Saatchi wins Fairfax/Admedia Agency of Year
From Fastline/admedia:
SAATCHI & SAATCHI ‘BACK TO GLORY DAYS’
Saatchi & Saatchi was last night [Tuesday 14 March] named the Fairfax AdMedia Agency of the Year at a function in Auckland.
"Saatchi & Saatchi is back to its glory days," the judges said, noting the agency had a "brilliant" year in 2005 with revenue up by 36% and profitability by 169%. Saatchi also won 86% of new-business pitches and hired 80 new staff (taking total numbers to 190).
(The judging panel was privy to Saatchi’s dollar numbers but – thanks to the USA’s post-Enron Sarbanes Oxley Act – the actual figures cannot be published.)
The accolades for Saatchi didn’t stop there. CEO Andrew Stone won CEO of the Year (he also won this category last year), Saatchi-owned media agency Starcom won Media Agency of the Year, and account manager Dave Hewitt won Rookie Suit of the Year.
Compact Agency of the Year was Tequila, a division of Whybin TBWA.
The judges made a special one-off award to DDB chairman/CEO Martin O’Halloran, who was last month promoted to chairman/CEO of DDB Australia and New Zealand, based in Sydney. O’Halloran, who was the AdMedia CEO of the Year in 2004, was named Agency CEO 2000-2005. "For over 10 years he has stood head and shoulders above everybody else," the judges said.
Also honoured was the creator of the National Party billboards, veteran advertising creative John Ansell, who came out of left field to create the most talked-about campaign of 2005. Ansell has previously written ads for Labour. "I thought I’d retired from advertising," Ansell said. "But when I saw Don Brash on the horizon, I just had to put my hand up."
The judges were consultant Cindy Mitchener, ad-industry recruiter Peter Spencer, and Marketing Magazine editor Graham Medcalf.
Unlike most advertising awards, which focus on creativity, the Agency of the Year rewards business success and management excellence.
THE WINNERS
Agency of the Year: Saatchi & Saatchi.
Finalists: Clemenger BBDO, DDB, FCB, Y&R
Compact Agency of the Year: Tequila.
Finalists: Mr Smith, Promotus, Revo.
Agency CEO of the Year: Andrew Stone (Saatchi & Saatchi).
Finalists: Martin O’Halloran (DDB), Greg Partington (Advertising Works Ogilvy), Jon Ramage (Y&R).
Rising Agency of the Year: Colenso.99.
Finalists: Mr Smith, Tequila, Saatchi & Saatchi Interactive, WRC.
Media Agency of the Year: Starcom.
Finalists: Spark, OMD.
Rookie Suit of the Year: Dave Hewitt (Saatchi & Saatchi).
Finalists: Bridgette Crispin (DNA), Cameron Owens (Grey), Katey-Ellen Price (FCB).
Agency CEO 2000-2005: Martin O’Halloran (DDB).
Wildcard: John Ansell (writer).
ends
posted by CB at 3/15/2006 07:59:00 am
17 Comments:
Claws out girls
8:52 am NZDT
I have to say, I'm fuckin angry. Once again the food at an industry function was off. All I ate was one smoked salmon tart and I feel fucking sick as a dog. I felt on top of the world when I rocked in at 3 last night but like most cases of food poisioning it hit me as soon as I got up.
9:04 am NZDT
I ate a smoked salmon tart once. Different context.
10:01 am NZDT
Good stuff Saatchis, well deserved.
11:05 am NZDT
Didn't Dave Hewitt used to play in the front row for the All Blacks?
11:32 am NZDT
Last week we had an NBR Agency of the Year. This week it's Fairfax/Admedia's turn. Which is the one agencies really want to win?
Put it another way - which one is the Axis Gold and which is the NAB?
Or are they much of a muchness?
2:02 pm NZDT
Guess it depends which one you win.
2:04 pm NZDT
I don't think agency of the year correlates directly to grande axis awards. You could potentially have a relatively mediocre agency that does something great that could nab the Grande Axis. Remember O&M under B. Matchett from the mid 90's?
2:22 pm NZDT
2:02 - sorry - I misread your message. Um, I think in terms of revenue and business acumen the NBR carries the greatest level of prestige. For creativity it's the campaign brief agency of the year. Admedia is somewhere in the middle of these two (thebest of both worlds). Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
2:24 pm NZDT
Ahhh, Bruce Matchett.
He was so angry. He tried to beat me up once after I took him to task over one of his campaigns.
Remember his 'How do Generals keep their privates warm' print ad that was stolen from One Show Vol 12? Well, no you probably don't, I found reference to it in an old AdMedia buried deep in the agency library.
Isn't he in India now? Mmm, actually, I could eat a nice Rogan Josh right now.
3:10 pm NZDT
Who won CB NZ Agency of the Year? From the cover on the CB Blog I gather Saatchi Sydney won the OZ accolade (yet again).
4:27 pm NZDT
It was won by the NZ Herald classified division.
4:53 pm NZDT
Saatchi Auckand (or is it Saatchi NZ?) won CB NZ Agency of the Year.
5:04 pm NZDT
Maths 101
'Profitability increase' figures of 169% for Saatchis is great. Consider for a second, however, that a reduction in 'loss' can also be spun as an increase in profitablity.
Eg. Profits rise from 100 to 110 in consecutive years. This becomes: (110-100)/100 x 100 = 10% increase.
And so when losses move from -100 to -80, this becomes: (-80+100)/-100 x 100 = -20% (or a 20% increase).
I'm in the wrong vocation. Congratulations either way Mr Stone.
9:04 am NZDT
Most of the work is solidly mediocre.
The TV is especially weak.
And the print looks good on the surface but doesn't withstand even casual scrutiny.
And as you can see under just about every peice of work it reads something like - 'not yet tested at award shows.'
In my mind this makes the whole thing a farce. What are they being congratulated for? Surely we should wait and see if they win anything and if they do they could be in the running for AOTY next year.
Or is it the phenominally genius and well awarded ANTZ creative which has carried it for them?
So I say what's there to congratulate them for?
Nice profit? Or is that the creative bit.
Saatchi is just really good at PRing itself. The sooner we all realise that and play the same game, the closer it will become to a level playing field where genuinely great work is celebrated.
So hats off to them for the PR. But a wet fart for the work.
12:01 am NZDT
That's bullshit. Lynchy always uses his crystal ball. Hint: "Yet to be tested at awards shows." That's why Saatchis won (and many more before). They held the work back knowing that Lynchymakes his choice based on what's going to happen in the next six months. The previous blogger has obviously never won agency of the year.
11:06 pm NZDT
12.01, you're a bit harsh. Some of the work in CB is pretty bloody good. A high proportion of charity work, sure, but they're playing the game.
As you can see, it works wonders.
8:31 am NZST
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