Most Creative Agency: Wieden and Kennedy

Most Creative Agency: Wieden and Kennedy

After looking through the portfolio of all the ad agencies on the list, there is no doubt that Wieden and Kennedy have the most expansive list of memorable ads that have not only been successful, but innovative. Their most famous work is the “Just Do It” campaign for Nike. This phrase was coined by founder, Dan Wieden himself and is something almost every person in America can associate with Nike. In addition, they have introduced creative ads for big companies such as Facebook, Coca-Cola, ESPN, Honda, Microsoft, Miller Brewing, Proctor & Gamble, Chrysler, and my favorite: Old Spice. The most recent Old Spice ads are the perfect example of how creative advertising can revolutionize a brand and their bottom line. For instance, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign was one of the first ads they used to target women specifically, after finding out that women made up the majority of men’s body wash customer base. The commercial is funny, unique and charismatic similar to many of their previous campaigns which have oftentimes gone viral. What makes all of Weiden and Kennedy’s advertisements creative is their ability to connect with customers. Old Spice connects with customers via humor, while their coke campaigns have connected with customers in a more personal way. The 2007 “Yours” campaign they did for Diet Coke shows a women traveling through different photographs on a wall and reliving memories. It reminds consumers how the Diet Coke brand can be an indispensable part of their lives. The 1996 ad they did for Microsoft coined the famous phrase “Where do you want to go today” drives all kinds of emotions to the consumer as the campaign highlights the potential for personal computers to serve as a trans-national, cross-cultural conduit for all forms of entertainment, information, and education.

Most Strategic Agency: Leo Burnett

I look at Leo Burnett as a strategic company, because they have been around since long before the digital age and have always remained relevant with their advertisements. In the article they posted on their homepage “Disrupt of be Disrupted: How Legacy Businesses are Changing the Game” they point out that it is a part of their company DNA to create disruptive ideas that change the way people think about a brand. In fact, they even just won the 2016 Clio award for “Agency of the Year,” particularly because of the great work they did with the “Van Gogh BnB” campaign for the Art Institute of Chicago. The purpose of this campaign was to promote the new Van Gogh exhibit at the Art Institute. They created a highly interactive and immersive experience by recreating one of Van Gogh’s most intimate paintings, “The Bedroom” and through partnership with Airbnb, invited people to spend a night inside the room. As a result, instead of just looking at a Van Gogh painting, people could live inside one, bringing them closer to the artist than ever before. They were founded in 1935 in Chicago and have evolved to more than 85 offices with more than 9,000 employees. They have maintained relationships with big clients such as Fiat, Samsung, Proctor & Gamble, Coca-Cola, GM, McDonalds, Nintendo, and Pfizer. Other examples of strategic moves they have made can be seen in their Allstate “Mayhem Sale” which was created to disrupt the insurance sector by convincing consumers to stop buying insurance based on price, but rather on having the right coverage. A recent article from September shows that Leo Burnette just lost their McDonald’s account, which was a $1 billion dollar account. They have looked at this is a opportunity to be strategic by focusing on growth opportunities with new clients and their primary existing clients like Samsung and P&G that have