Touché Montreal’s work with Via Rail and the Quebec Milk Producers pushed it to second place in the Warc Media 100’s ranking of the world’s top media agencies, up from ninth last year.
Touché had two campaigns listed among the top 100 on the Warc 100, including its much-lauded “Data vs. Car” campaign for VIA Rail (#2) and “The App that Made Milk Cartons Sing,” (#7) for Dairy Farmers of Canada.
Touché’s Toronto office was recognized for it’s “A Sedan Re-imagined” (#78) effort for Audi.
Touché’s sister Omnicom shop, Toronto-based PHD, was ranked 38th overall.
“Data vs. Car” was a global success for Touché, winning a pair of Media Lions in Cannes and taking Best of Show at the Festival of Media Global. The campaign used a combination of real-time out-of-home and digital alerts to reach drivers on the 16 stretches of highway covered by Via Rail to demonstrate how rail travel can be more efficient. The campaign contributed to an 11.7% increase in year-over-year train ridership for Via Rail, while revenues increased by 13.9%.
Via Rail placed fifth overall on the Warc list of top 50 brands, while the Québec Milk Producers were ninth. The Government of Canada placed 15th overall on the list of top 50 advertisers, while the Quebec Milk Producers ranked 20th and Restaurant Brands International—parent company of Tim Hortons and Burger King—ranked 41st overall.
WPP’s Mediacom ranked first among agency networks, followed by Omnicom’s PHD Worldwide and Mindshare Worldwide. The top three positions in the holding company rankings remain unchanged from last year, with WPP taking the top spot, ahead of Omnicom in second and Interpublic Group in third.
WPP topped the list of holding companies, followed by Omnicom Group, Interpublic Group and Havas Group.
The Warc 100 is determined by tracking the performance of campaigns, brands and agencies at the world’s leading media competitions.