WARC has released its Creative 100 Rankings for 2023, with Publicis Milan taking the top spot among ad agencies worldwide.  

Area 23, New York, jumped from 32nd last year to claim second place with four campaigns in the top 100. BETC Paris is in third place with three campaigns in the top 50. 

The top ad campaign was “The Lost Class” for anti-gun-violence group Change The Ref by Leo Burnett Chicago. The creative featured a ceremony for the 3,044 high school students in the US who didn't graduate in 2021 due to tragically losing their lives to gun violence. 

The second-ranked campaign is “The Unfiltered History Tour” for Vice World News by Dentsu Creative Bangalore, featuring a secret tour of the British Museum’s stolen artefacts via Augmented Reality. Ranked third was “Piñatex” for Dole Sunshine Company/Ananas Anam by L&C New York, to promote a vegan, cruelty-free and sustainable alternative leather made from pineapple leaves. 

WPP’s Ogilvy is the top-ranked agency network and WPP ranked first among holding companies.  

Ogilvy was the most awarded network for the third year in a row, with 40 different agencies contributing to its total including five agencies in the top 50. It was responsible for ten of the top 100 campaigns.  

Omnicom’s DDB Worldwide ranked 2nd with four agencies in the top 50 and seven campaigns in the top 100. Interpublic Group’s FCB placed third, also with four agencies and nine campaigns ranked. 

Up from second place last year, WPP returned to the top of the holding company rankings with seven networks in the top 50 and two networks in the top 10: Ogilvy and VMLY&R. Omnicom and Interpublic Group were ranked second and third respectively. 

The WARC Creative 100 is a tally of agencies, networks and campaigns that have won the most awards from major competitions (among them: Cannes Lions, D&AD, London International Awards and a number of regional competitions) over the past year. 

Burger King was ranked top brand and AB InBev was first in the advertisers category.  

The WARC Rankings are compiled by combining the results of the most important global and regional awards shows as determined by the industry. 

Amy Rodgers, Head of WARC Creative, stated, “In an industry that sometimes struggles to defend its place in the C-suite, the rankings offer an opportunity for marketers to reflect on the best campaigns in the business and to review the impact their own work has on their brands.”