Australian Advertising History: Campaign Brief Agency of the Year [part four] – The 20s [so far]

Ever since the first Campaign Brief Agency of the Year in 1987, the annual accolade has honoured the best work of the best creative agency of each year. As far as most agency creative directors (and increasingly, more CEOs and CMOs) are concerned, CB Agency of the Year is the most coveted of all trade mag titles to win – proven to be a major contributor to the winning agency’s new business performance the following year. In part four of the series, CB looks back at the Campaign Brief AOY winners from 2020 to 2025.

Notable work: Uber Eats, Tourism New Zealand, Disney+, Carlton Dry, Amaysim, Kayo, Pirate Life Beer, Bonds, Red Bull, Mutti, Afterpay, Harris Farm, AFR.

Creatives: Tom Martin, Julian Schreiber, Jack Nunn, Nils Eberhardt, Sian Binder, Simon Gibson, Lea Egan, Vince Osmond, Jade Manning, Mark Starmarch, Alastair Flack, Jeffrey Seeff, Joel Grunstein. Suits: Lindsey Evans, Cade Heyde, Rebecca Stambanis, Michelle Braslin, Sinead Kelly, Dave Hartmann.

CB/Creative LIAisons prize: In 2021, Special Group Australia’s Jeffrey Seeff and Joel Grunstein were selected for the program. Seeff and Grunstein are now a senior freelance creative team at Mother London, having relocated to the UK in 2024 after over six years at Special Australia.

Agency of the Year Contenders: The Monkeys, Clemenger BBDO, CHEP, Deloitte Digital, Thinkerbell, TBWA, DDB.

Agency of the Year [Medium]: Special.

Agency of the Year [Small]: Bear Meets Eagle on Fire

Notable work: BCF, Meat & Livestock Australia, Mountain Goat Beer, Telstra, Beam Suntory, Suntory – 196, NRMA Insurance, Supercheap Auto, Australia Post, Amazon, Grill’d, NearMap, Get Vaccinated, Gulf Western Oil, UnLtd, Blackmores, Asahi, Qantas, Berlei, UN Women,

Creatives: Scott Nowell, Tara Ford, Ant Keogh, Barbara Humphries, Dennis Koutoulogenis, Scott Dettrick, Sam Dickson, Cameron Bell, Beth O’Brien, Hugh Gurney, Joe Sibley, Michelle Canning, Ben Horewood, Brett Edwards, Max Rapley, Fernanda Gil-Pier, Grace O’Brien, Michael Phillips, Ewan Harvey, Rubini Gun, Aicha Wijland, Alex Polglase, Jake Ausburn, Oli Nicholson, Matthew Chen, Caitie Hall, Jackson Best. Suits: Mark Green, Paul McMillan, Matt Michael, Belinda Drew, Fabio Buresti.

CB/Creative LIAisons prize: The Monkeys chose young creative team Katie Kidd, art director and Lizzie Wood, copywriter represent their agency. Kidd and Wood are now senior creatives at Mother London. After five years at The Monkeys (now Droga5), the duo spent a year at TBWA\Media\Arts\LAB before relocating to London to join Mother in February 2025.

Agency of the Year Contenders: Special, Thinkerbell, Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, DDB, Deloitte Digital.

Agency of the Year [Medium]: Special

Agency of the Year [Small]: Bear Meets Eagle on Fire

Notable work: XXXX, Hot Wheels, Hahn, NRMA Insurance, Furphy, Dan Murphy’s, Menulog, Repco, Klarna, Airtasker, CGU Insurance, Vegemite, Koala, QT Hotels

Creatives: Jim Ingram, Ben Couzens, Tom Wenborn, Paul Swann, Sesh Moodley, Regina Stroombergen, Zac Goldberg, Lucas Fowler, Jack Burton, Megan Latter, Kevin Pease, Sean McNicholas, Craig Merrett, Cam McMillan, Claire McMahon, Kier Vaughan. Suits: Adam Ferrier, Margie Reid, Jaime Morgan, Nick Bennett, Jerker Fagerstrom, Jo Ward, Emma O’Leary, Fiona Bradshaw, Hannah Nichols.

CB/Creative LIAisons prize: In 2023, LIA’s Creative LIAisons on-site programme returned to Las Vegas after the two Covid years. Thinkerbell sent senior creative Lucas Fowler to represent Australia. Fowler is currently a senior creative at Thinkerbell. He has been with the agency for over five years working with his creative partner Jack Burton.

Agency of the Year Contenders: Special, The Monkeys, VMLY&R, Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, BMF, TBWA, Howatson+Company.

Agency of the Year [Medium]: 72andSunny

Agency of the Year [Small]: Bear Meets Eagle on Fire

Notable work: Sydney Opera House, Meat & Livestock Australia, Australia Post, TAB, Telstra, Crown Resorts, Tuvalu, Qantas, Macpac, VB, Ladbrokes, view.com.au, The Uluru Dialogue.

