BRAND EXPERIENCE AGENCY

This award recognises agencies specialising in providing the best experiential marketing solutions.

CONSULTANCY

This award recognises the best companies across the globe that provide professional services from brand design to business strategies and more.

CREATIVE AGENCY

This category recognises the most creative advertising agencies. Judges will be looking to award and agency that consistently creates work to the highest level and an emphasis will be placed on the creative output criteria section. Samples of creative work will be required as support material. Embedded video in your PDF is accepted or uploaded in the online portal as supplemental documents.

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AGENCY

This award recognises agencies specialising in providing targeted, response-driven creativity.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY

This award recognises agencies specialising in providing the best digital solutions.

IN-HOUSE AGENCY

This category is open to in-house agencies that are part of brands’ businesses. This category is not looking to reward external agencies that physically (or virtually) work inside their clients’ offices but instead to agencies that are part of a brand’ company. They can be supported by external companies but must be, by and large, part of the client organisation.

INDEPENDENT AGENCY

Open to independent agencies that are not majority owned by a holding company or network (less than 49%). Agencies not eligible are those who are either majority, fully backed by or sharing resources with a holding company, or using a holding agency brand name. The scoring for business results has a higher weighting in the independent categories.

INTEGRATED MARKETING AGENCY

This award recognises the best agencies specialising in providing the best integrated marketing and branding solutions.

MEDIA AGENCY

This award recognises the very best agencies specialising in media management.

PERFORMANCE AGENCY

This award acknowledges companies that best demonstrate a consistent ability to translate consumer intentions into revenue for clients, deliver ROI-based campaign activity and drive sales results for clients.

PR AGENCY

This category recognises the achievements, performance and excellent work of a PR consultancy.

SOCIAL MEDIA AGENCY

This award recognises the best agencies specialising in delivering social media solutions for brands. The judges will be looking for innovative use of social platforms and effective engagement strategies in the social space.

NEW: BRANDING AGENCY

This award recognises the best agencies specialising in creating, launching and repositioning brands. The judges will consider how the agency has planned, executed and evaluated branding projects for its clients.

BEST GLOBAL MARKETER

This award recognises the individual marketer within a client company who has had the biggest impact on the brand, multi-regionally or globally.

GLOBAL TECH PARTNER

This award is for external providers, partnering with agencies to provide excellence in technology solutions for the agency/network or their clients. Agencies may nominate tech partners existing at global / multi-regional level.

BEST NETWORK: ASIA PACIFIC

This award recognises agency networks across the Asia Pacific region. To qualify for this Award, entries much include at least three offices across the region.

BEST NETWORK: EUROPE

This award recognises agency networks across Europe. To qualify for this Award, entries much include at least three offices across the region.

BEST NETWORK: LATIN AMERICA

This award recognises agency networks across the Latin American region. To qualify for this Award, entries much include at least three offices across the region (This includes Mexico, South America, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean).

BEST NETWORK: MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

This award recognises agency networks across the Middle East & Africa. To qualify for this Award, entries much include at least three offices across the region.

BEST NETWORK: NORTH AMERICA

This award recognises agency networks across the North American region. To qualify for this Award, entries much include at least three offices across the region (This includes Canada and the United States).

GLOBAL NETWORK

This award recognises agency networks that have a multi-region presence / client base. To qualify for this Award, entries much include offices from at least three different regions (Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & Africa and North America).

ACCOUNT PERSON

This award recognises professionals responsible for the account management who have displayed the most innovation, skills and enthusiasm in bringing the benefits of advertising to their clients’ businesses resulting in the development of solid business relationships. Judges will consider contribution to the agency and clients, client relationship management, client retention as well as new business wins, positive organic growth for clients.

AGENCY GROWTH LEADER

This award recognises individuals working in a C-Suite leadership position who have done the most to advance their agency or network’s commercial growth. Judges will consider the individual’s achievements during the eligibility period, including achievement against objectives, new business wins, client retention, personal involvement in growth initiatives, innovation with results. Please note that this category is broken down by discipline: Creative /Advertising, Customer Engagement, PR, Digital, Integrated, Experience, Media, Performance or Consultancy.

AGENCY LEADER

This award recognises individuals working in a C-Suite leadership position who have done the most to advance their agency or network in the industry. Judges will consider the individual’s achievements during the eligibility period, including achievement against objectives, size of the operation, client profile and disciplines, new business wins, client retention, personal involvement in staff development initiatives, innovation with results, agency/network, development and contribution to the role or image of the marketing communications industry in his or her market. Please note that this category is broken down by discipline: Creative /Advertising, Customer Engagement, PR, Digital, integrated, Experience, Media, Performance or Consultancy.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING TEAM OR PERSON

This award is for the corporate communications / marketing teams within an agency or network. It recognises world class success in addressing issues related to management, corporate communications, reputation, brand-building, campaign execution and media relations. 

CREATIVE LEADER

The award recognises creative directors who have produced the best work for an agency or network during the review period and have not only set the standard for creative excellence but have also raised the bar. Judges will consider recognition received at the major recognised award shows. If they are in a senior leadership role, the individual’s contribution to staff development initiatives, particularly their involvement in nurturing young talent, and how their work has contributed to the role or image of advertising will also be considered. Samples of the nominee’s work will be required as support materials.

CREATIVE TEAM

This award recognises the team behind the best work for an agency or network during the review period. The winning team will have not only set the standard for creative excellence but have also raised the bar for innovation and disruptive big ideas. Ideally, the team will have created campaigns for more than one brand. Judges will consider recognition received at the major recognised award shows. The team’s commitment to diversity or social initiatives can also be included in entries but the final decision will rest on the quality of the work. Samples of the nominee’s work will be required as support materials.

NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM/PERSON

This award is for the new business development person/team who has proven to have built and developed a new account or expanded the services of an established client relationship. Judges will consider solid examples of leadership in new business development initiatives that contributed to the success and financial growth of the agency.

STRATEGIC PLANNING LEADER

This award is for the planning professionals who have made the biggest impact on their clients’ business through development of breakthrough consumer, brand and communications strategies. This person will be responsible for fostering a culture of innovation within their strategy department. Judges will be looking for evidence of the individual’s contribution to both agency and clients. The leader and their wide department will demonstrate thinking that is clear, insightful and change-enabling, innovative approaches to problem solving and an ability to develop commercially effective solutions to clients’ challenges.

TALENT MANAGEMENT TEAM/PERSON

This award recognises the talent management professional or team who has most effectively aligned the network’s people strategies with business outcomes during the review period. Judges will consider the individual’s/team’s ability to develop and implement effective talent management strategies that include talent acquisition and retention, learning and staff development, succession planning and management, agency culture integration as well as reward and recognition initiatives.

NEW: HEAD OF AGENCY

This award recognises the heads of global agencies who have individually done the most to advance their agency/network in the industry. Judges will consider the individual’s achievements during the eligibility period, including delivery against objectives, size of local operation, client profile and disciplines, new business wins, client retention, personal involvement in staff development initiatives, innovation with results, agency/network development and contribution to the role or image of the marketing communications industry in their market. Note, this category is broken down by discipline: Branding, Creative/advertising, Customer Engagement, Digital, Experience, Media, Integrated Marketing, Performance Marketing, PR

BEST PLACE TO WORK: INDIVIDUAL SHOP & NETWORK

This award sets out to recognise an agency/agency network that goes above and beyond the norm to foster the most productive and rewarding working environment possible.

GLOBAL CSR ACHIEVEMENT

This award sets out to recognise a company that can demonstrate it runs an innovative and successful CSR program that has a global impact. Winning companies will prove that they understand the need to go beyond making token gestures and can prove a real social impact from their programme.

GLOBAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION INITIATIVE

This award honours agencies that can demonstrate an ongoing and meaningful commitment to diversity and inclusion programmes across their organisation and who can provide real evidence of their effect within their companies and the benefit to their clients.