Cannes Lions has released the first Lions Creativity Report of the Decade to recognize and award sustained creative success across the global industry. Data from Lion-winning and shortlisted work, spanning 10 years and audited at the Festival by PwC since 2013, was compiled by Cannes Lions to produce the definitive global rankings and benchmarking report.

The 10-year rankings chart the ascending performance of the world’s most creative companies, celebrating those that have delivered an unfailing level of world-class creative work. The report’s findings are presented alongside commentary and analysis from sister company WARC, the global authority on marketing effectiveness.

The Lions Creativity Report of the Decade presents six regional agency of the decade awards and six global awards: Network, Holding Company, Agency, Independent Agency, Brand Marketer and Palme d’Or of the Decade. Winners were revealed this week as part of LIONS Live, the digital experience from Cannes Lions (22-26 June 2020). The full report is available to download from the LIONS Live intelligence platform here.

The global winners were: AlmapBBDO São Paulo as Agency of the Decade; Wieden+Kennedy as Independent Agency of the Decade; BBDO Worldwide as Network of the Decade; Procter & Gamble as Marketer of the Decade; MJZ as Palme d’Or of the Decade; and WPP as Holding Company of the Decade. 

Simon Cook, managing director, Cannes Lions, commented: “As we enter a new decade, it is important to reflect on the body of work that serves as our creative foundation. The formative work that will provide a benchmark for the ten years ahead. The Lions Creativity Report of the Decade provides us all with rich insight and recognizes the world-class, creative companies who have consistently sustained creative excellence--adapting, evolving and innovating year after year. There’s a lot to learn from those who consistently produce game-changing work that transcends limitation and constraint and sets the bar for the future of creativity.”

Lions Creativity Report of the Decade Winners are announced as follows:

Independent Agency of the Decade

• 1st place: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
• 2nd place: Droga5 New York
• 3rd place: Forsman & Bodenfors (Years 2010-2016)

Eric Baldwin, executive creative director, Wieden+Kennedy Portland, commented: “We have gratitude for our incredible talent and client partners who believe in the power of creativity to drive business and impact culture. In the decade ahead, we hope this industry will make great strides toward equity, diversity and inclusion. Because when we elevate these voices, their creativity will do things we’ve never imagined.”

Susan Hoffman, chairman & global creative director, Wieden+Kennedy Portland, added: “The thing you see when you walk into a W+K office are pictures of our people - not awards. These people are who we can thank for this accolade, along with Dan (Wieden) and David (Kennedy) who had the courage to bring together this crazy/creative bunch in the first place.”

Brand Marketer of the Decade

• 1st place: Procter & Gamble
• 2nd place: Nike
• 3rd place: Volkswagen

Procter & Gamble’s decade of creativity has seen a pride of 7 Grands Prix, 1 Grand Prix for Good, 3 Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2 Titanium, 49 Gold, 4 Glass, 77 Silver and 100 Bronze Lions won. P&G has delivered it with humour and dedication to social and environmental issues throughout.

Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer, Procter & Gamble, said: “It’s as important now, as ever, to continue to use our voice and creativity to be a force for good, a force for growth and a force for change. On behalf of all of our P&G brand builders and creative partners, P&G is so humbled and honoured to be recognised as the Lions Brand Marketer of the Decade.”

Agency of the Decade

• 1st place: AlmapBBDO São Paulo
• 2nd place: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
• 3rd place: BBDO New York

Luiz Sanches, partner/chairman & CCO, AlmapBBDO, said: “At AlmapBBDO we have a simple idea, a simple insight: to keep doing good work, great work, the best work. Winning the Lions Agency of the Decade is proof that we continually keep our ethos alive. It’s a huge honour. Thank you to everyone inside the agency and to all of our creative partners.”

Network of the Decade

• 1st place: BBDO Worldwide
• 2nd place: Ogilvy
• 3rd place: DDB Worldwide

Over the past decade, BBDO Worldwide have amassed over 16 Grands Prix, 4 Creative Effectiveness Lions, 3 Titanium, 150 Gold, 4 Glass, 281 Silver and 471 Bronze Lions to become the Network of the Decade.

David Lubars, chief creative officer, BBDO Worldwide, said, “We designed BBDO to be a ‘global boutique.’ In other words, fast, nimble, innovative, collaborative, highly creative—and able to do it at scale. This recognition is a wonderful confirmation of that.”

