Campaign's Agency of the Year debate has all the drama and electric atmosphere of a great theatre performance. Feelings run high, and rightly so. We know we are playing God and our opinions carry considerable weight in the industry.
On the day of reckoning, a small army of editorial staff converges on a meeting room to debate a shortlist of contenders. Presenters are armed with reels, boards and as many facts and figures as can be marshalled to make a compelling argument. For weeks before the debate, agencies have been lobbying reporters and section editors. For months, the staple topic of conversation at advertising gatherings has been which agency deserves to be considered. On the day of publication, a special atmosphere pervades the office. Champagne and irate phone calls arrive in equal measure.
This is the 24th year of Agency of the Year. A glance through this table of past winners shows that a few agencies, clients, media owners and production companies have that magic ability to set the advertising world alight repeatedly.
BMP leads the way with four accolades. Bartle Bogle Hegarty follows up with three, and since its founders were part of the team that won TBWA the very first award in 1980, we might make that 3.5. Back then, Campaign wrote that TBWA, after an unspectacular start, had "emerged as a real force in the business and looks certain to present a strong challenge to the top agencies in future years". Four shops - Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, J. Walter Thompson, Lowe and Mother - have won the award twice.
And what are we looking for? The criteria boil down to success, adherence to principles, high creative standards across a body of work and across a range of media, strong new-business record and financial base. In short, an agency that one could recommend to a client with total confidence.
At the end of the day, though, we know that these decisions are subjective.
We must feel happy about defending our choices (and we have to) and readers who dispute our decisions must be able to say: "I disagree, but I understand why those bastards at Campaign voted that way." This year, I suspect that few will ask us to defend our choice of winner. Lashings of creative excellence coupled with astute financial management, new initiatives, a generous measure of barnstorming new-business approach and a refusal to compromise its principles made BBH the clear-cut winner.
CAMPAIGN AGENCY OF THE YEAR 1980-2003
YEAR AGENCY ADVERTISER MEDIUM
1980 TBWA - -
1981 GGT - Daily Mirror
1982 Saatchi & Saatchi J. Sainsbury Guardian
1983 BMP Philips Channel 4
1984 JWT GLC Mail on Sunday
1985 Lowe Howard- Spink Guinness Eddie Shah*
1986 BBH Allied Lyons Independent
1987 DMB&B Brooke Bond Oxo Prima
1988 No winner Beecham Today
1989 HHCL Tesco Viz
1990 BMP Fuji No winner
1991 JWT BA Radio Times
1992 BMP Unilever Guardian
1993 BBH Woolworths Channel 4
1994 HHCL Tesco Classic FM
1995 AMV BBDO Daewoo Daily Mail
1996 AMV BBDO Orange Sky Television
1997 St Luke's Volkswagen FHM
1998 BMP DDB McDonald's Daily Mail
1999 M&C Saatchi French Connection Freeserve
2000 Lowe Lintas Heinz Metro
2001 Mother COI Comms. Glamour
2002 Mother Scottish Courage five
2003 BBH Honda Sky
YEAR AGENCY ADVERTISER CAMPAIGN
1980 TBWA - -
1981 GGT - -
1982 Saatchi & Saatchi J. Sainsbury -
1983 BMP Philips -
1984 JWT GLC -
1985 Lowe Howard-Spink Guinness -
1986 BBH Allied Lyons -
1987 DMB&B Brooke Bond Oxo Midland Bank (Vector)
1988 No winner Beecham BT (Beattie)
1989 HHCL Tesco Billy Graham (FCB)
1990 BMP Fuji Met. Police
1991 JWT BA J. Sainsbury
1992 BMP Unilever Tango
1993 BBH Woolworths Boddingtons
1994 HHCL Tesco Wonderbra
1995 AMV BBDO Daewoo Miller Pilsner
1996 AMV BBDO Orange Conservative Party
1997 St Luke's Volkswagen VW (Affordability)
1998 BMP DDB McDonald's VW Polo
1999 M&C Saatchi French Connection Levi's Sta-Prest
2000 Lowe Lintas Heinz Skoda
2001 Mother COI Comms. ITV Digital
2002 Mother Scottish Courage John Smith's
2003 BBH Honda 118 118
YEAR AGENCY ADVERTISER PRODUCTION MEDIA
COMPANY
1980 TBWA - - -
1981 GGT - - -
1982 Saatchi &
Saatchi J. Sainsbury - -
1983 BMP Philips - -
1984 JWT GLC - -
1985 Lowe Howard-
Spink Guinness - -
1986 BBH Allied Lyons - -
1987 DMB&B Brooke Bond Oxo - -
1988 No winner Beecham - -
1989 HHCL Tesco - -
1990 BMP Fuji - -
1991 JWT BA - -
1992 BMP Unilever - -
1993 BBH Woolworths - -
1994 HHCL Tesco Arden Suther-
land-Dodd -
1995 AMV BBDO Daewoo Paul Weiland
Films -
1996 AMV BBDO Orange Blink TMD Carat
1997 St Luke's Volkswagen Godman Michaelides
& Bednash
1998 BMP DDB McDonald's Academy New PHD
1999 M&C Saatchi French Connection Gorgeous MediaCom TMB
2000 Lowe Lintas Heinz Partizan BBJ
2001 Mother COI Comms. Gorgeous Starcom Motive
2002 Mother Scottish Courage Gorgeous Naked
2003 BBH Honda Partizan MindShare
YEAR AGENCY ADVERTISER NEW-MEDIA DIRECT
AGENCY AGENCY
1980 TBWA - - -
1981 GGT - - -
1982 Saatchi &
Saatchi J. Sainsbury - -
1983 BMP Philips - -
1984 JWT GLC - -
1985 Lowe Howard-
Spink Guinness - -
1986 BBH Allied Lyons - -
1987 DMB&B Brooke Bond Oxo - -
1988 No winner Beecham - -
1989 HHCL Tesco - -
1990 BMP Fuji - -
1991 JWT BA - -
1992 BMP Unilever - -
1993 BBH Woolworths - -
1994 HHCL Tesco - -
1995 AMV BBDO Daewoo - -
1996 AMV BBDO Orange - -
1997 St Luke's Volkswagen - -
1998 BMP DDB McDonald's - Evans Hunt
Scott
1999 M&C Saatchi French Connection - FCA!
2000 Lowe Lintas Heinz i-level WWAV Rapp
Collins
2001 Mother COI Comms. No winner Craik Jones
2002 Mother Scottish Courage Glue London HTW
2003 BBH Honda Dare Digital Craik Jones
*Media Man of the Year.
