Now in its seventh year, AdForum’s Business Creative Report is a unique ranking of the world’s most awarded campaigns by industry sector.
The report covers 9 categories: Automotive, Entertainment & Leisure, Finance, Food & Beverages, Health & Beauty, Luxury, Retail, Technology and Transport & Tourism.
Compiled from the results of the leading awards shows around the world, it allows advertisers and agencies to measure their creative impact against their peers in the same industry.
This year’s report is based on the results of more than 40 awards shows, both local and global. This year for the first time it integrated the Ciclope Festival, which covers production, directing, visual effects, animation, editing, sound and other vital elements of craft.
As 2023 was abuzz with talk of AI and its potential, it’s perhaps no surprise to find that AI played a role in last year’s most awarded campaign overall: “McEnroe vs. McEnroe” from Michelob Ultra and FCB. But while the project combined elements of artificial intelligence and robotics, it was also a terrific piece of entertainment featuring a charismatic athlete. The human element remains key.
Overall, AI was less prevalent in the world’s most awarded work than might have been expected. Perhaps because agencies are still testing its potential. There was one very clear trend: film and print are slipping lower down the list of awarded entries, replaced by case studies that could be broadly described as “innovations”, both digital and alternative.
It seems that the most creative agencies and their clients are doing less classic “advertising”. Instead, they’re working on long-term solutions that benefit customers.
Take two widely-awarded initiatives from Renault and Publicis Conseil: “Time Fighters”, which improves the safety of vehicles from the design stage up; and “Plug Inn” which helps the drivers of electric vehicles recharge their cars. In the field of Health & Beauty, Vaseline and Edelman Worldwide created a new searchable database that finally allowed people of colour to diagnose potential skin conditions, while before they’d felt invisible.
Similarly, if purpose-driven projects are still present, they tend to be more deeply integrated into the DNA of brands, avoiding charges of opportunism. Mastercard and McCann come to mind, particularly with “Where To Settle”, which aided Ukrainian refugees by crunching financial transaction data. Also in the financial sector, WeCapital in Mexico assembled “missing” data to give underprivileged women access to bank loans for the first time.
Meanwhile, the Tech category was dominated by innovations that improved lives. Talking of tech, apps were more prominent in the winning work, while partnerships with influencers and social media creators seemed to have taken a step back.
On the other hand, brands seem to have finally cracked the delicate business of seducing gamers and securing a presence in games, mostly by creating fun and speaking the right language. Oreo’s “cheat cookies” and the #ThisIsMcDonalds virtual treasure hunt are two prime examples.
Design thinking informed many of the world’s leading campaigns: the most-awarded project in the Automotive sector, “The Call of Adventure”, was inspired by the Jeep’s iconic headlights and radiator grille. In general, media choices are becoming more eclectic. While they often veer towards digital and mobile platforms, everything from seed packets (“The Hornicultural Society”) to gifting envelopes at Indian weddings (“Shagan Ka Lifafa”) were fair game for carrying campaign messages.
To draw your own conclusions or check on your brand or agency, see the full report here: https://www.adforum.com/business-creative-report/2023
