OMMA's
2008 Agency of the Year Awards celebrate the agencies that were able to rise above the rest over the past year, the
shops that represented the best of class in the online advertising community.
At the top of the list and the Gold Agency of the Year is former indie darling Digitas, which has
expanded with zeal in the two years since its acquisition by Publicis. With 25 new clients in the U.S. (including nine at its Digitas Health unit) and more than 10 new ones in its expanding overseas
markets, the company saw 100% new business growth year-on-year; 2007 was its previous best new business year ever.
OMD Digital, the Silver Agency of the Year, was also no slouch in the new
business arena. Even as the economy tanked, the agency nailed several big client wins. It ripped Levi's eponymous brand and Dockers media planning and buying away from Zenith and Initiative--business
worth an estimated $50 million. CBS also handed its media business to OMD, tapping it for strategy, investment, digital, the Ignition Factory and emerging media.
Finally, Bronze awards go to the
agencies responsible for the year's best media planning and buying, search campaigns, Web design and site development, and creative.
The complete list is as follows:
Gold Agency of
the Year: Digitas
Silver Agency of the Year: OMD Digital
Bronze Agencies of the Year:
Web Design and Development: Schematic
Media Buying and Planning: Havas Digital
Creative: Firstborn
Search: GroupM Search
Media has also selected its 2008 Media Agency of the Year. The winners are:
Media Agency of the Year: MediaVest
Media Department of the Year: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Media Boutique of the Year: Michaelides & Bednash
Media Client of the Year: Barack Obama
Media Holding Company of the Year: (tie) VivaKi and GroupM
Media Supplier of the Year: Apple App Store
The editors of MediaPost's
Marketing Daily,
meanwhile, are awarding no overall Marketer of the Year for 2008.
"The industry is struggling to find its balance between the Old World, traditional media and methods and the New World, full of
technological promise and ideas such as mobile coupons and social media," explains Marketing Daily Editor Nina Lentini. "Doing all this in an economy that is stretching budgets and energy to
their limits does not make for the best in creativity, innovation and sales."
Despite the apparent marketing stasis, Marketing Daily has named 2008 marketers of the year in specific
industry categories, including: Campbell Soup in the food category; HP in the technology category; and Walmart in the retail category.