                                                                                                                                           British people with Rick Astley’s 1987      campaign for Barclaycard, which                                                                                                            people and no clients, to 35 people with
                                                                                                                                           hit Together Forever.                       champions real businesses, starting                                                                                                        more than 15 clients and £5.8m in
                                                                                                                                              For retail brand Uniqlo, the agency      with crystal healers in Kettering, and is                                                                                                  turnover. Uncommon’s clients now
                                                                                                                                           enlisted singer-songwriter and artist       preparing to launch Mini Electric’s first                                                                                                  include ITV, YouTube and Ecover. After
                                                                                                                                           Solange Knowles Ferguson to direct a        vehicle in 2020.                                                                                                                           sprinting out of the starting blocks with
                                                                                                                                           modern dance performance exploring             As Brexit looms and the ad market                                                                                                       a bold Ovo Energy campaign giving the
                                                                                                                                           the theme of creation. The work             feels the heat, Droga5 London is a                                                                                                         finger to climate-change deniers, the
                                                                                                                                           premiered at the Hammer Museum in           cheering success story. Of course, as                                                                                                      agency helped set up youth fashion
                                                                                                                                           Los Angeles, along with a sculpture         2018 showed, an agency’s fortunes can                                                                                                      brand Collusion for Asos; brought some
                                                                                                                                           called Metatron’s Cube that served as       always reverse quickly. But, more than                                                                                                     zest to mortgage broker Habito; and
                                                                                                                                           the film’s centrepiece.                     ever, the UK needs more shops like                                                                                                         shone a light on WWF’s fight for the
                                                                                                                                              Droga5 London has built a quirky         this, which champion creativity with a                                                                                                     environment. The energy is palpable. It
Amplify: activity included scaling up Curiosity Rooms event for Google                                                                     brand, but over the past year it has        fierce, independent spirit.                 Droga5’s Brexit-themed ad for Ancestry featured Rick Astley’s 1980s classic Together Forever   is off to a flyer. »
ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was
38                   March 2019                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              March 2019                    39

          AGENCY OF THE YEAR
                                              Other notable work included the          through the clutter. Greggs is the                                                                                                                                                  industry front line with energy,            The Transformation Trust and
                                           return – and international extension        standout story.” As another judge said:                                                                                                                                             purpose and enthusiasm. After a             Futureversity, are paying off. At exec
                                           – of its 2017 summer campaign for           “The Greggs work is excellent. Playful                                                                                                                                              relatively quiet 2017, Lucky Generals       and planner buyer level, 30% of
                                           easyJet during which its planes were        and true to the brand.”                                                                                                                                                             strengthened its relationship with          MediaCom staff are from BAME
                                           turned into “Flybraries”. These stocked                                                                                                                                                                                         Amazon through four major campaigns         backgrounds. MediaCom has also
                                           classic children’s books to keep kids       RUNNERS-UP                                                                                                                                                                          (including its Super Bowl spot) and         trained more than 160 employees to
                                           entertained on the plane, encourage                                                                                                                                                                                             delivering for longstanding clients         recognise the signs of, and support
                                           them to read and resonate with affluent     Hill & Knowlton                                                                                                                                                                     Yorkshire Tea and Anheuser-Busch            colleagues who are struggling with,

PR AGENCY                                  parents who feel guilty about the time
                                           their children spend on digital devices.
                                                                                       Hill & Knowlton is home to more than
                                                                                       2,000 creative strategists, content          AGENCY HEAD
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           InBev. The agency focused on fewer,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           bigger pitches, and it paid off. Lucky
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       their mental health. MediaCom,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       alongside Bartle Bogle Hegarty

TAYLOR HERRING                                The agency’s production company,
                                           St Mark’s Studios, is independently
                                                                                       creators and master storytellers. As
                                                                                       one judge said, the agency has “a really     DAME CILLA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Generals won the Co-op and Celebrity
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Cruises accounts after highly
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       London, won the Media Grand Prix at
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Cannes Lions for its Tesco “Food love

                                                                                                                                    SNOWBALL
                                           turning a profit and has produced 75        solid and systematic approach over an                                                                                                                                               competitive battles. Calcraft was also at   stories” work as well as Agency of the
                                           films. Andrew McGuinness, co-founder        impressively large canvas of clients                                                                                                                                                the forefront of the industry’s response    Year at the Media Week Awards.

