The World's Most Creative Advertising Agencies

Clio Awards Have Built Firm Creativity Credentials for Seven Firms

Feb 22, 2009

Judging from recent Clio Awards, DDB, Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi could make solid claims to being advertising's most creative agency. Four others could argue.

Agencies from about 60 nations submit about 20,000 entries in the annual Clio Awards competition. The contest may not determine the best agencies in the world but it certainly identifies some of the most creative.

The Clio judges evaluate agency work in 10 professional categories and one student category. They can award Grand Clios and Gold Clios in each category, but if they are not particularly impressed with any of the entries, they are not required to present either of those two top awards.

The judges also award numerous Silver and Bronze Clios, but those are not included in the following totals because it is the Grands and Golds that win the big attention and that represent the best work.

13 Grand Clios

The judges awarded agencies only six Grand Clios in 2007 and only seven in 2008. They presented 50 Golds in 2008.

Here, according to the winning lists on the Clio Awards website are the total number of Grand and Gold Clios won by agencies in 2007 and 2008:

DDB Worldwide—13 Golds. It was the biggest Gold winner in 2007 with seven and added six more in 2008. The awards have been won by its shops in Amsterdam, Johannesburg, Paris, London, Chicago, Toronto and Germany.

Saatchi & Saatchi—9. Its awards include one Grand (2007 Print) and eight Golds. Its New York and Singapore offices won three Golds in 2008.

Leo Burnett Chicago and Milan

Leo Burnett—7. However, Burnett leads in the top awards with two Grands in 2007 and a special Hall of Fame award in 2008. Its Chicago office won the Billboard Grand in 2007 and the Hall of Fame award in 2008. The Milan office won the 2007 Television/Cinama Grand, perhaps the most prestigious of all the Clio awards.

TBWA\Chiat\Day—9. It won the Radio Grand in 2008, had six Golds in 2007 and two more in 2008.

BBDO—8. It won the Grand Clio for Design in 2007. In 2008 it won six Golds, more than any other agency.

Fallon of London—5. It won four Television/Cinema Golds in 2008, including three for Sony.

Ogilvy & Mather Wins Two Grands

Ogilvy & Mather moved up in the competition in 2008 with two Clio Grands. The New York office won the Design Grand and the Toronto won the Grand for the Integrated category.

Though the Clio competition draw entries from around the world, United States agencies have dominated the awards with 42 awards in the last two years. The list includes three Grands and 18 Golds in 2007 and three Grands, a Hall of Fame and 17 Golds in 2008.

England was second with nine Golds in 2007 and seven in 2008. Germany and Japan had five each in 2008, followed by The Netherlands with four.

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