Ranked #1:
Campaign: ‘ADLaM: An Alphabet to Preserve a Culture’ by McCann New York for Microsoft
Creative agency: Leo India, Mumbai | Independent creative agency: Mischief@No Fixed Address, New York
Media agency: Wavemaker Mumbai | Independent media agency: Fundamental Media Boston
Network: Ogilvy | Independent network: GUT
Holding Company: WPP
Brand: McDonald’s
Advertiser: McDonald’s
Country: United States
Long-term consistency, tackling systemic challenges and innovating the customer journey are key themes of the world’s most awarded campaigns for effectiveness
The WARC Effective 100, the ultimate independent global benchmark of the world’s most awarded campaigns and companies for effectiveness, and the third and final WARC Ranking, is now released.
Compiled by WARC Creative, helping companies deliver creative marketing that works, the annual Effective 100 Ranking is an aggregate of the results of the most important global and regional effectiveness awards of 2024. The shows tracked are determined in consultation with the WARC Rankings Advisory Board and by a yearly global panel survey.
Anna Hamill, Senior Editor, WARC Creative, said: “The WARC Effective 100 showcase the creative and media ideas that drive measurable impact. This incredible body of work acts as a North Star for the industry, both to inspire and to help embed a culture of effectiveness.”
The three key themes from this year’s Effective 100 are:
Long-term consistency pays off: The top ranked campaigns underline the importance of long-term planning, brand building and creative excellence. Work from Dove, Heinz and ANZ Bank built overarching creative platforms, beyond one-off campaigns, to grow new markets, execute brand turnarounds and drive long-term growth.
Tackling systemic challenges: Brands, including Microsoft, KPN and the Mayor London, put their influence and expertise behind tackling systemic problems such as literacy, sexual harassment and bullying.
Innovating the customer journey: Customer journeys are far from linear in the omnichannel era. Brands including Oreo and Mercado Libre got creative with customer journeys, adding fun into the online shopping experience with incentives and partnerships to maximise engagement. Dunkin identified its own baristas as a key part of the customer journey, making them powerful influencers.
#1 Campaign for effectiveness: ‘ADLaM: An Alphabet to Preserve a Culture’ by McCann New York for Microsoft
The most awarded campaign for effectiveness in 2024 was ADLaM: An Alphabet to Preserve a Culture by McCann New York, for Microsoft. The global tech brand collaborated with brothers Abdoulaye and Ibrahima Barry, who created the ADLaM alphabet to preserve the Pulaar language of the Fulani people, helping fight illiteracy and turn it into a globally recognised and digitally used mode of communication.
This resulted in tens of thousands of new students starting to learn ADLaM, with schools opening in more than five countries. ADLaM Display is available across Microsoft 365 and Google Fonts. Mali is adding ADLaM as an official alphabet in their Constitution. And Guinea has recently made ADLaM part of its sustainable development goals, committing to teach ADLaM to 2 million children in the next 5 years.
Socrates Papazoglou, Managing Partner, McCann New York, said: “Being #1 on the WARC Effective 100 is so incredibly meaningful because it not only celebrates the impact of the work, but it also adds to the impact of the work. Every single award this project has received has helped expand interest and literacy for ADLaM around the world.”
Abdoulaye Barry, ADLaM Co-Creator, added: “We are grateful to McCann and Microsoft for making our story known and for helping our people get the necessary tools to express themselves. All these incredible recognitions are fueling even more interest in learning and using ADLaM. Now more people are using ADLaM in their daily activities. Stories that would have been lost are being preserved forever. This is how we preserve our culture.”
In second place is A Piece of Me by Dentsu Creative, Amsterdam, for KPN. The telecom brand partnered with Dutch musician MEAU to create a song and music video to transform attitudes towards online shaming. The song became a gold record gaining over 10 million streams, resulting in a 183% uplift in conversations about online shaming and a 9% increase in brand consideration for KPN.
In third, is The Cost of Beauty by Ogilvy London for Dove. The personal care brand launched the campaign to address the harmful effects of social media, support legislative change through the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and revitalise Dove’s brand strategy in a competitive market. Dove experienced a 4% growth in US household penetration and a 5.5% increase in value sales.
#1 creative agency: Leo India, Mumbai
#1 independent creative agency: Mischief@No Fixed Address New York
Up from fifth place last year, Leo India tops the creative agency ranking with four campaigns ranked in the top 50, for Whisper, Lay’s, Flipkart and Oreo.
Rajdeepak Das, CCO Publicis Groupe South Asia & Chairman, Leo South Asia, and Amitesh Rao, CEO, Leo South Asia, said: “Being recognized as the most effective creative agency in the world is incredible because it underlines our core belief that true creative thinking is a force that can effect change for people, for the planet, and for business. This is a testament to the culture at Leo India, the talent that calls Leo home, and our amazing clients who together with us continue to believe in the power of creativity to impact a billion”.
