Leo Burnett Beirut was the world’s sixth most creative agency in 2012, according to the annual Big Won Report.
The Lebanese outfit was also the top agency for PR and media globally, while Memac Ogilvy Label’s ‘The Return of Ben Ali’ was the second most awarded campaign across all media.
Memac Ogilvy Label’s Yassine Boughaba was named the world’s top art director, while Leo Burnett ’s Areej Mahmoud was the second placed creative director in the world, with Label’s Nicolas Courant fourth. Leo Burnett’s chief creative officer, Bechara Mouzannar, was named the fourth best CCO globally.
However, Leo Burnett Beirut’s ranking fell short of Y&R Dubai’s success in 2011, when it was named the world’s third most creative agency – the highest ever position for a Middle East operation.
The Big Won report ranks agencies, individuals and countries by the number and quality of awards won across all media during the year and is a register of who’s winning what at advertising awards shows around the world. The 2012 rankings are based on 4,459 campaigns that won awards at 39 shows.
Leo Burnett Beirut’s position (its highest ever) helped push Lebanon to 15th place in the country leader board, while the UAE moved up to 7th – it’s highest ever position. The UAE and Lebanon were the only two regional countries in the top 20. Much of the UAE’s success was down to Y&R Dubai and TBWA\Raad, both of whom had a good year in terms of awards. Y&R was the 16th most awarded agency in the world last year, coming in fourth in the world in terms of press and seventh for outdoor, while TBWA\Raad’s VIP fridge magnet for Red Tomato Pizza ensured the agency was the 16th best agency in the world in terms of direct.
Opinion, page 21