Holding Company of the Decade

• 1st place: WPP
• 2nd place: Omnicom
• 3rd place: Interpublic Group

Across the decade, WPP agencies have amassed over 40 Grands Prix, 5 Creative Effectiveness Lions, 8 Titanium, 464 Gold, 1 Glass Lion, 4 Innovation Lions, 7 Product Design Lions, 844 Silver and 1,385 Bronze Lions.

Palme d’Or of the Decade

• 1st place: MJZ USA
• 2nd place: Smuggler USA
• 3rd place: O Positive Films USA

MJZ has consistently collected Lions in every year this decade. Their trophy cabinet creaks under the weight of 2 Grands Prix, 1 Titanium, 25 Gold, 41 Silver and 64 Bronze Lions.

Regional Agency of the Decade - Middle East & Africa

• 1st place: VMLY&R Dubai née Y&R Dubai
• 2nd place: TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg
• 3rd place: Ogilvy Johannesburg

An impressive haul of 44 Lions makes VMLY&R Dubai deserving of the number one place. Winning 9 Gold, 17 Silver and 18 Bronze Lions demonstrates their ground-breaking creative output this decade.

Kalpesh Patankar, chief creative officer, VMLY&R MENA, said; “Our big learning of the decade is that no matter where you work, you have to be willing to break the rules. I’m very grateful to all of the people who have brought us this far and contributed passionately to our story. The next decade I hope we can write a story that is even bigger and bolder.”

Regional Agency of the Decade - Europe

• 1st place: adam&eveDDB London
• 2nd place: AMVBBDO London
• 3rd place: Ogilvy Paris

adam&eveDDB London has collected 8 Grands Prix, 1 Creative Effectiveness Lion, 27 Gold, 46 Silver and 59 Bronze Lions over the last ten years, making them so deserving of this achievement.

Richard Brim, Group CCO, adam&eveDDB, says: “To win a Lion is special, to win a Grand Prix is incredible, to win European Agency of the Decade is mind-blowing. This is to everybody, past and present, who has been part of the adam&eveDDB story.”

Regional Agency of the Decade - Latin America

• 1st place: AlmapBBDO São Paulo
• 2nd place: Ogilvy Brasil São Paulo
• 3rd place: VMLY&R née Y&R São Paulo

AlmapBBDO São Paulo started the decade with a Grand Prix and went on to collect a further 23 Golds, 39 Silvers and 79 Bronze Lions. A total of 142 trophies places them #1 in Brazil, Latin America and the world. The agency has also secured the number one title as global Agency of the Decade.

Regional Agency of the Decade - Pacific

• 1st place: Colenso BBDO Auckland
• 2nd place: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
• 3rd place: Leo Burnett Sydney

Colenso BBDO Auckland have picked up 1 Grand Prix, 1 Creative Effectiveness Lion, 1 Titanium, 24 Gold, 28 Silver and 42 Bronze Lion trophies. An achievement that has them leading the way for the Pacific region this decade.

Regional Agency of the Decade - Asia

• 1st place: Dentsu Inc. Tokyo
• 2nd place: Hakuhodo Inc. Tokyo
• 3rd place: Ogilvy Bangkok

The work of Dentsu Inc. Tokyo is a showcase of exceptional creative talent with an impressive trophy count of 127 Lions including: 60 Bronze, 40 Silver, 24 Gold, a Titanium Lion and 2 Grands Prix Lions.

Yuya Furukawa, chief creative officer, Dentsu Inc. Tokyo, said: “We are greatly honored to receive this award and, needless to say, we are ten times as happy as receiving a Cannes Lions ‘Agency of the Year’ award. Our Grand Prix and Gold Lion-winning work spans thirteen categories, which demonstrates how Dentsu has invited diverse talents to join our creative ventures and how we have expanded our creativity over the past decade. We are in the midst of an era that will go down in history, but at the same time, history is telling us, ‘Use your creativity NOW’.”

Regional Agency of the Decade - North America

• 1st place: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
• 2nd place: BBDO New York
• 3rd place: Droga5 New York

Wieden+Kennedy Portland has amassed a haul of Lions over the past ten years: 6 Grands Prix, 2 Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2 Titanium, 36 Gold, 49 Silver and 62 Bronze Lions. Their vibrant and risk-taking work has seen them take both the Regional Agency of the Decade North America top spot, as well as first place as the Independent Agency of the Decade globally.