Publicis Conseil, Ogilvy and WPP win agency, network and most creative company of year at Cannes Lions 2024

Publicis Conseil won agency of the year for France, Ogilvy won network of the year, and WPP won creative company of the year at the end of Cannes Lions 2024.

Other notable winners included Rethink, Toronto, which won independent agency of the year and Rethink, which also took independent network of the year.

Unilever was the creative marketer of the year, and Coca-Cola was the creative brand of the year.

It is the first time that Publicis Conseil has won Cannes Lions Agency of the Year in its 98-year history. Publicis Groupe, the French parent company, hailed “this incredibly special honour”.

The Paris-based agency won after picking up two Grand Prix awards for Renault’s “Cars To Work” and 16 other Lions for brands including Axa and Darty.

Marco Venturelli, the chief creative officer of Publicis Conseil, and Agathe Bousquet, the president of Publicis France, who jointly run Publicis Conseil, took to the stage at the Palais on Friday night to receive the award. 

Arthur Sadoun, the chairman and chief executive of Publicis Groupe, said: “Seeing Publicis Conseil, our group’s mother agency, named as Agency of the Year at the Cannes Lions is a very proud moment for me, [former Groupe CEO] Maurice Lévy and everyone at Publicis.

“It took almost 100 years and over 820 kilometres for a hot shop founded in Montmartre by Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet to make its way to the Palais des Festivals to receive this incredibly special honour.”

Sadoun, Lévy and Bleustein-Blanchet all previously ran Publicis Conseil in a sign of its symbolic importance to the group.

Sadoun added: “We are particularly proud to get this recognition for outstanding campaigns that have been seen and loved across France, with some of our biggest and most iconic clients, many of whom have been partnering with us for decades.”

“I’d like to thank each of them for always pushing us to raise the creative bar, Marco and the teams for going above and beyond that challenge every day, and Agathe for her outstanding leadership.”

Wins for Ogilvy and WPP

Devika Bulchandani, the global chief executive of Ogilvy, said: “It was inspiring to see so many agencies with unbelievable work this week.

“Our industry moves forward when we all come together to celebrate and champion the undeniable impact that creativity can have on our clients’ businesses and the communities we live in.

“I’m extremely proud of Ogilvy’s performance, but I am also incredibly gratified that collectively as an industry we proved that creativity always wins.”

Mark Read, the chief executive of WPP, said: “I am absolutely thrilled for our clients, people and agencies whose brilliant work these awards recognise.

“To win Creative Company of the Year for WPP and Network of the Year for Ogilvy, with The Coca-Cola Company being named Creative Brand of the Year for the first time in its history, is a remarkable achievement.”

The winners of the three big awards all went one better than in 2023 when Publicis Conseil, Ogilvy and WPP each placed second in their categories behind GUT, DDB and Omnicom. respectively.

Simon Cook, the chief executive of Cannes Lions, said: “I hope everyone feels an extraordinary sense of pride and a rejuvenated sense of energy and inspiration in our industry.

“I’d like to congratulate each and every winner – as well as those shortlisted – on being recognised by your peers as demonstrating the greatest, most effective creativity our industry has to offer.” 

LIST OF WINNERS

Agency of the Year 

• Publicis Conseil, Paris, France 
• Rethink, Toronto, Canada
• Ogilvy, New York, United States 
• Independent Agency of the Year 
• Rethink, Toronto, Canada
• Edelman, London, United Kingdom 
• Klick Health, Toronto, Canada 

Network of the Year 

• Ogilvy 
• Publicis Worldwide 
• DDB Worldwide 

Independent Network of the Year 

• Rethink 
• Edelman 
• Serviceplan Agenturgruppe

Creative Company of the Year 

• WPP 
• Omnicom 
• Interpublic Group

Creative Brand of the Year 

• Coca-Cola 
• Heineken
• Apple 

Palme d'Or 

• Smuggler, United States 
• Revolver, Australia 
• Uncharted Limbo Collective, United Kingdom 
• O Positive, United States 
• Iconoclast, France

Winners of Agency of the Year by Track 

Agency of the Year - Classic 

• Lola Mullenlowe, Madrid, Spain 

Agency of the Year - Craft 

• FCB, New York, United States 

Agency of the Year - Engagement 

• Rethink, Toronto, Canada 

Agency of the Year - Entertainment 

• Marcel, Paris, France 

Agency of the Year - Experience 

• Publicis Conseil, Paris, France 

Agency of the Year - Good 

• Ogilvy, Singapore 

Agency of the Year - Strategy 

• Rethink, Toronto, Canada 

Independent Agency of the Year by Track 

Independent Agency of the Year - Classic 

• Rethink, Toronto, Canada 

Independent Agency of the Year - Craft 

• 4Creative, London, United Kingdom 

Independent Agency of the Year - Engagement 

• Rethink, Toronto, Canada 

Independent Agency of the Year - Entertainment 

• Modern Arts, Los Angeles, USA 

Independent Agency of the Year - Experience 

• Rethink, Toronto, Canada 

Independent Agency of the Year - Good 

• Edelman, London, United Kingdom 

Independent Agency of the Year - Strategy 

• Rethink, Toronto, Canada

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