WPP and Ogilvy & Mather continue Cannes winning streak as final honours are announced
Cannes Lions unveiled its final winners last night (Saturday 25 June) with WPP and Ogilvy & Mather both continuing their winning streaks by claiming the Holding Company of the Year and Network of the Year awards respectively.
Ogilvy & Mather claimed the Network of the Year award for the fifth consecutive year
The holding group prize was won by WPP for the sixth year in a row, while sister company Ogilvy & Mather took home the network gong for the fifth consecutive year.
WPP's award is based on the accumulated points won by the agencies within each group, and means that WPP now holds the title of Parent Company of the Year 2016 across several industry award programmes including Cannes Lions, the Effies, the Warc 100.
WPP agencies from 46 different countries took home Lions this year, including for Y&R Auckland’s 'McWhopper' for Burger King and Grey San Francisco’s 'The Most Dangerous Town On The Internet'.
Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and chief executive of WPP, said: “In my cricketing career I have rarely, if ever, hit a six. This is the most gratifying one of the few.
"Although this award is handed to WPP, it is really testament to the ability, effort and success of the people within our agencies all around the world, and the good judgement of the clients who commission the work. So congratulations and thank you to them."
Ogilvy & Mather, meanwhile, picked up 120 Lions across 31 offices, with the roster including one Titanium, one Glass Lion, four Grand Prix awards and 31 Gold Lions as well as 39 Silver and 44 Bronze awards.
The four Grand Prix scoops came from four different countries, and included wins for Ogilvy & Mather UK's Philips 'Breathless Choir' and the group's 'Manboobs' work for The Breast Cancer Health Movement its David Buenos Aires office.
John Seifert, worldwide chief executive at Ogilvy & Mather, said of the award: “It is a huge honor to be awarded Network of the Year five times in a row. It is testament to the great skill and humanity of our talented teams across the network and the visionary leadership of my partners Tham Khai Meng and Miles Young."
Seifert spoke to The Drum earlier this week around the focus for the WPP-owned creative network, stating it will continue with a belief that "brands still matter" following his recent appointment.
Check out all of The Drum's Cannes Lions coverage here.