Definitely, it was a night for the books. And juxtaposition.
Appropriately enough, host Edu Manzano opened the show by quoting Charles Dickens. “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”
Thus started the Philippine Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies’ (4As-P) celebration of the year 2008, when recession hindered business growth but created new opportunities; when weekly pitches strained agency resources but spread the wealth. The Agency of the Year awards show exhibited the same pattern: previous champions held their own, but challengers gained so much ground; no one knew for sure how each round would turn out.
Dark horse DM9 JaymeSyfu established a menacing presence in the AOY, by being a finalist in every creative agency category. Sister agency DDB Philippines did one better by winning Best in Market Performance, its first in AOY history.
David Guerrero must have cast a nervous look at his competitors, as DM9, DDB, Publicis JimenezBasic and even Leo Burnett threatened to catch up with BBDO Guerrero. (Had McCann Erickson not withdrawn from competition several weeks ago, it might have also given everyone a run for the money.) When former AOY winner TBWA/Santiago Mangada Puno clinched the trump category, Best in Creative, more than a few thought the brief rule of BBDO Guerrero was as good as ended.
In the end, however, BBDO Guerrero not only won Best in Industry Leadership and Community Service; it was named Agency of the Year for the second year in a row.
The media agency categories were less suspenseful. While Universal McCann won Best in Business Performance, MindShare wrest back Best in Media Creativity and held onto the Overall Media Excellence plate, for the fourth year in a row.
The search for Production Houses of the Year yielded similar results. Hit Productions was named Radio Production House of the Year, an honor it has held nine times. Likewise, Femar and Filmex became three-time winners of Print Production House of the Year and TV Production House of the Year, respectively.
At the end of the evening, AOY Committee Chairman Randy Aquino (O&M) was pleased. Thirty creative and media agencies and production houses vied for the AOY’s oversized metal plates, and last night, the victories were spread across the room. He was reassured that finally, the industry getting the message.
“People are now into the pursuit of excellence, in all aspects of agency life.”
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BBDO Guerrero
Agency of the Year
Best in Industry Leadership and Community Service
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Best in Creative – TBWA/Santiago Mangada Puno
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Best in Market Performance – DDB
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Best in Management of Business – Publicis JimenezBasic
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MindShare
Overall Media Excellence
Best in Media Creativity
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Best in Media Business Performance – Universal McCann
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TV Production House of the Year – Filmex
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Radio Production House of the Year – Hit Productions
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Print Production House of the Year – Femar
