WARC Rankings 2019: The world’s best campaigns and companies by sector

Business, Creativity, Marketing, Studies

WARC released a ‘Best of the Best’ ranking of campaigns, agencies and brands showcasing the best all-round performances in the automotive, drinks, financial services, FMCG, food and retail sectors. The six separate product category reports are based on the analysis of the combined data of the three annual WARC Rankings — the Creative 100, Effective 100 and Media 100 rankings — compiled from the results of the most prestigious and rigorous award shows of 2018.

Amy Rodgers, Managing Editor, Research & Rankings WARC:

These sector analyses, the last of a series of reports produced based on the results of the WARC Rankings, provide category intelligence and an industry benchmark showcasing the top all-round sector performers across creativity, effectiveness and media excellence.

Automotive category highlights: 

With Audi topping two of the three automotive rankings, it is no surprise that Audi not only ranked #1 as a brand, but its owner Volkswagen Group came out as top automotive advertiser.

This success is reflected through the companies who worked with Audi, with BBH London ranked as the #1 agency with its campaign ‘Clowns’ topping the automotive creative ranking. Strong performances from PHD Worldwide agencies drove the network to the number one spot.

  • #1 campaign for creativity: Clowns, Audi, BBH London
  • #1 campaign for media: Lead Generation, Kia, Havas Media Madrid
  • #1 campaign for effectiveness: Beauty and Brains, Audi, BBH London / Salmon London / MediaCom London / PHD London
  • #1 agency: BBH London
  • #1 agency network: PHD Worldwide
  • #1 brand: Audi
  • #1 advertiser: Volkswagen Group

Drinks category highlights: 

In the top ten agencies for drinks, there is a three-way split between Auckland (3 agencies), London (3 agencies) and Latin America (3 agencies), with MediaCom Mexico City taking first place and Africa São Paulo second. Touché! Montreal is the only agency representing North America.

With campaigns featuring in two of the three drinks rankings, Coca-Cola has topped the brands list and is ranked #2 in the drinks advertisers list. Anheuser-Busch InBev is in first place.

In the drinks category, MediaCom Mexico City tops the agency list and its network, MediaCom, ranks #4. BBDO Worldwide leads through the contribution of a range of agencies including AMV BBDO London (#7) and Colenso BBDO Auckland (#8).

  • #1 campaign for creativity: Tagwords, Budweiser, Africa São Paulo
  • #1 campaign for media: The Awesome Is Here, Cerveza Victoria, MediaCom Mexico City
  • #1 campaign for effectiveness: No More Excuses, Heineken, Publicis Milan / POKE London / Starcom Amsterdam / Publicis London
  • #1 agency: MediaCom Mexico City
  • #1 agency network: BBDO Worldwide
  • #1 brand: Coca-Cola
  • #1 advertiser: Anheuser-Busch InBev

Financial Services category highlights: 

Due to the long-term success of Fearless Girl, which topped both the Creative and Effective 100 for financial services, State Street Global Advisors ranks #1 for brands and its owner State Street Corporation leads the advertiser rankings in the financial services sector.

Following on from this success, McCann New York, which worked on the campaign, tops the agency ranking and McCann Worldgroup is ranked #1 network with its agencies in Sydney, New Delhi and Mumbai also contributing to its success

  • #1 campaign for creativity: Fearless Girl, State Street Global Advisors, McCann New York
  • #1 campaign for media: The Animals’ Own Emergency Number, DNB, TRY/APT Oslo
  • #1 campaign for effectiveness: The Impact of Fearless Girl, State Street Global Advisors, McCann New York
  • #1 agency: McCann New York
  • #1 agency network: McCann Worldgroup
  • #1 brand: State Street Global Advisors
  • #1 advertiser: State Street Corporation

FMCG category highlights: 

With Colenso BBDO and AMV BBDO London taking first and second place in the FMCG sector agencies’ ranking, it is no surprise that BBDO Worldwide is the top network, ahead of MediaCom in second.

Whilst Pedigree topped the FMCG brands list, this performance could only drive its owner Mars to #3 advertiser with Procter & Gamble ranked #1 through the performance of brands including Gillette, Procter & Gamble and Tide.

  • #1 campaign for creativity: #Bloodnormal, Bodyform/Libresse, AMV BBDO London
  • #1 campaign for media: I Don’t Roll On Shabbos, Gillette, MediaCom Connections Tel Aviv
  • #1 campaign for effectiveness: Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks, Savlon, Ogilvy Mumbai
  • #1 agency: Colenso BBDO Auckland
  • #1 agency network: BBDO Worldwide
  • #1 brand: Pedigree
  • #1 advertiser: Procter & Gamble

Food category highlights: 

Skittles is the top brand with campaigns featuring across all three food rankings: Exclusive The Rainbow #1 for creative, Let Out The Sour #1 for media and Breaking Conventions With Pride joint #4 for effectiveness.

The agencies that worked on the winning Skittles campaigns all feature in the top ten agencies’ league table. The highest ranked is adam&eveDDB London, with work for Skittles as well as Marmite. DDB Chicago, which worked on the Exclusive The Rainbow is ranked #2. The success of these agencies alongside DDB’s offices in Paris, Johannesburg, Mexico and Moscow propelled DDB Worldwide to top network.

  • #1 campaign for creativity: Exclusive The Rainbow, Skittles, DDB Chicago
  • #1 campaign for media: Let Out The Sour, Skittles, MediaCom Dubai
  • #1 campaign for effectiveness: Cheetos Museum, Cheetos, Goodby Silverstein & Partners San Francisco / OMD New York
  • #1 agency: adam&eveDDB London
  • #1 agency network: DDB Worldwide
  • #1 brand: Skittles
  • #1 advertiser: Mars

Retail category highlights: 

Mindshare Shanghai tops the agency list for retail having contributed to three of the top ten campaigns in the category in the Media 100 ranking, driving Mindshare Worldwide to #2 network.

Ogilvy is ranked #1 retail network, in part due to DAVID Miami’s work on Google Home of the Whopper, which came second in both the retail Creative 100 and Effective 100. This, along with Scary Clown Night (#1 creative campaign) meant that Burger King topped the retail brand list, with it’s owner Restaurant Brands International leading the retail advertisers table.

  • #1 campaign for creativity: Scary Clown Night, Burger King, LOLA MullenLowe Madrid
  • #1 campaign for media: Turning KFC Into Gamers Playground, KFC, Mindshare Shanghai
  • #1 campaign for effectiveness: How Lidl Grew A Lot, Lidl, TBWA\London / Starcom London
  • #1 agency: Mindshare Shanghai
  • #1 agency network: Ogilvy
  • #1 brand: Burger King
  • #1 advertiser: Restaurant Brands International

The full reports for each of the six sectors are available to WARC subscribers and include the top ten campaigns across creativity, media and effectiveness, as well as agencies, networks, brands and advertisers. Additionally, the story behind four top ten ranked campaigns for each sector are featured, including information on the challenge, strategy and results.

WARC Rankings, successor to the Gunn Report, tracks the winners’ lists from all the most important global and regional creative, effectiveness and media award contests in the world as determined by the industry via an annual survey and consultation with the industry.