WARC global Creative 100 revealed

LONDON, Wednesday: WARC has released its Creative 100 world rankings, a benchmark celebrate creative excellence, starring the most awarded campaigns and companies in the world. NZ – apart from their direct connections to global parent companies – does not feature.

The Creative 100 is produced by combining the results of the industry’s most important global and regional creative award shows tracked throughout 2021. The awards tracked are determined by a worldwide industry survey and in consultation with the WARC Rankings Advisory Board.

• #1 Creative Agency: Publicis Milan 
• #1 Creative Network: Ogilvy
• #1 Holding Company: Omnicom Group
• #1 Brand: Burger King 
• #1 Advertiser: AB InBev
• #1 Country: USA
• # 1 Creative campaign: Wombstories

WARC’s David Tiltman said: “The top campaigns show how marketers are increasingly trying to highlight untold stories. 

“Many give a voice to sections of society that may not have been properly represented in the past – for example, Wombstories and The Bread Exam focus on women’s health and the conversations around it.

“We’ve also seen campaigns addressing the LGBTQIA+ community’s need for individual recognition, amplifying the voices of black youth, and showing the danger that Mexican journalists face daily. All explored important issues that have historically been ignored.”

The rankings advisory board includes proud Kiwi Malcolm Poynton, the UK-based global CCO at Cheil – also a judge at tomorrow’s Axis Awards.”

#1 CREATIVE CAMPAIGN: Wombstories

A WARC spokesperson said: “The most creatively celebrated campaign of 2021, Wombstories for feminine hygiene brand Bodyform/Libresse/Libra, used the power of storytelling to embrace the complexity and reality of womanhood. Whilst heartbreaking, the campaign by AMV BBDO London, is designed to tackle taboos and make women proud of their bodies.

AMV BBDO CCOs Nicholas Hulley and Nadja Lossgott said: “Wombstories has been our most profound and complex undertaking – both emotionally and technically. Daring to listen and dive into the darker side of people’s experiences with their wombs and wrestling an octopus of a campaign with so many arms that all had to live up to our ambition of creativity and empathy. But complexity is worth it, to leave millions of people feeling understood and, in many cases, reach out to each other to finally share their womb stories.”

In second place is True Name for Mastercard by McCann New York. The campaign demonstrated its support for the LGBTQIA+ community in the USA by launching the first payment product where people could feature their chosen name on their card.

Third is Donation Dollar, a campaign for Royal Australian Mint by Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne, whereby a donation coin was created to support charities.

#1 CREATIVE AGENCY: Publicis Milan

Up from third place last year, Publicis Milan has four campaigns in the top 100: for Diesel (x2), Heineken and Barilla.

AMV BBDO London follows closely with two campaigns, one for Macmillan Cancer support as well as the highest-ranked Wombstories. Africa São Paulo is in third place with four campaigns for House of Lapland, SporTV, Folha de SP and Associação Brasileira de Psiquiatria.

Publicis Worldwide CCD Bruno Bertelli said: “Being ranked number 1 Agency of the Year in the WARC Creative 100 is testament to hard work, a proven model of data and creativity and the bravery of our people and clients. We continue to push each other to go further and be better and it is paying off. Congratulations to everyone at Publicis Italy.”

#1 CREATIVE NETWORK: OGILVY

Retaining its top spot for a second consecutive year is Ogilvy, with four agencies in the top 50 contributing points to its total, including DAVID Miami and DAVID Madrid both ranked in the top five.

Publicis Worldwide and DDB Worldwide follow in second and third place respectively.

Ogilvy global CCO Liz Taylor said: “It’s thrilling to be named the most creative network in the world by WARC. Earning this designation for the second consecutive year speaks to the hard work and dedication of our teams across the globe who continuously deliver unforgettable ideas that have an impact for our clients.

“This accomplishment is also a testament to the borderless creativity that unites our network across geographies, capabilities, and cultures. I want to thank everyone at Ogilvy for their contributions, and our brave and valued clients for their partnership, collaboration, and trust.”

#1 HOLDING COMPANY: OMNICOM GROUP

Omnicom Group moves up one place to take pole position. WPP drops to second place and Interpublic Group remains in third.

#1 BRAND: BURGER KING

Fast-food chain Burger King is top creative brand for the fourth consecutive year, with six campaigns ranked in the top Creative 100 for four markets – Mexico, Spain, UK and USA. Bodyform/Libresse/Libra follows in second place, and Mastercard is in third, up from #25 last year.

#1 ADVERTISER: AB INBEV

Brewing giant AB InBev, which has steadily climbed the Creative 100 Rankings over the past few years, takes top spot this year. Restaurant Brands International drops to second, and Unilever climbs to third place up from seventh last year.

AB InBev CMO, , said: “We are humbled to be ranked number one in creativity. Our journey over the last five years has embedded creativity into our core resulting in significant business growth. This transformation has defined AB InBev by its creative excellence, strategic boldness and accelerated innovation. While our work is not over, today, we raise a glass to our people and our partners who have made it their mission to create a future of more cheers.”

#1 COUNTRY: USA
USA retains its place as the most creatively awarded market in the world by far. The UK remains second, and France moves up to claim third place.

• View the detail: warc.com/rankings/creative-100
• The rankings advisory board (includes Kiwi Malcolm Poynton of Chiel): warc.com/rankings/about
• The WARC Media 100 will be announced later today (Wednesday16 March) and the WARC Effective 100 tomorrow (17 March).