2015 Agency of the Year winners: Greater China

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Note: In addition to the above photo gallery from last night's awards, we also have a gallery of the photos the winning agencies submitted with their entries.

ANALYSIS: Transformation, agility and daring

Adaptability and reinvention for a fast-changing era were the traits that won over judges on the Greater China panel this year. Established agencies that had the confidence to tear up organisational structures and embraced change picked up awards across the board.

McCann Worldgroup came out top in the Creative category, on the back of pulling in two Silvers and a Gold between its mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong offices—the latter freshly renamed McCann & Spencer. Full digital integration and deeper cultural resonance were key planks to the agency’s regional strategy this year. Other Greater China Golds—BBDO and JWT Taipei—exhibited similar efforts to redefine and transform their roles.

A Hong Kong Gold on the back of an ambitious reinvention drive also tipped the balance in OMD’s favour for the regional Media award, supported by a Bronze in mainland China. Inventiveness, effectiveness and efficiency brought the China Gold to Mindshare, while ZenithOptimedia won in Taiwan with a training drive to nurture talent.

The digital landscape—the driver of much of this reinvention—was marked out as Isobar’s territory, as it cleared the board of all three Golds plus the regional gong. No other digital agency won more than one award, but that same theme of determined evolution united the field.

Innovation remained to the fore across PR (a battle between Weber Shandwick and Edelman) and Experiential Marketing. Gold in the latter went to Auditoire for some audacious auto-related stunts, such as SmartCars towing trick skiers up snow ramps at the height of summer.

McCann & Spencer dominated the top individual awards, taking Agency Head, Account Person and New Business Development Team of the Year.

Spencer Wong—a man who had such a good year he even welded his name to McCann Hong Kong—was joined by Karen Lo and the office’s ‘Fantastic four’. BBDO was the only other agency to pick up more than one personal award, with Owen Smith taking the Strategic/Brand Planner gong and 28-year-old Raje Hiranand making her name early as Young Achiever of the Year.

WINNERS

AGENCY CATEGORIES

China Creative Agency of the Year

• Gold: BBDO China
• Silver: McCann Worldgroup China
• Bronze: J. Walter Thompson China

Hong Kong Creative Agency of the Year

• Gold: McCann & Spencer
• Silver: BBDO Hong Kong
• Bronze: Saatchi & Saatchi Hong Kong

Taiwan Creative Agency of the Year

• Gold: J. Walter Thompson Taipei
• Silver: McCANN Worldgroup Taiwan
• Bronze:  Dentsu K

Greater China Creative Agency of the Year

• Winner: McCann Worldgroup

China Media Agency of the Year
Sponsored by Focus Media

• Gold: Mindshare China
• Silver: Starcom Mediavest Group China
• Bronze: OMD China

Hong Kong Media Agency of the Year

• Gold: OMD Hong Kong
• Silver: PHD Hong Kong
• Bronze: Carat Hong Kong

Taiwan Media Agency of the Year

• Gold:  ZenithOptimedia Taiwan
• Silver: MEC Taiwan
• Bronze: Media Palette Taiwan

Greater China Media Agency of the Year
Sponsored by Tencent

• Winner: OMD

China Digital Agency of the Year
Sponsored by hdtMEDIA

• Gold: Isobar China Group
• Silver: VML TEEIN China
• Bronze: Wunderman China

Hong Kong Digital Agency of the Year

• Gold: Isobar Hong Kong
• Silver: Mirum Hong Kong
• Bronze: Razorfish Hong Kong

Taiwan Digital Agency of the Year

• Gold: Isobar Taiwan
• Silver: Starcom Mediavest Group Taiwan
• Bronze: iProspect Taiwan

Greater China Digital Agency of the Year
Sponsored by Tencent

• Winner: Isobar

Greater China Independent Agency of the Year

• Gold: iClick Interactive Asia Limited Hong Kong
• Silver: Red Bridge Communications China
• Bronze: @comm China

Greater China PR Agency of the Year

• Gold: Weber Shandwick China
• Silver: Edelman China
• Bronze: Edelman Hong Kong

Greater China Experiential Marketing Agency of the Year

• Gold: Auditoire China
• Silver: George P. Johnson China
• Bronze: Uniplan China

Greater China Integrated Agency of the Year

• Gold: BBDO and Proximity China
• Silver: McCann Worldgroup Greater China
• Bronze: Mindshare China

Greater China Specialist Agency of the Year

• Gold: Verawom-Linked by Isobar China
• Silver: Wunderman China
• Bronze: McCann Health China

PEOPLE CATEGORIES

Greater China Account Person of the Year 

• Winner: Karen Lo, McCann & Spencer Hong Kong
• Runner-up: Mani RK, Carat China

Greater China Agency Head of the Year 

• Winner: Spencer Wong, McCann & Spencer Hong Kong
• Runner-up: Tan Tze Kiat, BBDO China

Greater China Creative of the Year 

• Winner: Nils Andersson, TBWA Greater China
• Runner-up: Spencer Wong, McCann & Spencer Hong Kong

Greater China Corporate Communications Team of the Year 

• Winner: Helen Xie and Corporate Communications Team, OMD China
• Runner-up: Corporate Communications Team, Dentsu Aegis Network China

Greater China New Business Development Team of the Year 

• Winner: Fantastic 4 (James Reeves, Michael Li, Annie Yip,  Zero Kwok), McCann & Spencer Hong Kong
• Runner-up: Jason King, Eric Zhou, Leo Liu, Alan Hung, Charlene Li, Abby Zhou, BBDO Greater China

Greater China Strategic/Brand Planner of the Year 
Sponsored by iPinYou

• Winner: Owen Smith, BBDO Hong Kong
• Runner-up: Eunice Wong, McCann & Spencer Hong Kong

Greater China Channel/Engagement Planner of the Year 

• Winner: Jeanette Phang, OMD China
• Runner-up: Carey Wang, Mindshare China

Greater China Talent Management Person/Team of the Year 

• Winner: Benjamin Condit, Linda Lin, Kevin Zhou, Michelle Jiang & Shankar Rajagopal, Mindshare China
• Runner-up: Jason King, Leo Liu, Sharon Ho, Kenny Au-Ieong, Theresa Wu, Raje Hiranand, Connie Chu, Abby Zhou, BBDO Greater China

Greater China Young Achiever of the Year 

• Winner: Raje Hiranand, BBDO Hong Kong
• Runner-up: Yen Chen, Starcom Mediavest Group Taiwan

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