Advertising's most-awarded holding companies and agency networks of 2021
The World Creative Rankings, in partnership with Twitch, is the definitive guide to advertising’s most creative brands, agencies and people. We’ve already revealed the 200 most awarded ad campaigns of 2021 and the 200 best creative agencies in the world. Now we look at the holding companies and agency networks that performed best over the last 12 months.
Which holding companies and agency networks topped the World Creative Rankings this year?
Though holding companies such as Publicis and IPG have spent the last decade diversifying their portfolios in order to expand into new forms of marketing services, creative still sits at the heart of each.
The World Creative Rankings, compiled by our researchers after an exhaustive review of the industry’s award schemes, chart the overall performance of holding companies’ creative agencies across the last 12 months. This year, WPP has regained the top spot from Omnicom, which previously topped the Rankings for four years running.
The top holding companies by creative performance
| Rank | Agency |
|---|---|
| 1 | WPP |
| 2 | Omnicom Group |
| 3 | Interpublic Group |
| 4 | Publicis Groupe |
| 5 | Havas Group |
| 6 | Accenture Interactive |
| 7 | Dentsu International |
| 8 | MDC Partners |
| 9 | Hakuhodo DY Group |
Drilling down further, our researchers also identified which agency networks – the parent brands of storied agencies such as TBWA, Ogilvy and AMV BBDO – performed best across their territories, campaigns and clients. This year, BBDO maintains its winning streak having led the category in previous years.
The best creative agency networks
| Rank | Agency |
|---|---|
| 1 | BBDO Worldwide |
| 2 | Ogilvy |
| 3 | Publicis Worldwide |
| 4 | McCann Worldgroup |
| 5 | FCB |
| 6 | DDB Worldwide |
| 7 | TBWA Worldwide |
| 8 | Saatchi & Saatchi |
| 9 | Wunderman Thompson |
| 10 | Leo Burnett |
| 11 | VMLY&R |
| 12 | Havas |
| 13 | Serviceplan |
| 14 | Dentsu Japan Network |
| 15 | Wieden+Kennedy |
| 16 | Grey Group |
| 17 | MullenLowe |
| 18 | R/GA |
| 19 | Dentsu International |
| 20 | Cheil Worldwide |
| 21 | AKQA |
| 22 | 72andSunny |
| 23 | The North Alliance |
| 24 | Forsman & Bodenfors |
| 25 | Innocean Worldwide |
| 26 | Hakuhodo |
| 27 | Accenture Interactive |
| 28 | M&C Saatchi |
| 29 | Scholz & Friends |
| 30 | Jung Von Matt |
| 31 | Digitas |
| 32 | Weber Shandwick |
| 33 | Mediacom |
Discover which campaigns, agencies and brands have topped this year’s World Creative Rankings.