Media 100 revealed – the world’s most awarded campaigns and companies for media excellence

Compiled by WARC, the international marketing insights company, the annual Media 100 Ranking is produced by combining the results of the industry’s most important global and regional media award shows of 2022. The awards tracked are determined by a global industry panel survey and consultation with the WARC Rankings Advisory Board.

Amy Rodgers, Head of WARC Creative, said: “This year, the top campaigns aimed to inform and educate through strong media strategies. The #1 campaign, ‘Break of Silence’, used TV to educate the audience on the experiences of deaf people. Liquid Billboard for adidas ranked #2 used out-of-home innovatively and creatively to help the brand stand out from the crowd; and the #9 campaign, ‘Fintropolis’ for Ally turned to gaming to teach young people about financial management.”

#1 Campaign for media: Break of Silence for INLesco by PHD San José

The most celebrated campaign for media of 2022 is ‘Break of Silence’ for INLesco, a sign-language school in Costa Rica. The country’s first silent TV commercial break, interpreted in sign language, was aired to raise awareness of the challenges facing the deaf community and drive change across the country.

Alan Vainrub, CEO, PHD Central America, said: “We are incredibly humbled, proud and happy that The Break of Silence reached the top of WARC’s Media 100, and that PHD Costa Rica is ranked #3 globally. This is an example of the power media has to make a real difference in the world, while generating great business results. We hope this campaign inspires many others in the industry to make the leap in using advertising and media to make the world a better place.”

In second place is ‘Beyond the Surface – Liquid Billboard’, the world’s first swimmable billboard created by Havas Dubai for adidas to encourage women in Dubai to feel comfortable swimming in public. Ranked third is ‘Versus’ for skincare brand SK-II for which EssenceMediacom Singapore / Grey Tokyo created an animated series with each episode addressing social issues such as cyber trolling and beauty rules.

#1 Agency for media: EssenceMediacom, New York

Taking the top spot, EssenceMediacom New York has three campaigns ranked in the top 100, including campaigns for Ally Bank and Walgreens, which took 4th and 7th place respectively.

Jill Kelly, US CEO, EssenceMediacom, said: “EssenceMediacom is committed to creating business-driving differentiation for and with our clients. This accolade is a proud emblem of our work, such as Fintropolis for Ally Bank and Rising Voices for Indeed. Our united team continues to strive to create even more impressive breakthrough ideas and impact.

“We are honored to have retained this award for two consecutive years, with MediaCom New York topping the media agency ranking in 2022. To deliver consistently outstanding work – in client partnership – year-on-year is remarkable. It is a privilege to be a part of the journey with our US team, in a united pursuit to create an agency like no other.”

Joining the global Media 100 for the first time, Havas Dubai’s highly successful Liquid Billboard campaign for adidas pushed the agency straight into second place. PHD San José climbs to third, up from 25th last year.

#1 Network for media: EssenceMediacom

Following a highly successful year, the newly-merged network tops the network table with six agencies ranked in the top 50, four of which are in the top ten, including EssenceMediacom New York in the top spot. Overall, the network has 14 campaigns in the top 100.

Nick Lawson, Global CEO, EssenceMediacom, said: “To be named as the most awarded global media network is a really proud moment for us. It perfectly sums up what we’re striving for as EssenceMediacom – which is a deep commitment to innovation and solutions that deliver marketing breakthroughs for our clients.

“We’re hugely ambitious about what our new agency can deliver. With three of the world’s top five campaigns in 2022, and our US operation being named the most celebrated agency across the world, it’s a strong start to our EssenceMediacom journey.”

PHD Worldwide moves up one place to claim 2nd position with six agencies in the top 50 and nine campaigns in the top 100. IPG Mediabrands is in third, up from 4th last year also with six agencies and ten campaigns ranked.

#1 Holding Company for media: WPP

The top seven holding companies are the same as last year, with the top three remaining unchanged for the sixth year in a row. WPP sits comfortably at the top of the ranking, with four networks ranked in the top ten. Omnicom Group is in 2nd place and Interpublic Group in third.

Christian Juhl, Global CEO of GroupM, WPP’s media investment company. said: “The WARC Media 100 is the ultimate tribute to excellence at scale in our industry. For Mindshare, Wavemaker and EssenceMediacom teams around the world to represent the best of this year’s list so comprehensively is the truest possible testament to the creativity and expertise of our people. It also represents the incredible partnerships we have with our clients and the commitment they bring to collaboration and innovation, without which none of these awards would be possible.”

#1 Brand for media: Cadbury

Cadbury, ranked 45th last year, takes top place for media excellence. The chocolate brand has four campaigns in the top 100 for Indian and UK markets.

Mie-Leng Wong, SVP Global Brands, Mondelēz International, said: “I’m delighted that WARC has ranked Cadbury the #1 brand in the world and Mondelēz International as the #2 advertiser in 2022. We’re making big strides on our marketing transformation journey that started four years ago, putting brands and consumers at the heart of the business, and Cadbury is one of our shining examples.

“Across the global Cadbury community, we continuously strive to push the borders of marketing excellence. A key success factor are the strong relationships with our agencies. It’s a collective ownership to leave a true legacy on this amazing chocolate brand.”

New to the global Media 100 ranking, SK-II comes in second with two campaigns listed, including its multi-award winning Versus campaign ranked 3rd. Sportswear brand adidas has moved up to 3rd place, from 6th last year.

#1 Advertiser for media: Unilever

Unilever tops the advertisers table for the fourth year in a row. 15 brands contributed to its overall tally, two of which – Dove and Lifebuoy – were in the top 50. There are five campaigns ranked in the top 100 for the multinational consumer goods company – its best performing campaign is #StopTheBeautyTest for Dove in India, ranked 11th.

Conny Braams, Chief Digital and Commercial Officer, Unilever, said: “WARC’s Media 100 is the ultimate independent global benchmark for media excellence and we are so proud to be ranked #1 for the fourth year in a row. Congratulations to our Global Media team at Unilever, our brand teams and agency partners who consistently navigate a dynamic media landscape to deliver award-winning campaigns.”

In second place, Mondelēz International has achieved its highest ever ranking in the Media 100, up from 20th last year. In third place is Anheuser-Busch InBev with four brands earning points: Corona, Vickys, Brahma and Carling Black Label.

#1 Country for creativity: USA

USA remains in 1st place for the sixth year in a row with 14 campaigns in the top 100 having run in the USA, two of which made the top 10 – Fintropolis by Ally and Vaccine Readiness Model by Walgreens.

The UK sits in second place for a third year. India moves up from 5th place to claim third. Germany has achieved its highest ever ranking rising from 11th to 5th and the United Arab Emirates is the most improved country, rising from 16th to 6th achieving its highest ranking in 5 years.

The world’s top ten most highly ranked campaigns and companies in the 2023 WARC Media 100 are: