• by Tanya Gazdik , December 18, 2008

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.