Clemenger Melbourne ranks #2 in Contagious Pioneers 2017 list; Leo Burnett Sydney ranks #11

Contagious has revealed its Contagious Pioneers 2017 list. The Pioneers list ranks agencies from around the world that consistently set the standard for excellence and innovation in marketing.

Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne has ranked #2 ‘best and bravest’ agency in the world ahead of Colenso BBDO, Auckland which ranked at #3. Leo Burnett Sydney ranked equal #11 sharing with The Brooklyn Brothers, London. Edelman Deportivo, Stockholm nabbed the #1 spot.

Says Nick Garrett, CEO, Clemenger Melbourne BBDO: “Being recognised as one of the 12 Contagious Pioneers is a big deal, but being ranked as #2 in the world is fantastic and a genuine surprise. We set out in 2016 to be one of the best agencies in the world which is a lofty ambition and Contagious is a great benchmark. They are the most discerning of all the international shows and trade publications because they reward brave ideas that push boundaries and deliver results for clients. It is very important for Australian agencies to feature regularly on this list, if we want to raise our international creative profile for doing big work on big clients.”

Says James McGrath, creative chairman of BBDO Melbourne: “Contagious always seems to uncover the true markers and proof that our industry is moving forward, we are naturally very pleased to be considered a part of their forensic commentary.”

As in previous years, the list is compiled from an analysis of the Contagious I/O intelligence platform – a database of the most innovative and effective marketing in the world.

In order, the 2017 winners are:

#1 – Edelman Deportivo, Stockholm

#2 – Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne

#3 – Colenso BBDO, Auckland

#4 – BBDO, New York

#5 – Prime, Stockholm

#5 – Iris, London

#7 – Forsman & Bodenfors, Stockholm

#8 – AKQA, London

#9 – 72andSunny, Amsterdam

#10 – BETC, Paris

#11 – The Brooklyn Brothers, London

#11 – Leo Burnett, Sydney

Agencies are ranked by the quantity of work they produced that was featured on Contagious I/O during 2016. This total score is then weighted, taking into account factors such as consistency – i.e. the ratio of campaigns created to the number of clients they were created for.

Says Alex Jenkins, editor, Contagious “It’s important to recognise that it’s damned hard for an agency to have any of its work featured on Contagious I/O, let alone a significant number of campaigns. Our focus is on quality over quantity.

“To put that quality in perspective, the Cannes Lions festival saw 43,000 submissions last year. Meanwhile, in 2016, we only featured 540 campaigns on I/O – just 1.2% of the Cannes submissions. And yet, long before they picked up a trophy on the Croisette, Contagious I/O had featured the Grand Prix winners in Cyber, Creative Data, Direct, Creative Effectiveness, Entertainment, Film, Media, Mobile, Outdoor, PR, Titanium, Print and Promo & Activation.

“To be a Pioneer agency is to consistently produce exceptional, industry leading work.”

Says Paul Kemp-Robertson, co-founder, Contagious: “There has never been a greater imperative for agencies to help clients meet head-on the disruptive forces they currently face. The Contagious Pioneers list recognises those agencies prepared to push that agenda and set new benchmarks for marketing: the agencies not content to stay on the safe path but to strike out bravely into new territory and explore new opportunities.”