DDB Group Australia named AdNews’ Employer Of The Year

AdNews has announced the winners of its 2021 Agency of the Year Awards, crowning DDB Group Australia as Employer of the Year (headcount over 75).

This year, the judging lineup included more than 80 CMOs and senior marketers across brands such as Coles, Westpac, Maserati, Amex, Myer, Suncorp, Mars Wrigley Australia, Afterpay and Tourism Australia.

Employer of the Year (Headcount over 75)

Winner: DDB Group Australia

Finalists: BMF, Initiative, Ogilvy Australia, OMD Australia

Creative Agency of the Year

Winner: Special

Special Mention: The Works.

Finalists: BMF, DDB Group Australia, The Works

Media Agency of the Year Presented by PubMatic

Winner: Initiative

Finalists: Kaimera, OMD Australia

Independent Agency of the Year Presented by Amobee

Winner: Special

Finalists: Adhesive, G Squared, Jack Nimble, The Royals

Small Agency of the Year (Headcount under 25)

Winner: Adhesive

Finalists: Jack Nimble, Paper Moose

Digital Agency of the Year

Winner: Alley

Special Mention: Next&Co

Finalists: Next&Co, G Squared

PR Agency of the Year

Winner: Thinkerbell

Finalists: Adhesive, Aruga, Eleven

Content Agency of the Year

Winner: Jack Nimble

Finalists: AnalogFolk, Daresay

Branding and Design Agency of the Year

Winner: The General Store

Finalists: The Royals

Ad Campaign of the Year Presented by Sightline

Winner: The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive, ‘When will she be right?’, UN Women Australia

Finalists:

BMF, The Great Fresh Food Migration, ALDI Australia

CHEP, Where babies come from, Genea

The Monkeys part of Accenture Interactive, Make Lamb, Not Walls, Meat & Livestock Australia

Media Campaign of the Year Presented by Disney Advertising Sales

Winner: Initiative, Swintopia, Swinburne University of Technology.

Finalists: Clemenger BBDO, Pitvertising, Unilever; OMD Australia, Macca’s Monopoly – Playing to WIN!, McDonald’s; TBWA\Sydney and Mindshare, Play NZ, Tourism New Zealand.

Small Budget Media Campaign of the Year

(Less than $500,000)

Winner: Initiative, Swintopia, Swinburne University of Technology

Finalists: MediaCom, Mask breath, MARS; Ogilvy Sydney, No Home Address, Whitelion; The Royals, Know Me, Wild Secrets

Social Media Campaign of the Year

Winner: HERO, #DeliveryDance, Menulog

Finalists: Special, TIBE For Love, Uber Eats; TBWA\Sydney and Mindshare, Play NZ, Tourism New Zealand; The Monkeys part of Accenture Interactive, When will she be right?, UN Women Australia.

Best Use of Data in Campaign 

Winner: OMD Australia, ‘Macca’s Monopoly — Playing to WIN!’, McDonald’s

Finalists: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and PHD Melbourne, GNBC InstaRadio, Carlton & United Breweries; Havas Sports & Entertainment (A division of Havas Media), The King. C Barbershop, Gillette.

Best Use of Content

Winner: TBWA\Sydney, ‘Play NZ’, Tourism New Zealand

Finalists: CHEP, Sloways, NRMA Insurance; Clemenger BBDO, Losing Lena, Code Like A Girl and Creatable; The Monkeys part of Accenture Interactive, When will she be right?, UN Women Australia

Brand Partnership Award

Winner: Clemenger BBDO, ‘Pitvertising’, Unilever

Finalists: 

Clemenger BBDO, Losing Lena, Code Like A Girl and Creatable

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne with PHD and OMD, Let’s Melbourne Again Initiative, 7-Eleven, AAMI; ANZ; AFL; Australia Post; BMW; Bupa; Carlton Draught; City of Melbourne; Coles; Committee for Melbourne; Crown Melbourne; La Trobe University; McDonald’s; Myer; NAB; Officeworks; Origin Energy; PwC; Slack; Tennis Australia and Village Cinemas.

Thinkerbell, Climate Warriors, NRMA Insurance

Social Responsibility/Pro Bono Award

Winner: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne with PHD and OMD, ‘Let’s Melbourne Again’ initiative, 7-Eleven, AAMI; ANZ; AFL; Australia Post; BMW; Bupa; Carlton Draught; City of Melbourne; Coles; Committee for Melbourne; Crown Melbourne; La Trobe University; McDonald’s; Myer; NAB; Officeworks; Origin Energy; PwC; Slack; Tennis Australia and Village Cinemas.

Finalists: 

Clemenger BBDO, Losing Lena, Code Like A Girl and Creatable

Ogilvy Sydney, No Home Address, Whitelion

The Monkeys part of Accenture Interactive, When will she be right?, UN Women Australia

Thinkerbell, The Purple Hive Project, Bega Foods

Diversity Award Presented by TikTok for Business

Winner: Think HQ

Finalists:

Clemenger BBDO, Losing Lena, Code Like A Girl and Creatable

Ogilvy Australia, Changing the Face

The Game Changer Award Presented by Twitch

Winner: HERO, Senior Constable Laurie Fox, Victorian Police

Finalists: Clemenger BBDO, Losing Lena, Code Like A Girl and Creatable; Clemenger BBDO, Pitvertising, Unilever; Ogilvy Sydney, No Home Address, Whitelion; Thinkerbell, The Purple Hive Project, Bega Foods

Emerging Leader of the Year

Winner: Mandie van der Merwe, M&C Saatchi

Finalists: Adam Steward, Havas Media; Hannah Jones, Sparro; Jenni Hayward, MOOD; Jonelle Lawrence, Clear Hayes Consulting; Minsun Collier, MediaCom

Employer of the Year (Headcount under 75)

Winner: GHO Sydney

Finalists: Host/Havas, The Works

Marketing Team of the Year Presented by Nova Entertainment

Winner: KFC Australia

Finalists:  Primo Foods, Tourism Australia, Volkswagen Australia Marketing Team

Media Trading Team of the Year Presented by Seven

Winner: OMD, Omni-channel Trading Team of the Year

Finalists: Avenue C, An all-star squad of investment and trading specialists; GroupM, Programmatic Trading Team.

The AdNews Effectiveness Award Presented by Google

Winner: The Monkeys part of Accenture Interactive, How a NSW insurer became the “World’s Most Effective Financial Services Brand”, NRMA Insurance

Finalists: HERO, Menulog slays the food delivery giant, Menulog; The Monkeys part of Accenture Interactive, How liberating Aussies from beer sent Canadian Club sales “gangbusters”, Beam Suntory; The Monkeys part of Accenture Interactive, How smashing border walls smashed records for Lamb, Meat & Livestock Australia.

First published via AdNews