For the first time, Leo Burnett UAE has secured the top spot in the WARC Effective 100 as the #1 most effective creative agency in the world. Publicis Groupe ME is the only agency holding company from MENA to feature in the ranking this year, with Saatchi & Saatchi ME also placing #50 globally.
Tahaab Rais, Chief Strategy Officer of Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey said, “We have institutionalised a system where we look at every brief as an opportunity – with our brands and also, in the broader context of society and culture. And we get the best expertise and skills to work on those briefs. This helps us create a rich range of work that travels and makes an impact and then goes on to win a good bunch of awards across the shows. These rankings attest to that effort from our strategists and our creatives and all other partners, especially our clients.”
Nathalie Gevresse, CEO of Publicis Communications UAE said, “Excellence in creative effectiveness is not just about winning awards. It’s about the tangible results we aim to deliver. We partner with our clients to create meaningful campaigns. Those that resonate with audiences, create impact and can institute positive change. It’s this consistent level of excellence that we have always strived for that has enabled us to reach number one.”
To top the ranking, Leo Burnett UAE was credited for an impressive 17 campaigns, five of which ranked in the top 100 most effective. The best performing campaign was ‘The Homecoming’ for Home Centre, which was ranked 9th most effective campaign globally featuring in the top 10, a position no regional campaign has been able to achieve until now. Other campaigns include K-Lynn’s ‘Self Check-Out’ which ranked #13; Home Box’s ‘The Hidden Room’ at #50; McDonald GCC’s ‘The Drive Thru School’ at #85 and Babyshop’s ‘ColourCheck’ featuring at #99.
In Lebanon, Leo Burnett Lebanon had two top 100 campaigns, The Transparency International’s ‘The Currency of Corruption’ ranking #30 and ABAAD’s ‘Dirty Laundry’ placing #56.
Kalpesh Patankar, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett UAE also added, “This is a momentous accolade, not just for our teams but for the entire industry, as it stands testament to the fact that creativity and effectiveness do not work in silos. Our creative philosophy – Humankind, is rooted in the belief that great ideas have the power to improve lives. And when we improve lives, we do better business. This is just the beginning. We intend to continue aiming for the stars with bigger, bolder, and more purposeful ideas that positively impact the communities that we are part of while driving greater business growth for our clients and partners”.
Last week, WARC released the Media 100, where Starcom ME was ranked #1 in the region and the only agency to feature in the rankings. In the Effective 100 for media agencies, Starcom ME ranked #1 MENA again and #9 globally. Coming in as #2 in MENA and #41 globally was Spark Foundry ME.
The WARC rankings are the most all-encompassing awards in conjunction with Ascential and Lions and are considered to be the ultimate benchmark for marketing, media and effectiveness. They take into account all top-tier award shows, globally and regionally across markets, and the performance of agencies, brands and campaigns.
