Global Creative Network of the Year: McCann Worldgroup (US)

For an agency network as comprehensive as McCann Worldgroup US to state no client loss is a rare sight. But McCann claimed a record 82 wins between November 2018 and October 2019. Among the wins were big brands such as ADT, eBay, LinkedIn and Spectrum Brands.

See all the winners

Led by Harris Diamond, chairman and chief executive since 2012, the network encompasses 20,000-plus employees in 100 countries and totalled $2.4bn in revenue over the award time period.

McCann’s purpose is simple: help brands play a meaningful role in people’s lives. With tentacles everywhere in healthcare advertising, branding, strategy and PR, minutiae such as data points can add up.

Its Truth Engine allows teams to unlock specific insights in its massive Truth Central database to glean needle-moving insights. To create a sense of community around cold data, the agency shares insights with everyone on Truth Tuesdays.

McCann New York contributed Microsoft’s "Changing the game" campaign for the Xbox Adaptive Controller, which lit up Super Bowl viewers and social media, and picked up a Grand Clio for Innovation, along with a host of other awards.

That office also launched a Super Bowl takeover for Verizon, starring its "third team" of NFL players and a coach who would not be there except for the phone carrier’s reliable service. Their stories of tragedy and survival took consumers on an emotional journey and gave Verizon a 65% boost in brand trust.

To demonstrate the importance of organ donation, Casanova//McCann and McCann Canada gave people who had signed up to be organ donors a second chance themselves. Police officers gave organ donors "second chance tickets" or waivers for infractions because they had signed up to give someone else a second chance. In California, an extra 38% of people signed up to be organ donors year on year during the launch. The campaign won a gold Lion in PR.

In 2019, McCann was named Cannes Lions Agency Network of the Year for the first time. McCann Health was also the 2019 Healthcare Network for the Year at the Cannes Lions for the third time in the past four years.

One judge said: "Excellent entry with first-class results and performance."

Finalists:

• McCann Worldgroup Europe
• Ogilvy Asia