AdForum launches its latest Business Creative Report: a ranking of the world's most awarded ads

Now in its sixth year, AdForum’s Business Creative Report is a unique ranking of the world’s most awarded campaigns by industry sector. For the first time, the report also includes regional trends.

See the full report here. 

The report covers 9 categories: Automotive, Entertainment & Leisure, Finance, Food & Beverages, Health & Beauty, Luxury, Retail, Technology and Transport & Tourism. This year's report was launched in partnership with Kantar Media.

Rigorously 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. It also includes a number of new local and specialist prizes, including Best !n (Spain), CCB (Belgium), the Webby awards (to be precise, its Advertising, Media & PR category) and Clio Entertainment.

One of the report’s major findings was that – in this digital era – the world’s most awarded campaign overall last year was a print campaign: “Better With Pepsi” by Alma. Although social media helped spread its fame, it owed its visual flair to the skills of an origami artist.

Alvar Suñol, co-president and chief creative officer at Alma, commented: “Our journey with ‘Better With Pepsi’ has garnered a phenomenal reception and we’re truly honored by this recognition of its impact…I hope it's especially seen as an example of the beauty that lives in print, and how advertising in its simplest forms are still unforgettable mediums for storytelling. As an idea led by an insightful cultural tension, detail and genuine craft, ‘Better With Pepsi’ is a true reminder of why many of us, including myself, fell in love with advertising in the first place.”

While the pandemic overshadowed the 2020 and 2021 reports, its presence was conspicuously absent last year, notably in the Transport & Tourism category, where it had previously loomed large. The big winner in that category was the Vienna Tourist Board and the agency Jung von Matt. When Facebook’s algorithm removed a “nude” Palaeolithic statue, the Vienna tourist office used the site Only Fans to tell the naked truth about the art and statues visible in the city.

Another notable winner in the report was Samsung, which appeared twice in the Technology top five, with its film “The Spider and the Window” by Leo Burnett Germany in first place – and in fourth place with the “Samsung iTests” from DDB New Zealand, an app that allows iPhone users to magically switch their screen to an Android environment and test it out.

Similarly, in the new Entertainment & Leisure category, Amazon’s Prime Video service features in both second place – with a charming film, “An Unlikely Friendship”, by Spain’s CYW – and in third position with a giant outdoor karaoke event masterminded by Ogilvy Italy. (First place in the category goes to the uplifting “Super. Human. Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Trailer”, from the UK’s Channel 4 and 4Creative.)

Elsewhere, a wide spread of brands won the praise of awards juries last year, suggesting that creativity is thriving across a broad range of industries.

For further information contact Maud Largeaud, Chief Information Officer: Maud@adforum.com