FCB and FCB/Six, along with Bensimon Byrne, McCann and Momentum, are among the Canadian agencies highlighted in the new “Global Creativity Report,” from Cannes Lions and WARC.
Released late last month, the 139-page report is a comprehensive overview of the winning work, along with detailed rankings of brands, agencies, networks and holding companies by market and category.
Canada placed seventh in the national rankings, behind Germany and ahead of Spain. Not surprisingly, the U.S. was #1, followed by the U.K. and Brazil.
Among the highlights in the rankings, Bensimon Byrne was ranked 15th globally on the Independent Agency of the Year list, while FCB/Six came in at #15 on the North American agency of the year list.
Bensimon Byrne had a strong showing in Cannes for Casey House’s “The Healing House” and “Boys Don’t Cry” for White Ribbon.
“What it means is we’re creating work with real impact,” said Jack Bensimon, president and founding partner of Bensimon Byrne. “The days of giving awards just for creativity are gone. In the jury rooms all the judges talk about now is impact. The questions being asked are, “did this truly move the needle? Did this change behaviour? Did this generate conversation on a global level.”
In terms of top agencies in Canada, FCB/Six came in at #1, while sister agency FCB was third. Similarly, Momentum placed second, while sister agency McCann was ranked fifth (see the full top 10 right.)
FCB/Six won a Grand Prix in Creative Data for “Go Back to Africa” on behalf of Black & Abroad (pictured), while Momentum shared a Grand Prix with the New York office in the Industry Craft Lions for “Just Do It HQ at the Church” for Nike.
One of FCB’s highlights of the festival was winning Gold for “Endangered Syndrome,” while McCann won multiple trophies for “Second Chances.”
“We’re thrilled not only to be ranked #15 in North America, but also to see our client Black & Abroad take position as number one in their category,” said Andrea Cook, president of FCB/Six.
“As our company continues to expand globally, it’s tremendously rewarding to show up in one of the world’s most elite global creative rankings,” she said, attributing FCB/Six’s success over the past couple of years in part to its use of data. “We see some creative agency leaders advocating retreats to the past – warning about the dangers of data and tech distracting from pure creativity.”
“Across McCann Worldgroup, including both Momentum and McCann, we’ve doubled-down in the value that creativity brings to our clients business,” said Simon Sikorski, CEO of McCann Worldgroup Canada. “It’s great to have two of our agencies recognized as creative leaders in Canada.”
Click here to read all of The Message’s coverage of Cannes Lions 2019.
