AlmapBBDO São Paulo is Agency of the Decade, at least according to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
The annual festival—which normally takes place in Cannes, but was canceled this year due to Covid-19—has released its first Creativity Report of the Decade. Winners were determined based on how many honors each agency has racked up over the past 10 years, including Lions and shortlisted work.
With a total of 142 trophies, AlmapBBDO São Paulo took the top prize. In the past decade, the agency has taken home one Grand Prix in addition to 23 gold, 39 silver and 79 bronze Lions. It’s also been named Latin American’s Regional Agency of the Decade.
In 2018, AlmapBBDO won a number of Lions for “Endless Stories,” a short film for Getty Images that told the story of the Fight of the Century, a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier that took place on March 8, 1971.
Other award-winning campaigns the agency has created for Getty Images include “20 Years,” “Endless Possibilities” and “The Non Silent Film.” In 2010, AlmapBBDO won the Press Grand Prix for a Billboard campaign that featured portraits of famous musicians created out of small, pixel-like images representing other artists who’d influenced them.
“Over the last 10 years, we witnessed a revolution in the way we consume content,” Luiz Sanches, chairman and chief creative officer of AlmapBBDO, said. “Never before has our industry been so deeply affected as in this ever-changing period. That’s why winning an award that celebrates creativity and consistency along this very decade only shows that AlmapBBDO got to reinvent itself—and it was creativity that gave us the power to reinvent.”
In 2016, AlmapBBDO found itself in hot water when a controversial Bayer ad that many deemed sexist won a Bronze Lion. The client accused the agency of running the aspirin ad to win awards, and BBDO ultimately withdrew the work from the festival.
Wieden + Kennedy Portland was a close second for Agency of the Decade. The agency actually picked up more Lions than AlmapBBDO over the 10-year span—a total of 157, including six Grands Prix—earning it Independent Agency of the Decade as well as Regional Agency of the Decade in North America. Throughout the past 10 years, it’s won two Creative Effectiveness Lions as well as two Titanium, 36 gold, 49 silver and 62 bronze Lions, plus the Grands Prix.
Its work for clients including Nike, Old Spice and Chrysler helped it clinch the dozens of honors. Wieden + Kennedy Portland came in second to AlmapBBDO because the latter’s accumulation of shortlisted work from the past 10 years gave it more points.
“We have gratitude for our incredible talent and client partners who believe in the power of creativity to drive business and impact culture,” Eric Baldwin, executive creative director at Wieden + Kennedy Portland, said in a statement. “In the decade ahead, we hope this industry will make great strides toward equity, diversity and inclusion. Because when we elevate these voices, their creativity will do things we’ve never imagined.”
With 141 Lions, adam&eveDDB was crowned Regional Agency of the Decade for Europe. In the past decade, the London-based agency has collected eight Grands Prix in addition to 27 gold, 46 silver and 59 bronze Lions. The agency’s annual Christmas ads for British retailer John Lewis, including “Monty the Penguin” and “Boy and the Piano,” have garnered it various Lions over the years.
Other Regional Agency of the Year winners are as follows: VMLY&R Dubai for the Middle East with 44 Lions; Colenso BBDO Auckland for the Pacific with 97; and Dentsu Inc. Tokyo with 127.
Check out the full list of winners below.
Agency of the Decade
1st place: AlmapBBDO São Paulo
2nd place: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
3rd place: BBDO New York
Independent Agency of the Decade
1st place: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
2nd place: Droga5 New York
3rd place: Forsman & Bodenfors (Years 2010-2016)
Network of the Decade
1st place: BBDO Worldwide
2nd place: Ogilvy
3rd place: DDB Worldwide
Holding Company of the Decade
1st place: WPP
2nd place: Omnicom
3rd place: Interpublic Group
Palme d’Or of the Decade [Production]
1st place: MJZ USA
2nd place: Smuggler USA
3rd place:O Positive Films USA
Brand Marketer of the Decade
1st place: Procter & Gamble
2nd place: Nike
3rd place: Volkswagen
Regional Agency of the Decade—Middle East & Africa
1st place: VMLY&R Dubai née Y&R Dubai
2nd place: TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg
3rd place: Ogilvy Johannesburg
Regional Agency of the Decade—Europe
1st place: adam&eveDDB
London 2nd place: AMVBBDO London
3rd place: Ogilvy Paris
Regional Agency of the Decade—Latin America
1st place: AlmapBBDO São Paulo
2nd place: Ogilvy Brasil São Paulo
3rd place: VMLY&R née Y&R São Paulo
Regional Agency of the Decade—Pacific
1st place: Colenso BBDO Auckland
2nd place: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
3rd place: Leo Burnett Sydney
Regional Agency of the Decade—Asia
1st place: Dentsu Inc. Tokyo
2nd place: Hakuhodo Inc. Tokyo
3rd place: Ogilvy Bangkok
Regional Agency of the Decade—North America
1st place: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
2nd place: BBDO New York
3rd place: Droga5 New York