I  ndependent PR agency Taylor
   Herring is enjoying creative and
commercial success with integrated
                                           of BMB, is the agency’s first non-
                                           executive board member to advise on
                                           more above-the-line work.
                                                                                       and colleagues”. Some of its key work
                                                                                       in 2018 included helping Adidas
                                                                                       make the most of its 2018 Fifa World
                                                                                                                                    Chief executive,
                                                                                                                                    Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           to sexual harassment as a driving force
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           behind the TimeTo campaign. Lucky
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Generals created its ads, and 100
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       MediaCom narrowly missed out on
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       agency of the year this time around but
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Krichefski has much to be proud of.
campaigns that not only hit the               Meanwhile, its viral news site, The      Cup sponsorship.                                                                                                                                                                    companies signed up to its code of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Mark Lund
headlines but also achieved stand-out
success in paid channels.
   Taylor Herring started 2018 on a
                                           Poke, is also continuing to grow in
                                           popularity, building a following of two
                                           million fans on social media and
                                                                                       Hope & Glory
                                                                                       The judges were impressed by Hope &
                                                                                                                                    O  ne might forgive a long-serving
                                                                                                                                       executive a bit of wind-down ahead
                                                                                                                                    of a portfolio career. However, Dame
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           conduct ensuring it would have a
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           proper impact on agency life. As 2018
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           came to a close, Lucky Generals was
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Chief executive, McCann
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Worldgroup UK
high, having created its first ad for      attracting five million unique monthly      Glory’s entry, and the choice of winner      Cilla Snowball did the opposite. She                                                                                                   looking at a 20% rise in revenue and        Four-and-a-half years after Mark Lund
Samsung in November 2017. To               users. By championing the creative          was a close call. The PR agency posted       rocked up to her corner office, rolled up                                                                                              25% increase in profit – and that’s         parachuted from start-up life into the
promote its QuickDrive washing             genius of unsung YouTubers,                 a strong financial performance, won          the sleeves of her shift dress and took                                                                                                before its new-business wins enter the      top job at McCann Worldgroup UK, the
machine, the agency took over an           Photoshop artists and tweeters it has       the vast majority of the pitches it          up her place in the chief executive’s                                                                                                  equation. Crucially, 97% of Lucky           2,200-strong business is working ever
entire ad break on Channel 4 and           also built a powerful resource of           entered and treats its staff well. But its   swivel chair for her final 18 months                                                                                                   Generals staff said they had confidence     closer together. After three years of
showed footage of the machine              freelance creative talent.                  real strength lies in brilliant creative     in advertising.                                                                                                                        in Calcraft in an agency survey. You        what McCann describes as “consistent
working. It then released a 66-minute         All this has produced a healthy          work for its clients. The agency                When Snowball arrived at AMV in                                                                                                     wouldn’t bet against her winning over       double-digit growth”, the group now
version of the film, with an original      business with an increase in total          produced its first global TV ad for The      1992, it was the eighth-biggest agency                                                                                                 that final 3% this year.                    partners eight out of 10 of its clients
soundtrack by Hollywood composer           billings, fee income and profit margin.     Pokémon Company, which aired                 in the UK. Five years after she joined as                                                                                                                                          on more than one discipline. In
Michel Nyman, which premiered in the       It has a great staff-retention rate – 90%   during primetime, in the UK and US. It       new-business director it was the                                                                                                       Sarah Golding                               2018 McCann Worldgroup picked up
Cineworld Cinema in Leicester Square.      – perhaps partly helped by its equity       centred on the insight that for a            biggest agency by billings. It has –                                                                                                   Chief executive, The & Partnership          37 new bits of business, retaining the
Although this was work done in 2017, it    scheme that allows all senior staff to      Pokémon GO player, discovering a new         amazingly – held the top spot                                                                                                          London; president, IPA                      Direct Line Group direct marketing
is a good illustration of the agency’s     own shares in the business.                 monster is akin to a naturalist finding a    consistently since then. Its billings tally                                                                                            Sarah Golding’s diminutive stature          account and expanding its relationship
humorous approach to campaigns.               The judges were impressed with           new creature, so its creative re-            is more than £450m, making it more                                                                                                     belies a whip-smart brain and furious       with Opel/Vauxhall across Europe.
