GLOBAL – WPP has been ranked the most effective marketing communications company in the world in the 2020 Effie Index, the 10th annual ranking of the companies behind the world’s most effective marketing efforts.
The Index, the world’s most comprehensive global ranking of marketing effectiveness, lists companies that create the most effective marketing and communications ideas in terms of measurable business results for clients.
It is the ninth successive year that WPP has received this award.
The 2020 Effie Index analyzed finalist and winner data from more than 45 worldwide Effie Award competitions held in 2019. Submitted case studies were subject to intensive evaluation by an expert panel of judges, which debated each case’s effectiveness based on the results it delivered.
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “Every day, our clients place their trust in us to deliver tangible results for their organizations. The Effies are a great endorsement of that trust, and I am delighted that WPP continues to set the standard for industry effectiveness. This award belongs to the thousands of individuals across WPP who harness the power of creativity to deliver ideas that achieve real business impact.”
Traci Alford, CEO of Effie Worldwide, said: “WPP has topped the Effie Index as the most Effective Holding Group for the last nine years. Year after year, WPP and its agencies have demonstrated their commitment to producing ideas that work and cultivating cultures of marketing effectiveness that drive results for their clients. On behalf of the global Effie organization, I would like to congratulate WPP and all of its agencies.”
Unilever, Coca-Cola, WPP, McCann Worldgroup, FP7/DXB and Banda were named Most Effective Marketer, Brand, Agency Holding Group, Agency Network, Agency Office and Independent Agency, respectively.
Most Effective Marketers
Top 5: Unilever, The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, AB InBev, PepsiCo
Unilever leads the Most Effective Marketers category for the fourth year in a row, with work for brands including Axe, Dove, Knorr, Lifebuoy, Lux, Omo, Rexona, and Surf Excel. The global packaged-goods company has held the top spot seven times over the past 10 years.
AB InBev entered the top 5 for the first time, with work for brands including Budweiser in North America and Bavaria Brewery’s Águila and Corona in Latin America. Procter & Gamble and McDonald’s dropped out of the top 5 to No. 7 and No. 6, respectively. PepsiCo returned to the top 5 after a drop in the rankings last year.
YUM!, British mobile technology leader Vodafone and Swedish furniture giant IKEA round out the top 10.
Most Effective Brands
Top 5: Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, KFC, Vodafone, IKEA
Coca-Cola retained its title as the most effective brand globally in 2020. It has ranked in the top 5 every year since the Index launched in 2011, taking the top spot six times. Coca-Cola China’s “Faces of the City” campaign was a standout, winning Gold, Silver and Bronze recognitions for its effective use of AR and packaging. McDonald’s came in second place for the second year in a row, with work such as “Anticipating Hungry Moments” for McDonald’s Hong Kong. The campaign was the first to use Google’s real-time triggers in Hong Kong, aimed at targeting late-night World Cup viewers. KFC and Vodafone swapped third and fourth places, thanks to KFC’s success in APAC, MENA, and Europe, but otherwise, the top 5 most effective brands are exactly the same as last year.
Latin American telecom brand Claro, along with American brands Chevrolet, Burger King, MasterCard and Sprite, round out the top 10.
Most Effective Agency Holding Groups
Top 5: WPP, Omnicom, IPG, Publicis Groupe, Dentsu
WPP has been the most effective holding company every year since 2012. The top 5 has remained unchanged since 2016, showing remarkable consistency in performance across the global holding companies despite disruptions in the industry. IPG, Publicis Groupe, and Dentsu round out the top 5.
Most Effective Agency Network
Top 5: McCann Worldgroup, Ogilvy, BBDO Worldwide, DDB Worldwide, TBWA\Worldwide
McCann Worldgroup is number one for the third year in a row, retaining its position as Most Effective Agency Network. The IPG agency network garnered the top spot with work for brands including Aldi, American Express, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola and IKEA, among others. McCann’s FP7/DXB in Dubai, 2020’s Most Effective Agency Office, helped drive the network to the top spot with work for Emirates and MasterCard, among others. And so did two Grand Effie wins, McCann Manchester’s “Like Brands” campaign for Aldi in the Sustained Success category (Effie Europe), and McCann Panama’s “Siempre Facil con E-Pago” for Banisi in the Small Budget category (Effie Panama).
WPP’s Ogilvy jumps to second, while Omnicom networks take up the remaining three positions in the top 5. TBWA\Worldwide enters the top 5 for the first time this year with successful efforts around the world, including three Grand Effie wins for “The Land of Free Press” for Helsingin Sanomat (Finland), “The Algorithm Agent” for Simply Cash Cred (Hong Kong), and “With You Captain” for Contigo Capitán (Peru).
Most Effective Agency Offices
Top 5: FP7/DXB, Ogilvy Mumbai, McCann Worldgroup India (New Delhi), Sancho BBDO (Bogotá), and a tie between Banda and DDB Colombia
McCann Worldgroup’s FP7/DXB in Dubai, which has been in the top 5 every year since 2014, is ranked as the most effective individual agency, thanks to its success with more than 15 regional and global brands, including Babyshop, Emirates NBD and MasterCard.
Ogilvy Mumbai, at number two, is also a consistent winner and has made the top 5 every year since 2011. Its success this year is thanks to work for Amazon, Cadbury, and Vodafone.
Most Effective Independent Agencies
Top 5: Banda, Dejavu, The Womb Communications, DON Buenos Aires, Zavalita Brand Building
Ukrainian agency Banda returns to the top spot. The Kiev-based agency, which ranked No. 1 in both 2015 and 2013, reclaimed the lead with work for Luxoptica, National Art Museum of Ukraine, and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, among others. Dubai agency Dejavu makes its first showing in the top 5, as do The Womb Communications in Mumbai, DON Buenos Aires and Zavalita Brand Building in Lima, Peru.
Regional rankings for Asia-Pacific
Unilever (marketer), KFC (brand), WPP (agency holding group), Ogilvy (agency network), Ogilvy Mumbai (agency office), and The Womb Communications in Mumbai (independent agency)
View the full rankings at effieindex.com
