Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide named Network of the Year at controversy-plagued 59th Cannes Lions

Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide was named Network of the Year at the 59th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which has been plagued by more than the usual level of controversy. 

This week at the Cannes Lions saw Ogilvy & Mather have its best ever year. It has been presented with the prestigious Network of the Year award, and has won 83 Lions across all categories, including 1 Grand Prix to China, 12 Gold, 20 Silver and 50 Bronze. The network  has also achieved a record 305 finalists during the festival.

The WWP-owned Ogilvy network beat rival Omnicom-owned networks BBDO and DDB to the title.

Tham Khai Meng (pictured), Worldwide Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy & Mather and Film & Press Jury President at Cannes 2012 said he was delighted to be crowned Network of the Year in Cannes 2012 on top of winning a Grand Prix and 83 Lions: “The awards are a reflection of our strong creative and management teams, our client relationships, and our agency culture that places its emphasis on creativity. It’s great to be recognised by our peers,” said Khai Meng. 

Ogilvy & Mather China picked up its Grand Prix in the Outdoor category for the ‘#CokeHands campaign.’

Across the Network 12 Golds were awarded – across all categories – for the following campaigns:

–  3x Gold for ‘The Return of Dictator Ben Ali’, Ogilvy & Mather Tunisia (2x Promo & Activation; and Branded Content & Entertainment)

–  1x Gold for its ‘Sprite Shower,’ Ogilvy & Mather Brasil – Sao Paulo ( Promo & Activation)

–  1 x Gold for its Carling Black Label ‘Be The Coach,’ Ogilvy Cape Town (Branded Content & Entertainment)

–  1x Gold for its Claro TV ‘Half of HBO for free,’ Ogilvy & Mather Guatemala (Direct)

–  1 x Gold for its Claro ‘A’ ‘T’ ‘S’ ‘I’ campaign, Ogilvy & Mather Brasil (Press)

–  1x Gold for its IBM ‘THINK’ campaign, Ogilvy & Mather NY (Design)

–  1x Gold for its Hellman’s ‘Recipe Receipt’ campaign, Ogilvy & Matcher Brasil (Promo & Activation)

– 1x Gold for its ‘Coke Hands’ campaign, Ogilvy & Mather, China (Outdoor)

– 1x Gold for its Forbes ‘Donald Trump’ campaign, Ogilvy & Mather Brazil (Outdoor)

–  1x Gold for its Coca-Cola ‘ Share a Coke’ campaign, Ogilvy & Mather Sydney (Outdoor)          

Winning Network of the Year, and the record haul of 83 Lions across all categories in the 59th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 2012, breaks last year’s record of 61 award wins (12 Gold, 17 Silver, and 32 Bronze).