Agency Network of the Year winners announced

The winning agency networks are:

• Asia-Pacific Creative Network of the Year
  DDB Group Asia Pacific
   
• Asia-Pacific Media Network of the Year 
  PHD Asia Pacific
   
• Asia-Pacific Digital Network of the Year 
  Isobar Asia Pacific
   
• Asia-Pacific Specialist Network of the Year 
  McCann Health
   
• Asia-Pacific Agency Head of the Year 
  Sean O'Brien, Carat Asia Pacific
   
• Asia-Pacific New Business Development Person/Team of the Year 
  Laura Gordon, Omnicom Media Group
   
• Asia-Pacific Planner of the Year 
  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 yesterday in Singapore, were:

• Atifa Silk, editorial director, Campaign Asia-Pacific
• Jerry Blanton, global marketing director, APAC & EMEA, Citibank
• Leanne Cutts, VP, marketing, Asia Pacific, Mondelēz 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 Road

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.