The 2018 WARC 100, the annual global index of the world’s top marketing campaigns and companies based on their business impact, is out. It is based on the results of the top 70 global, regional and national marketing effectiveness and strategy competitions around the world.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne is the #1 creative agency for effectiveness with two top 10 campaigns – Meet Graham for Transport Accident Commission and Hungerithm for Snickers.
New Zealand’s Colenso BBDO is #2 place due to its work for Burger King and DB Export.
BBDO Worldwide is the most awarded network for the fifth year in a row, having retained this rank since WARC 100 began in 2014. Its agencies contributed to four of the top 10 campaigns and 19 of the top 100.
Andrew Robertson, president and chief executive, BBDO Worldwide, commented, “Smarter thinking unleashes the power of creativity to make greater impact. That’s why leading the WARC 100 is so meaningful.”
The #1 campaign is BBDO India’s Dads #ShareTheLoad for Procter & Gamble’s premium laundry detergent brand Ariel Matic. Dads #ShareTheLoad builds on BBDO India’s previous Share the Load campaign by persuading dads to do more laundry in order to promote gender equality. Ariel Matic generated a 42% increase in unaided brand awareness, US$12.3 million in earned media coverage, and conversations on social media and sales growth exceeding previous campaigns.
#2 is The Swedish Number by INGO Stockholm for The Swedish Tourist Association, which manages hotels and hostels across Sweden. More than 32,000 Swedes signed up to take more than 200,000 calls from abroad helping STF boost its renewal figures and attract new members.
#3 is Care Counts for Whirlpool by DigitasLBi Chicago. The appliances manufacturer installed washers and dryers in schools to give disadvantaged students access to laundry facilities. 90% of the school involved increased their school attendance rate. The programme has been expanded to nearly 60 schools across the US.
Three themes have emerged from the world’s top effectiveness campaigns:
- Purpose is effective when brands have a credible role. Three purpose-driven campaigns appear in the top 10 – Dads #ShareTheLoad for Ariel, Whirlpool’s Care Counts and Imagine the Possibilities for Barbie (by BBDO San Francisco & BBDO New York)
- Strategies with PR baked in are becoming the norm. Three campaigns in the top ten used a PR-led strategy to drive brand awareness and increase sales: Meet Graham by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for Australia’s Transport Accident Commission, Burger King’s The McWhopper Proposal by Y&R Auckland and Van Gogh BnB by Leo Burnett Chicago for the Art Institute of Chicago.
- New takes on long-term ideas. Several of the highly effective initiatives ranked, such as Dads #ShareTheLoad, Hungerithm by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for Snickers, the John Lewis Christmas campaigns by adam & eve DDB and Always’ Girl Emojis by Leo Burnett Chicago, show how blockbuster ideas can be intelligently followed up for long-term gains.
Starcom Chicago is #1 media agency for effectiveness with almost three times the points of the second-placed agency.
Eight of the top digital/specialist agencies for effectiveness are from the US, with Chicago agencies making up the top three. DigitasLBi Chicago is #1.
Omnicom Group is the most awarded holding company for the second time, having previously held top position in 2014. Omnicom Group owns four of the top 10 agency networks.
John Wren, president and chief executive officer, Omnicom Group, commented, “Producing great work that drives results for our clients is why we come to work every day. It is especially gratifying to see Omnicom recognised by WARC as having five of the top ten individually ranked agencies, three of the top five networks, and being the top-ranked holding company. I could not be prouder of our teams.”
Burger King improved its ranking by 30 places to be the #1 brand for effectiveness. Colenso BBDO’s McWhopper Proposal was ranked #5 and Backyard Burger King made the top 100.
Unilever was the #1 most effective advertiser for the third time, having previously held this top position in 2015 and 2014. Unilever has four campaigns in the top 100, two by Mullen Lowe London.
Lifebuoy’s #HelpAChildReach5 by Lowe Lintas:
Knorr’s Love At First Taste by Mullen Lowe London:
The Vaseline Healing Project by BBH US:
https://youtu.be/ArQNgzdW2rw
The Radicalisation of Persil by MullenLowe London:
These and 50 more campaigns across all competitions contributed to its tally.
Keith Weed, chief marketing and communications officer, Unilever, commented, “It’s a great honour to be recognised by WARC as Most Effective Advertiser again. I’m hugely proud of our marketers, working hard to drive campaigns with purpose that cut through to consumers and make a real impact.”
The US retains its place as the #1 in the world for effectiveness with 36 of the top 100 campaigns. =#2, The UK, and Australia have #2.
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