   Elsewhere, it launched a cheeky         the agency’s growth, its creative and       interpreted the Sir David Attenborough       than three times the size it was when         just pipped to Agency of the Year by                                                     work ethic. Combining an ambitious          Lund continued to be one of the
campaign for Greggs to highlight a         effective campaigns and particularly        TV series Planet Earth for the digital       she arrived. A remarkable achievement.        Omnicom sister agency Adam & Eve/                                                        presidential agenda at the IPA with the     industry’s statesmen, leading the
proposed extension of the bakery           with its Greggs work. One of the judges     age, complete with a Stephen Fry                AMV’s claim that it has had a              DDB. Among its existing clients, AMV        When Snowball arrived at                     (more than) full-time job of running a      Advertising Association’s Media
chain’s opening hours and trial of an      said: “This was a really refreshing read    voiceover. For the Royal Mint, it            consistently smooth succession plan           claims to have driven up its advocacy       AMV in 1992, it was the                      large agency is akin to walking a           Smart and the IPA’s business
evening menu. With Valentine’s Day         in terms of approach not just to client     launched “The great British coin hunt”       over the past 41 years glosses over some      scores above the industry average, and                                                   tightrope. But there’s no danger of         leadership programmes. Further
approaching, Taylor Herring offered a      work, but to the culture internally with    – a range of 10 pence coins, one for         of the details behind Snowball                it extended its record-breaking run of      eighth-biggest agency in                     “Goldie” falling off. As part of her        collaboration is in Lund’s sights.
tongue-in-cheek antidote to the            some great results which really cut         each letter of the alphabet. It resulted     assuming day-to-day control of the            golds at the IPA Effectiveness Awards                                                    “Magic and Machines” agenda at the          McCann Worldgroup will follow the
over-priced, overrated, romantic-                                                      in sales worth more than £5.5m via the       shop. That the agency, which she              with recognition for its Guinness work.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              the UK. Five years after she                 IPA, Golding has encouraged the             lead of some rivals, bringing 11 of its
dining land-grab. It introduced a                                                      client’s website. In addition, the agency    handed over to chief executive Sarah             Snowball’s move to a portfolio career    joined as new-business                       sometimes timid ad body to take a           agencies under the same roof in 2020.
candlelit, four-course dining                                                          beat CHI & Partners (now The &               Douglas and chairman Justin Pahl              is not surprising. Her reach has                                                         stand, pushing the tech companies           Lund has said the move will lead to
experience in Greggs shops across the      Taylor Herring’s viral news                 Partnership) and social agency ATN to        (both internal promotions), was back in       extended beyond advertising for many        director, it was the biggest                 on brand safety and calling for a           more “productive collisions”. It’s a
country, complete with mood lighting,
                                           site, The Poke, is also                     come up with Argos’ integrated April         the running for agency of the year is         years and it gives AMV a chance to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              agency by billings                           moratorium on political advertising         smart strategic move in an age where
music, roses, candelabras and linen                                                    Fool idea: a USB-powered “Eau de             testament to Snowball’s and the wider         push on into a new era from a strong                                                     online. Back at the day job, she            collaboration is key. »
tablecloths. The one-night-only menu       growing in popularity,                      catalogue”, which dispensed the smell        team’s achievements in 2018.                  base. Indeed, Snowball’s damehood                                                        rebranded the agency formerly known
included Love Heart-garnished bakery                                                   of freshly printed catalogue for                The shop’s position at the top of the      was as much in recognition of her                                                        as CHI & Partners to The & Partnership
items and a brochette of doughnuts.        building a following of two                 customers while on the Argos website.        agency table by billings has belied           efforts in driving diversity and equality                                                London, bringing it in line with the rest
   The agency made a promo video,          million fans on social media                It was all part of the campaign to tell      internal complications there in recent        as it was her day job in advertising. She   climbed 51% to 200. Biggam isn’t afraid      of its network. The change was
invited media to the event, held a                                                     the story of Argos’ transformation into      years. Its move to Bankside provoked          chairs the Women’s Business Council         to take a stand on contentious issues.       designed to highlight the central role of
preview and had an unexpected              and attracting five million                 a leading digital retailer. As one judge     much disquiet among the troops –              and the private sector council of the       She worked with ISBA on revisions to         the London office and celebrate the
press-coverage windfall when a diner                                                   said: “Strong, solid, innovative work        particularly in the creative department,      government’s “Great” campaign.              its controversial media contract and         beginning of a new phase for the shop.
