Cannes Lions launches 2019 Global Creativity Report; Clemenger BBDO Melbourne ranks #1 Pacific Agency of the Year; Special Group Sydney ranks #12 Independent Agency of the Year

September 24 2019, 10:37 am | BY Ricki Green | 1 Comment

Cannes Lions has announced the release of the 2019 Global Creativity Report, the industry-leading resource for creativity and effectiveness benchmarking. The report has been extended this year, with contributions from partner company WARC, the global marketing and media intelligence service.

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne has ranked #1 Pacific Agency followed by DDB Sydney and TBWA\Melbourne. Clemenger BBDO Melbourne has ranked #3 Agency of the Year for Good. Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and FINCH won the Sustainable Development Goals Lions Grand Prix for MARS ‘The Lion’s Share’. ‘The Lion’s Share’ is an initiative that encourages brands and organisations using images of animals in their marketing to donate 0.5% of their media spend to save species from extinction, preserve wildlife habitats and protect animal welfare. The strategy, produced for MARS, involved close collaboration with Sir David Attenborough and their key video asset has been distributed globally in over 100 countries.

Says David Droga, founder and creative chairman, Droga5 New York and Sustainable Development Goal Lions Jury President: “Animals are a fundamental part of our world, our culture, our society, and our language, even our filmmaking and marketing. In fact, images of animals appear in approximately 20% of all advertisement, CBC. Yet, despite this, animals do not always receive the support that they deserve. Until now introducing the lion’s share an initiative that encourages brands and organizations using images of animals in their marketing to donate 0. 5% of their media spend to the Lion’s Share Trust, backed by the United Nations, the money will then be dispersed across the world to save species from extinction, preserve wildlife habitats, and look after animal welfare. It was a programme that was instigated and backed by a big brand, supported and put together by an incredible creative collective. They didn’t just make a good film about what they wanted to do, they actually set up a sustainable programme that has already started reaping rewards. And that for us is what’s important.”

Special Group Sydney has ranked #12 Independent Agency of Year in the world.

Aussie owned agency JohnxHannes, New York has ranked #3 Independent Agency in the world this year after entertaining juries with its Super Bowl ad ‘Expensify Th!$’ for receipt app Expensify, picking up Gold in the Entertainment Lions for Music and Film Craft Lions.

Host/Havas Sydney has ranked #1 highest ranking agency in Australia (2014-2019) followed by CHE Proximity at #2, BWM Dentsu at #3, Cummins&Partners, Melbourne at #4 and Y&R Melbourne at #5.

Australian born, London based director Kim Gehrig has ranked #3 Director in the World.

Australia has ranked 5th most awarded country in the world at Cannes Lions.

New editorial sections provide in-depth analysis and insights. Each section dissects one of the nine Festival Tracks and the winning work, focusing on a Grand Prix winner from each Track. The GCR highlights the diversity of companies that picked-up the Grand Prix accolade in 2019, hailing from countries as far reaching as Canada, China, Israel, Poland and the United Arab Emirates.

The Global Creativity Report provides historical data and rankings of Cannes Lions Special Awards, top performing agencies, production companies, brands and people. It presents a comprehensive overview of industry performance, both regionally and globally.

Among the top performers, Wieden+Kennedy took the Agency of the Year number one place, demonstrating the strong performance of independent agencies across the Festival. Agency of the Year and the Independent Agency of the Year by Track are also announced, highlighting the top-performing agencies in the Communication, Craft, Entertainment, Experience, Good and Reach Tracks. Winners include Droga5, New York; RBK Communications Stockholm; VMLY&R Poland, Warsaw & VMLY&R, Kansas City.

Burger King took the inaugural Creative Brand of the Year Award 2019 and tallied a total of 40 Lions this year, vs 16 Lions in 2015. This accolade coincided with Burger King announcing an all-time high in terms of commercial success.

Says Simon Cook, managing director, Cannes Lions: “The Global Creativity Report has evolved this year. It is the definitive global benchmark for creativity and effectiveness in the branded communication industry and the editorial provided by our partners at WARC gives an in-depth analysis of the trends and themes that emerged from inside the jury rooms at this year’s festival, alongside rich historical data and rankings. It’s an essential resource for the global creative and marketing community. Creativity has become increasingly business critical, so understanding where the bar sits has never been so important. This report is a tool for anyone looking to gain competitive advantage by unlocking creative potential.”

Says David Tiltman, VP content, WARC: “From innovative e-commerce ideas to breakthrough advertising, from brand activism to tech brilliance, the winners of Cannes Lions represent creative excellence across marketing and communications. WARC is delighted to have partnered on the Global Creativity Report, identifying the trends and themes across this body of work.”

Ranking highlights also published: Network of the Year went to McCann Worldgroup, for the first time on record, rising from 4th place in 2018. Omnicom retained their 2018 title, taking the number one ranking as Holding Company of the Year 2019.

The Regional Networks of the Year are also announced. Asia-Pacific went to BBDO Worldwide; Latin America to Ogilvy; EMEA to McCann Worldgroup; and North America to FCB. The top ranked Creative Directors, Art Directors, Copywriters and Directors show a strong performance by staff members from AMVBBDO, London, FCB New York & Hungry Man, New York.