Singapore – The 16th annual Agency of the Year Awards were handed out by Media Asia magazine last December 10th at the seven-star St. Regis Hotel in Singapore. It was a black-tie event that revolved around the theme of Mad Men, with the help of main sponsor FOX One Stop Media.
The night’s top honor—the Asia Network of the Year—was awarded to Isobar/Carat, an alliance of a digital agency and a media agency within the Aegis Group. Its trophy was presented by actor William Kartheiser, who plays Mad Men’s Pete Campbell, on video.
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Network of the Year: Isobar/Carat
Judges awarded Isobar/Carat for having an all-around good year in growth, training, with a focus on the "Year of basics" particularly their digital, communications planning skills and staff training.
The evening belonged to Carat. Aside from Network of the Year, the managing director of Carat Shanghai, Seth Grossman, took the Account/Business Development Person of the Year, and its Shanghai office won the North Asia Office of the Year.
Throughout the evening, many in the crowd were disappointed as the results were announced. Unlike in the last three years, when Ogilvy & Mather consistently won Network of the Year, mainstream agencies saw media agencies win the plum awards instead.
The Regional Agency Head of the Year went to Phil Talbot, CEO of ZenithOptimedia. Jasmin Sohrabji of OMD India was National Agency Head of the Year. Media Planner/Buyer of the Year is Anshuman Purohit of Mediacom Singapore.
Despite strong performances in other regional creative, digital and creative award shows this year, the perennial winners, the multinational creative agencies , went home nearly empty-handed. Ogilvy just scored only one metal, when its Mumbai office was named the Agency of the Year for the India and Subcontinent Office. BBDO Asia Pacific was completely locked out, except for the runner up citation for Carol Potter, in competition for Agency Head of the Year for North Asia. Another two-time winner of Agency of the Year, TBWA only received one nomination for Andy Blood, in the Creative of the Year category.
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Dirk Eschenbacher leads Tribal DDB to Digital Agency of the Year
Among the global networks, DDB fared better. Tribal DDB, represented by Dirk Eschenbacher, won Digital Agency of the Year. DDB Melbourne, where their regional chairman John Zeigler is based, won the Agency of the Year award for the Melbourne and Australia area.
McCann also did well. Spencer Wong of McCann Worldgroup Hong Kong and now national chief creative director of China and Hong Kong offices, took home the Creative of the Year award. It was a well-deserved victory for this multi-awarded creative whose office scored a Grand Prix in Cannes this year for its Nike poster campaign. For the second year in a row, McCann Healthcare was named the Specialist Agency of the Year.
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Creative Agency of the Year: BBH
BBH, which was the 2008 Independent Agency of the Year , was declared 2009 Creative Agency of the Year; Publicis was its runner-up.
Euro RSCG, with its consistent acquisition of new business, became the Southeast Asia Office of the Year. Its regional executive creative director, Victor Ng, was cited as runner-up for Creative of the Year.
“Practically, an unknown entity in the Asia Pacific" last year, PhD Asia Pacific, headed by Cheuk Chiang, took home the Media Agency of the Year Award. Carat was runner-up.
This year’s new category in the awards, Mid-sized Network of the Year went to Iris Nation, Singapore.
The awards show also paid tribute to Procter & Gamble’s Deb Henrietta as Client Marketer of the Year and AirAsia as Brand of the Year.
The presence of Cannes Lions and Spikes Asia organizer Terry Savage gave the evening some buzz as he promoted the two big awards show for next year.
From the Philippines, Lizelle Maralag of the StarconMediavest Group Philippines came to the awards show, looking every inch a winner. Earlier that morning, she received her Gold award the 2009 Media Thinking Awards.
Organized by Media Asia, the Agency of the Year competition recognizes inspired leadership, management excellence, outstanding business performance and overall achievements in the Asia-Pacific advertising and communications industry.
