Omnicom Group Inc. Agencies Converge on Cannes and Emerge on Top

Omnicom Group Inc. agencies led the top rankings at the Cannes International Advertising Festival this year across multiple categories.

For the first time ever, both the Titanium and Integrated Grand Prix went to one campaign, Obama for America, a collaboration between OMC's GMMB, campaign strategist David's Plouffe's AKPD Message and Media, and campaign staff. Commenting on the win, Advertising Age noted, "The Obama/Biden campaign, which won the Titanium and Integrated Grand Prix, was a decentralized, digital-savvy, open-source, grassroots effort through and through" with massive TV advertising used to generate brand awareness.

In addition, for the third consecutive year and in a very close race, BBDO Worldwide finished first and DDB Worldwide finished second in the Network of the Year competition. The award honors the top networks with the highest combined scores for entries in the Film, Press, Outdoor, Radio, Media, Cyber, Direct, Promo, Titanium and Integrated competitions.

DDB Brazil and DDB&Co. Istanbul also captured first and third place for Agency of the Year, while the Film Grand Prix, Outdoor Grand Prix and Radio Grand Prix were awarded, respectively, to DDB, TBWA and BBDO.

At the festival Goodby, Silverstein & Partners was named Interactive Agency of the Year, while Ketchum and DDB each picked up PR Lions in the newly created PR category. OMC agencies, including OMD, PHD, Proximity also distinguished themselves in media and LatinWorks was the only U.S. Hispanic agency to win a Lion in any category.

Omnicom Wins $1 Billion HP Media Business

Hewlett-Packard has awarded its $1 billion global media-planning and -buying business to Omnicom Media Group after a review that included the incumbent, Publicis Groupe's ZenithOptimedia, which had been HP's agency of record since 2004. Read more

Omnicom Group Agencies Top The Gunn Report for 2008

Omnicom Group agency networks dominated The Gunn Report once again this year, commanding the top four spots in key winners' lists, including those for most awarded network, agency, interactive agency and advertiser of the year.

For the third year in a row, BBDO Worldwide was named the "Most Awarded Network in the World." Work from DDB Worldwide, which ranked third "Most Awarded Network," also was credited with Volkswagen's election as "Most Awarded Advertiser of the Year," a distinction Volkswagen has earned in eight of the last ten years.

Since 1999 only four networks have ever topped The Gunn Report table, and with one exception all have been the Omnicom networks BBDO, DDB and TBWA.

BBDO New York also captured first place and DDB London third place in the "Most Awarded Agency in the World" tallies. And of the twelve agencies which have commanded a top 50 spot for all of the last six years, six have been Omnicom agencies, according to The Gunn Report.

In the Interactive Campaigns category, Omnicom agencies Goodby Silverstein & Partners and BBDO New York finished second and third, respectively, for "Milk Get the Glass" and HBO "Voyeur," which also finished in the top three for Mixed/Integrated Media. Goodby Silverstein & Partners ranked third among "Most Awarded Interactive Agencies in the World." Among all interactive agencies four of the top 25 were from Omnicom.

Agency Executive of the Year: John Wren

There are those who argue the ad agency is too volatile a business to be publicly held, subject as it is to the whims of clients and creative talent, two of the most finicky
and temperamental groups of people you'd ever want to meet. It's a pretty persuasive argument, right up until you come to the case of John Wren, who in his decade as CEO of Omnicom Group has made a turbulent industry seem downright calm.

Maybe more than in any year since he took Omnicom's reins, Mr. Wren demonstrated in 2006 that the holding-company model can work -- and not just for agency owners taking earn-outs. Read more.

Why John Wren Picked Chuck Brymer to Head DDB

In a move that surprised many in the ad industry, Omnicom Group President-CEO John Wren last week tapped an unfamiliar name, Interbrand Group Chairman-CEO

Chuck Brymer, to succeed the late Ken Kaess as DDB president-CEO. He isn't, however, unfamiliar to Mr. Wren, who made it clear in a rare, frank and sometimes scolding interview with Advertising Age's Matthew Creamer that people who don't understand the appointment don't understand where the agency business is going. Read more.