MAA’s Agency of the Year is…actually there are two

What a swizz!

But, having totted up the recommendations of our distinguished panel – Andy Law, Paul Simons, George Parker, Giles Keeble, Jerry Judge, Michael Lee and Mark Andrews (plus me, of course) our Agency of the Year contest is a score draw between BBH London and Droga5 in New York. Others receiving nominations were Karmarama and 18 Feet & Rising in the UK and Jerry Judge’s choice of Planet Propaganda in the US.

We could have used nominations in other categories as tie breakers: Sir Nigel Bogle and Nick Gill from BBH were nominated in the Person of the Year category as was David Droga, in which case BBH would have nosed ahead. BBH also earned a Network nomination. But that would have been unfair, so a score draw it is. Congratulations to both.

Ad/Campaign of the Year

Three nominations for Danish agency &Co’s ‘Made from Cool’ campaign for retailer Jack & Jones starring Christopher Walken makes the maths easy here. So this is the clear winner. Unlike some of the other nominations, Made from Cool has failed to set YouTube alight (although it’s doing OK) but that may be because they’re ads not advertainment.

Network of the Year

No clear winner but WPP received one nomination (from George Parker, amazingly) as did WPP creative agency Ogilvy & Mather, so Ogilvy (the big winner at Cannes with over 100 Lions and more of a network than the sprawling – sorry multi-disciplinary – WPP) gets the prize.

Person of the Year

All different: apart from Bogle, Gill and Droga we had Cindy Gallop (whom God preserve), ITV director of television Peter Fincham, Ron Burgundy (aka Will Ferrell in Anchorman 2) and, poignantly, Mike Hughes of The Martin Agency who died last week after a long period with lung cancer. There’s a moving tribute to Hughes from his agency in Jerry Judge’s piece.

So there we have it: congratulations to our winners – BBH, Droga5, &Co and Ogilvy.

These choices get harder as agencies make online films rather than ads and other people make advertising. Arguably the most striking piece of marketing communication in 2014 was this from WestJet and Studio M.

Tears of joy in baggage reclaim. A Christmas miracle indeed.