BBDO, Droga5, WPP Take Top Honors on Final Night of the Cannes Lions
During the final night of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, top company honors went to BBDO, Droga5, WPP and production company MJZ.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, the agency behind the Grand Prix-honored "Meet Graham," nabbed the Agency of the Year honor, followed by fellow network shop AlmapBBDO, Sao Paulo in second and then McCann New York in third.
"Let me put it simply: clients are interested in work that works," said Andrew Robertson, President and CEO, BBDO Worldwide, in a statement. "I am very proud of, and grateful to, all of our award-winning agencies, but I do want to single out Clemenger BBDO's work. 'Meet Graham' is literally unforgettable and saved lives."
Droga5 earned the Independent Agency of the Year award for the third year in a row, while Wieden & Kennedy was second and 4Creative, the in-house creative shop for U.K. Broadcaster Channel 4, took third place.
BBDO took the Network of the Year title, marking its sixth time to earn the honor. Ogilvy & Mather took second, while McCann Worldgroup was third.
WPP once again earned the honor of holding company of the year, its seventh straight win since the Lions introduced the award in 2011. Second place went to Omnicom and third went to Interpublic Group.
Perhaps in response to Publicis Groupe's announcement this week that it won't be entering or attending Cannes next year, Omnicom CEO and President John Wren said in a statement that the Cannes Lions "are among the most prestigious and competitive awards in our industry," adding that it's a "a testament to our relentless focus on innovation, creativity and talent."
MJZ earned its eighth Palme D'Or, which honors the festival's top production companies. Second place went to Smuggler, followed by The Mill in third.
The company awards are tallied from all the Lion-winning and shortlisted work by each entity.
Additionally, the Grand Prix for Good went to "Refugee Nation," Ogilvy New York's campaign for Amnesty International that created a flag and anthem for displaced Olympic athletes who no longer had a country to call home.
The Saturday night Lions ceremony also saw previously announced Cannes honorees take the stage to collect their awards. Burger King's Chief Marketing Officer Axel Schwan and Head of Brand Marketing Fernando Machado represented for Creative Marketer of the Year.
Droga5 Creative Chairman and Founder David Droga stepped up for this year's Lion of St. Mark, for his significant contributions to the industry, and Richard Curtis, the screenwriter/director who co-founded Red Nose Day, accepted the LionHeart Award for his influential involvement in charitable initiatives.