Creatives: Scott Nowell, Tara Ford, Ant Keogh, Barbara Humphries, Adam Slater, Dennis Koutoulogenis, Scott Dettrick, Vince Lagana, Benn Sutton, Sam Dickson, Max Rapley, Cameron Bell, Beth O’Brien, Hugh Gurney, Joe Sibley, Zenon Predecki, Cody Naetzker, Michelle Canning, Ben Horewood, Brett Edwards, Fernanda Gil-Pier, Michael Phillips, Ewan Harvey, Rubini Gun, Aicha Wijland, Alex Polglase, Jake Ausburn, Jono Aidney, Gabe Woodmansey, Matthew Chen, David Klein, Mike Burdick, Danny Pattison, Barnaby Packham, Oli Nicholson, Caitie Hall, Jackson Best, Emmalie Narathipakorn, Seamus McAlary.  Suits: Mark Green, Paul McMillan, Matt Michael, Milla McPhee, Belinda Drew, Vicky Mockler, Ella Goldberg, Jenny McLarney, Amanda Porritt, Ash Robertson, Kit Lansdell, Topher Jones, Andy Holmes, Mitchell Bevan, Kezia Quinn, Sophie Gosper, Dave Collins, Isaac Montebello, Ella Goldberg, Grace Tenaglia, Fabio Buresti, Michael Derepas.

CB/Creative LIAisons prize: In 2024, Aïcha Wijland, an art director at The Monkeys (now Droga5), was chosen to represent Australia at the programme in Las Vegas. Wijland has been with the agency since August 2021 and was promoted to senior art director in December 2024.

Agency of the Year Contenders: Special, Howatson+Company, Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, VML, BMF, Thinkerbell.

Agency of the Year [Medium]: HERO

Agency of the Year [Small]: Bear Meets Eagle on Fire

Notable work: Allianz, Mastercard, ABC iView, Tyro, Triple J, Qantas, Petbarn, TLC, iSelect, Honda, Selleys, TK Maxx, Dan Murphy’s.

Creatives: Gavin Chimes, Richard Shaw, Jeremy Hogg, Tom Macphail, Trent Michael, Jared Wicker, Scott Zuliani, Elaine Li, Ernie Ciaschetti, Reece Lawson, Harriet Ronn, Simon Friedlander, Michael Kleinman, Sam Lukins, Brandon Nee, Katy Hulton, Elly Pipiciello, Eliza Katsourakis, Kiri Wheaton, Deb Frenkel, Ellena Mills-Stainer, Chloe Schumacher, Hoàng Nguyen, Nicole Flinton-Ferraro. Suits: Chris Howatson, Renee Hyde, Andrew Drougas, Kirsty Taylor, Katy Ward, Lucy Stock, Rebecca Robertson, George Robertson, Belle Simmonds, Gavin Blomeley, Rachel Baulderstone, Dom Hickey.

CB/Creative LIAisons prize: In 2025 Tom Macphail, Senior Art Director, Howatson+Company was chosen to make the trip to Las Vegas.

Agency of the Year Contenders: Special, Droga5, Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, DDB, Thinkerbell, BMF.

Agency of the Year [Medium]: Sunday Gravy

Agency of the Year [Small]: Bear Meets Eagle on Fire

Notable work: Volkswagen, DoorDash, McDonald’s, Solid Lines, Skoda, Acciona, Coles, Made By Dyslexia, Ikea, Belong, Crikey, Our Watch, 36 Months, Credit24, Brisbane Broncos.

Creatives: Matty Burton, Matt Chandler, Psembi Kinstan, Giles Watson, Becky Morriss, James Cowie, Adam Hengstberger, Carly Dallwitz, Gid Goldberg, Charlie Brookes, Pip Dolman, Rory Moore, Phoenix Santamaria, Charlotte Funnell, Anneliese Sullivan, Josh Brown, Leilani Horthy Banks. Suits: Priya Patel, Sheryl Marjoram, Mike Napolitano, Rupert Price, Matt Pearce, Khia Croy, Alasdair Kay, David Owen, Jess Headon, Connie Watters, Emily Perry.

CB/Creative LIAisons prize: Junior art director Leilani Horthy Banks from 2025 CB Australian Agency of the Year DDB (now Clemenger) will attend the all-expenses-paid, once-in-a-lifetime Creative LIAisons onsite program in September, alongside 130+ rising stars from around the world.

Agency of the Year Contenders: Special, Droga5, VML, Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, Sunday Gravy, Thinkerbell, Howatson+Compnay, HERO, SickDogWolfMan.

View CB Agency of the Year [part one] – The 80s and 90s

View CB Agency of the Year [part two] – The Noughties

View CB Agency of the Year [part three] – The 2010s

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