                                           unique monthly users
proposed to his girlfriend on the night.                                               from a robust and well-run agency,           it was said – and the agency had to              Advertising and AMV have been            makes the case for transparent               Client wins included HouseSimple,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Q: WHY DID THE CHICK
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             DISAPPOINT HIS
   Tickets sold out within 20 minutes of                                               evidently both growing and profitable.”      pitch (unsuccessfully, as it turned out)      lucky to have such a hardworking            agency-client relationships. She has         Paramount and Coty. The recent
going on sale. The booking website                                                                                                  to retain two longstanding clients            champion in Snowball for more than          also led diversity initiatives designed to   Centrica pitch will test Golding’s
received 193,000 visitors, 46,000 of
whom tried to book a table on the day
                                                                                                                                    Sainsbury’s and Camelot.
                                                                                                                                       At the start of 2018 Snowball handed
                                                                                                                                                                                  two decades. And so, undoubtedly,
                                                                                                                                                                                  will the organisation she goes on to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              enact real change – rather than just fill
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              column inches – working with the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           mettle but you know she will do
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           everything she can to land on her feet.                  MOTHER?
reservations opened, driving an                                                                                                     the agency the task of creating work of       work with. After all, Snowball is not       Brixton Finishing School and Warwick
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Josh Krichefski
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       A: HE WASN’T WHAT HE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       WAS CRACKED UP TO BE
increase of 10% in unique users on the                                                                                              the highest calibre, pitching better for      the type to wind down her approach          Afro-Caribbean Society and
Greggs site. The campaign boosted                                                                                                   fewer pieces of new business and              to anything.                                introducing policies such as a               Chief executive, MediaCom UK
total sales by 3.7% year on year in the                                                                                             forming deeper partnerships with its                                                      maternity-clothes bursary. The7stars’        Josh Krichefski is the embodiment of
same period – with no other above-the-                                                                                              existing clients.                             RUNNERS-UP                                  achievements in 2018 suggest there’s         the modern media leader, putting as
line marketing active in the period.                                                                                                   In less than two weeks in March,                                                       no chance of the taps there running dry      much effort into supporting his staff’s
   Later in the year, the agency pranked                                                                                            AMV delivered on the second of those          Jenny Biggam                                any time soon, and it’s no wonder with       wellbeing as he does into driving new
people by setting up an undercover                                                                                                  three goals when it picked up Asda and        Co-founder, the7stars                       Biggam in charge. In an increasingly         business. Despite running the biggest
stall at the gourmet Foodies Festival as                                                                                            Virgin Atlantic (and retained Virgin          The7stars takes its name from a pub.        homogenous world of media, that can          media agency group in the UK – and
Gregory & Gregory, with attendees                                                                                                   Holidays). The agency also won work           With its ever-present landlady Jenny        only be a good thing.                        being conflicted out of many new-
filmed praising the stall’s products.                                                                                               from Ford, Samsung and the Stroke             Biggam pulling the pints, the                                                            business opportunities – MediaCom
   Greggs’ head of customer and                                                                                                     Association across the year.                  independent agency had another              Helen Calcraft                               won 49 bits of business. It also retained
marketing, Graeme Nash, said: “Taylor                                                                                                  In June, at Cannes, it proved it could     phenomenal year. Billings rose 31% –        Founding partner, Lucky Generals             and expanded major accounts,
Herring is delivering an outstanding                                                                                                do the first of the three, picking up         driven by wins including Associated         There are few people in the industry         including Sky, Mars and Coca-Cola.
programme of work for us – it is                                                                                                    three Grands Prix – more than it had in       British Foods, Capital One and              with Helen Calcraft’s charm, wit and         Krichefski’s varied efforts to promote
strategic, engaging and disruptive.”                                                                                                the entire previous 41 years – and was        Deliveroo – and the agency’s staff          stature. In 2018 she burst back on to the    diversity, including work with Scope,
ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MOTHER - As its 21st year of existence, 2018 was
You can also read