Campaign Asia Pacific names Agency Network of the Year winners

Thursday, 7 March 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

After final judging in Singapore yesterday, Campaign Asia-Pacific has announced the winners of the 2012 Agency Network of the Year awards.

The winning agency networks are:

Asia-Pacific Planner of the Year
Asia-Pacific New Business Development Person/Team of the Year
Asia-Pacific Agency Head of the Year
Asia-Pacific Specialist Network of the Year
Asia-Pacific Digital Network of the Year
Asia-Pacific Media Network of the Year
Asia-Pacific Creative Network of the Year
DDB Group Asia Pacific
PHD Asia Pacific
Isobar Asia Pacific
McCann Health
Sean O’Brien, Carat Asia Pacific
Laura Gordon, Omnicom Media Group
Andy Wilson, BBDO Asia Pacific

Eligibility for the awards was based on performance in the five regional Agency of the Year awards, which took place in late 2012. Specifically, entrants for the Network Awards had to receive at least three Gold, Silver, or Bronze awards in a minimum of two regions in order to qualify. Qualified entrants were invited to submit an Asia-Pacific Network of the Year entry highlighting key regional achievements during the eligibility period.

The judges for the Agency Network of the Year were given access to the regional-level scores and entries prior to judging. The judges, who met on Tuesday y in Singapore, were:

Atifa Silk, editorial director, Campaign Asia-Pacific

Jerry Blanton, global marketing director, APAC & EMEA, Citibank

Leanne Cutts, VP, marketing, Asia Pacific, Mondelez International

Gavin Gibson, associate vice-president, global marketing, HTC

Brendan Inns, principal, BRANDVEST Consulting

Rohit Jawa, senior vice-president, global marketing operations, Unilever Asia Private Limited

Howie Lau, vice president, marketing and communications, Asia Pacific and Latin America, Lenovo

Soum Mukherjee, online director, consumer & SMB business, Asia Pacific & Japan, Dell Computers

Ramesh Natarajan, managing partner, Curiosity Role

In general, the judges reported that the diversity of industries and locations represented on the jury sparked a healthy discussion about the scope of the entries. They also shared some impressions of the entries during a break in the judging.

“The entries I like the most are those with a clear vision of the agency and good insights about the markets,” Cutts said. In addition, she commended entries that set clear goals for the brand and client and did a good job of discussing aspects such as people development and innovation.

“I am impressed by the quality of entries, not only for their preparation, but also the innovations and initiatives that push the boundaries, especially in the digital area,” Lau said. “The criteria I am looking at are the ROI, like year-on-year figures and new business growth, which is indicative of the health of the agency.”

Passion made the winners stand out, he added. “There is vitality and heart, and, of course, creativity. Some categories are difficult to make decisions in. There are a lot of discussions and debates going on.”

Not everyone was as impressed. “Some are good entries, but agencies can do much better,” Natarajan said. “Entries need to tell stories, showcase creativity and be precise. Some entries are long-winded and there is a lot of unnecessary stuff. Creativity and results make the difference.”

The Agency Network of the Year winners will be recognised at a dinner in Hong Kong on 20 March.

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