Howatson+Company named Independent Agency of the Year in the 2023 Spikes Asia Creativity Report; The Monkeys named Strategy & Effectiveness Agency of the Year

Spikes Asia has today released the Spikes Asia Creativity Report, available to everyone for free through LIONS’ intelligence platform, The Work. The annual report shines a light on the best creative work, as selected by Spikes Juries and includes the rankings for this year’s top performing Networks, Agencies and Companies from APAC.

The 2023 rankings saw Howatson+Company win Independent Agency of the Year for the first time with Matilda Bay’s ‘Rejected Ales’. Its narrative-led strategy launched a new product, created from rejected brews, to promote the brand’s dedication to perfection. It took the Grand Prix in Industry Craft and a Gold in Brand Experience & Activation, Design, Direct and Outdoor.

Says Chris Howatson, founder and CEO, Howatson+Company: “To be awarded Spikes Asia Independent Agency of the Year in our second year of existence is something we never dreamt possible. It’s a reflection of the trust bestowed by our clients and the ‘care fiercely’ attitude of our people. We couldn’t be more grateful and proud.”

Special, Auckland came in second place, netting a Grand Prix in Entertainment for ‘Last Performance’. It hijacked the viewership of a popular crime TV programme by weaving its ads directly into the show’s storyline, successfully reaching 45% of New Zealanders. ‘Last Performance’ also took a Gold Spike in Film and a Silver in Media.

Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, Sydney, took third place with NRMA’s ‘Duel’. This film choreographed a tussle between fire and water in the fight against bushfires. Part of NRMA’s wider ‘Until Then’ work, it took a Gold Spike in Film

Sydney-based The Monkeys, Part of Accenture Song, won the Strategy & Effectiveness Agency of the Year. Its ‘Make Lamb, Not Walls’ piece used humour to unite Australians through their love of lamb and took home the Grand Prix in Creative Effectiveness.

Leo Burnett Sydney won second place for Suncorp’s ‘Resilience Road’. The insurance brand’s build on its 2022 double Grand Prix winner ‘One House To Save Many’ took the 2023 Grand Prix in Strategy & Effectiveness.

Leo Burnett is crowned Network of the Year for the first time, following four Grand Prix wins for four different clients: McDonald’s, OREO, Whisper and Suncorp. The Grand Prix for Brand Experience & Activation was awarded to Leo Burnett in Manila for McDonalds’ ‘Unbranded Menu’ which helped boost McDelivery sales by 35%. Leo Burnett Mumbai secured two Grands Prix; one in Healthcare for Whisper’s ‘The Missing Chapter’, and another in Social & Influencer for Oreo’s
‘#BRINGBACK2011’. Finally, Leo Burnett Sydney impressed Jurors with ‘Resilience Road’, and took home the Grand Prix in Strategy & Effectiveness.

DDB Worldwide came in second place. Its biggest win came from DDB New Zealand’s Tourism New Zealand work, ‘If You Seek’, that netted the Grand Prix in Integrated. This multi-channel piece saw a 590% increase in visits to NZ.com and 194,859 referrals to tourism operators from key markets.

TBWA\Worldwide came in third place with three Grand Prix wins. Its Sydney office took home the Grand Prix for Good with ‘Classify Consent’. And TBWA\Shanghai secured the Grand Prix in Film with ‘The Comeback’, while TBWA\Hakuhodo in Tokyo took the Grand Prix in Music for Asahi Shimbun’s ‘Journa-Rhythm’.

The Spikes Palm was awarded to production company Lunar Films, which is the first time Mainland China have been awarded in this category. Collider took second place. Its film for The Government of Tuvalu, ‘The First Digital Nation’, won a Grand Prix in Digital Craft. Revolver took third place. Its contribution towards ‘Until Then’ helped secure NRMA Insurance a Bronze Spike in Film Craft.

Says Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS: “The Spikes Asia Creativity Report is an essential tool for benchmarking creative excellence and effectiveness for the year ahead. It is also a celebration of the most creative ideas from the region and we are excited to be able to share this with our community in APAC. This year’s winners show us how to create the best conditions for creativity to flourish. Successful brands demonstrated that an insatiable quest for quality, combined with an open mind to new ways of working were essential to impactful work. I would like to congratulate all the shortlisted and winning companies. Together, they set the benchmark for creativity in APAC.”

The rankings are compiled using data from Spikes-winning and shortlisted work from 2023. The Spikes Asia Creativity Report is powered by The Work, the LIONS intelligence platform that houses 250,000 pieces of global work along with how it was briefed, researched, produced and crafted.

Also included in the report is analysis and insights from the winning work and lessons on how brands are growing businesses and tackling some of the region’s most challenging problems in innovative ways. The themes covered include: The quest for quality; Shaping behaviour change; Participation subverting convention; and How brands are hiding their messages.

Access the full report, for free here.

All results for the Spikes Asia Awards can be found at https://www.lovethework.com/en-GB/spikes-asia.