No change in the second and third places. Ogilvy Mumbai retains its second place, with award-winning campaigns for Cadbury, Vodafone Idea, Sprite, Colgate contributing points. AlmapBBDO São Paulo remains in third with four campaigns ranked.
Mischief@No Fixed Address New York claims first place of the independent agencies, and is eighth overall, with two campaigns ranked in the top 100.
#1 media agency: Wavemaker, Mumbai
#1 independent media agency: Fundamental Media, Boston
Wavemaker Mumbai, ranked second last year, takes pole position in the media agency ranking for effectiveness, with three campaigns in the top 100 for Cadbury, Oreo and Colgate.
Ajay Gupte, CEO – South Asia, Wavemaker, said: “Being recognized as the No. 1 agency on the WARC 100 Effectiveness global list for the second time is a testament to our unwavering commitment to creativity, strategic excellence, and measurable impact. Effectiveness is at the heart of everything we do, and this honour reflects the dedication of our teams, the trust of our clients, and the power of ideas that drive real business results. We remain focused on pushing boundaries, delivering meaningful brand growth, and setting new benchmarks for the industry.”
Starcom Chicago is in second place, with three campaigns in the top 100. Mindshare New York is in third, with two campaigns.
Newcomer to the Ranking is Fundamental Media, Boston, ranked top independent media agency with work for State Street Global Advisors ranked.
#1 Network for effectiveness: Ogilvy
#1 Independent network for effectiveness: GUT
Ogilvy is the most awarded network for the third year in a row for effectiveness. The network has an incredible 13 campaigns ranked, three of which are in the top ten; and five agencies in the top 50: Mumbai, London, Athens, New York and Melbourne.
Mick McCabe, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy, said: “When you pair unexpected and revealing strategy with unrivaled creativity, the potential for impact is limitless. Being recognized as WARC’s most effective creative network for three consecutive years underscores simple truths about Ogilvy’s culture: a commitment to consistent excellence, a refusal to take success for granted, and partnerships with exceptional clients who expect the best from us in everything we do. Above all, it’s our people who make the difference. This achievement belongs to them.”
Rising up the ranks is McCann Worldgroup, in second place, up from fifth last year. The network has ten campaigns, including the #1, and four agencies ranked – New York, Gurgaon, Lima and Toronto. In third place is DDB Worldwide – eight campaigns and eight agencies have contributed to its rank.
Dentsu International and OMD Worldwide entered the top 10 networks this year.
GUT enters the networks table for the first time, claiming top independent network and 20th overall with its São Paulo and Buenos Aires agencies both ranked.
#1 Holding Company for effectiveness: WPP
WPP moves up to top the holding companies this year with eight networks ranked. Alongside Ogilvy in first place, VML, Mindshare Worldwide, EssenceMediacom, Wavemaker, AKQA, Hogarth Worldwide and GroupM are all ranked.
Mark Read, CEO, WPP, said: “Securing the WARC triple crown underscores the talent and dedication of our teams. These rankings emphasise our commitment to delivering creative and innovative ideas that drive tangible results and growth for our clients. It’s a proud moment to see so many of our agencies recognised globally for their outstanding work.”
Omnicom is in second place and Publicis Groupe is in third. Hakuhodo DY Group is new to the holding company top ten rankings this year. The majority of the holding companies retained their existing positions this year.
#1 Brand for effectiveness: McDonald’s
McDonald’s is once again the top brand for effectiveness, extending their winning run to six years. It has five campaigns ranked, Big Enough to Make a Difference, McDiploma, McDrip, The Cactus Plant Flea Market Box, and McCombo APPetitosos.
Dove continues its Effective 100 success, placing second in 2025. Heinz jumps from 24th last year to claim third place. Mercado Libre, Microsoft, and KPN are new to the top ten brands this year.
#1 Advertiser for effectiveness: McDonald’s
After a number of years among the top advertisers, McDonald’s is seeing its consistency in effectiveness paying off, achieving the number one advertiser spot for the first time this year.
Morgan Flatley, Global Chief Marketing Officer and Head of New Business Ventures, McDonald’s, said: “It’s an honor to be recognized as WARC’s most effective brand and most effective advertiser. Creativity is only as valuable as the impact it makes, and this dual recognition is proof that when creativity taps into culture and emotion, it drives growth that’s meaningful and measurable. I’m incredibly proud of our teams and agency partners that continue to push creative boundaries and deliver Feel-Good Moments that matter to fans worldwide.”
Just a few points behind McDonald’s is Unilever, which retains its second position. Anheuser-Busch InBev is in third. With its best performance yet, Kraft Heinz Company enters the top ten advertisers.
#1 Country for media: USA
The US continues its dominant run in the effective rankings. Two dozen (24) of the top 100 campaigns are US-based, including four of the top ten campaigns. India (#2), Brazil (#3), UK (#4), Colombia (#5), Australia (#6) and Argentina (#7) all retain their same positions. Peru (#8) and Turkey (#9) having been absent for a few years, are back in the top 10 countries this year.