Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne named Campaign Brief Agency of the Year for fourth year running
2011 was an incredible year of growth for Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, both creatively and financially. The tight-knit team on St Kilda Road has shown that they can achieve the holy grail of advertising – creativity and effectiveness – again and again.
With a number of major high-profile client wins and creative appointments, the agency is showing no sign of easing off the accelerator.
For an unprecedented fourth year running, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne is Campaign Brief’s Agency of the Year.
The agency’s executive creative director Ant Keogh has led by example, honoured for the third time as the MADC Creative Leader of the Year.
Sitting inside ‘the room’ with its master table illuminated by a row of flame-coloured lights, beside creative stars such as Julian Schreiber, Tom Martin, Darren Pitt and Rohan Lancaster, and recently hired Jim Ingram and Ben Couzens, it’s been clear from the get-go that everybody (including Keogh) has been burning with one intention in mind: to push the agency to the next level.
This restlessness is reflected in both business terms and industry accolades. A sign sits in the creative department, quoting journalist Edward R. Murrow: ‘Anyone who isn’t confused doesn’t really understand the situation’.
Keogh says this sums up the attitude of the agency when it comes to producing the often ground-breaking work they’ve been recognised for around the globe. Says Keogh: ”Quite often, we’ll come up with an idea and have absolutely no idea how to even begin to make it happen. We’ve learned over the last few years that that uncertainty usually means we’re on to a good thing,” he says. “That doubt also serves to keep us constantly on our toes.”
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne is the only agency in the history of CB’s Agency of the Year awards to win it four years in a row, with Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney previously managing to take out the title three times in a row – in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
The Monkeys was awarded Campaign Brief’s NSW Agency of the Year. Last year alone, The Monkeys helped launch a casino, reminded Australians why they’re proud of the Sydney Opera House and won over 24 new brands from Diageo to Dermalogica. Along the way, making it okay to buy cheap undies and to take up a habit for stashing cash.
Meanwhile, DDB New Zealand was named Campaign Brief NZ Agency of the Year for the third year running.
To read all about it, look out for the print edition outsoon. To subscribe go to Campaign Brief Online or download the subscription form:
20 Comments
Nice photoshopping lynchy
That cover is gob smackingly awful. Yecccchhh.
I think their Rubber Soul period was better and underrated.
Nice The Australian Media Blog picked up on this: http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/themediamachine/index.php/theaustralian/comments/clemenger_wins_4th_straight_agency_of_the_year_gong/
Congratulations Clemenger Melbourne – well deserved.
LOVE the cover …..
Good work Clemenger Melbourne, The Monkeys and DDB Auckland ….
………. congratulations to everyone at all those agencies. 2011 was a hard year for all agencies, and you guys managed to break through.
Just a NSW and NZ winner as well? What about other states?
Well deserved to all the agencies chosen.
Yep, congrats to Clemenger, Monkeys and DDB. Outstanding work and another award to draw in the clients. It just keeps getting better. 🙂
Besides the token hot chick – where are the women?
@ Maria:
The women are at other agencies.
Here’s the thing:
Clems Melbourne has spared no expense in assembling the best creatives in the market. The best creatives in the market (at the moment) just happen to be male. So their creative department (in the big room at least) is all male.
It’s not a sexist conspiracy: it’s a meritocracy.
You’re female and you want to work in the big room at clems melb? Win international metal on a regular basis, and you’ll get a call.
They’re not just gonna hire you because you’re a woman.
As James Hurman’s book, Peter Field’s Gunn/IPA Study, McKinsey’s report and many others have now proven creativity and effectiveness are not diametrically opposed, they are mutually dependent – an 11 times greater ROI in fact.
No wonder Clems Melbourne not only wins more clients (sure CEO’s & MD’s enjoy the 11 times bit) but it also ensures they are given the trust to push the creative boundaries.
Perhaps this and other industry blogs should change the language to help reinforce these findings – it’s not ‘the holy grail’ to be creative and effective, but rather the one directly leads to the other?
As Sir John Hegarty so aptly said “Our objective is effectiveness, our strategy is creativity.”
..oh and congratulations to all the winners by the way.
congrats to all, but i’m a little bemused how Leo’s doesn’t fare better. I guess their new business record holds them back?
They’ve really taken off since I left!
Is that why Emma Hill left? Funny, and I thought she won lots of international metal year after year.
The reasons why Emma Hill (or any individual person) left shouldn’t be openly debated on a public forum. Show a little class, Maria.
But if you think Clems Melbourne actively discriminates against women, please name me one female creative in Australia who you think is better than anyone currently in the big room at clems.
Three or four would be better, but start with one. And then tell us who you’d fire from that room to make a space for her/them.
The question really is: why are the vast majority of top creatives men? Not ‘why doesn’t Clems hire more female creatives?’
Four years running?
Come up with something original Clems…
Bloke,
Maria did not write that Clems ‘acitvely discriminates against women’. She merely asked where they were.
Perhaps they were in the ‘LITTLE ROOM’?
And just for the record, there are many many fantastic female creatives in Australia who actually choose not to work at BIG AGENCIES who have BIG ROOMS purely because they don’t wish to work in an sort of antiquated, penis-pulling ‘Mad-Menesque’ my-award-is-bigger-than-yours environment.
What’s the big room? Sounds exciting.
Clems hires mostly mid/senior creatives, so they go with whoever’s already out there.
In AWARD school the male female split is close to 50/50, going into the industry that split is more like 80/20.
My guess is that it’s to do with ‘ironic macho’ being the house style of agencies which is more often rewarded by CDs and judges. Toyota border security, Carlton Canoe, Salad Plate, etc.
Clems effort this year is great because the most awarded work goes beyond ironic macho, wheras the work coming out of alot of other agencies including DDB NZ looks like blokes making Will Ferrell jokes for blokes.