Hamish McLennan and Tony Granger announce Y&R best ever Cannes performance with 49 Lions

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As part of an ongoing strategy to enhance the creative reputation and overall business performance of Young & Rubicam, global chief creative officer Tony Granger and global chief executive Hamish McLennan have announced the agency’s best performance in the history of Y&R’s participation in the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival 2010.  

 

Just two years into the partnership between Granger and McLennan – who share and drive the agency’s “turnaround” vision – Young & Rubicam culminates its week with 49 Lions in total, up from 19 in 2009. Young & Rubicam was named third as Network of the Year (behind BBDO and DDB) as a result of its aggregated performance at the 2010 Cannes Lions. Y&R USA (13 Lions), United Kingdom (seven Lions), Tel Aviv (four Lions), Dubai (four Lions) led the global network as the agency’s most awarded offices. George Patterson Y&R Australia also contributed four Lions, with Jakarta, Singapore and Beijing contributing a Gold Lion, Silver Lion and Bronze Lion respectively.

“It’s been just over two years in Young & Rubicam’s reinvention, and we’re starting to see exciting results,” said Granger. “I’m grateful for the talented team we’ve put in place across the network – their spirit and tenacity is inspirational. Their hard work is reflected in our day to day relationship with our clients, as well as our performance at Cannes and the other leading award shows.”

 

Young & Rubicam’s flagship New York office was named runner up for Agency of the Year with its 13 Lions including its first ever Cyber Lion. It was also the only US-based agency to take home a Press Lion this year. The agency was shortlisted for over 150 pieces of work from around its global network (compared to 32 in 2009).

McLennan said, “Our strategy of creatively re-invigorating Y&R is on course and has been a huge success thus far. We’re incredibly excited for the path ahead. Young & Rubicam NY won more awards than any other agency in the United States, and was the second-most awarded agency in the world, just after AlmapBBDO in Brazil. This means that this year we beat the agencies whose claim to fame is their creative work — Goodby, Silverstein + Partners, Crispin & Porter, Wieden & Kennedy, TBWA, as well as BBDO New York. Closer to home, we had the highest-scoring agency and network within all of WPP.”

Y&R’s Cannes performance comes on the heels of being awarded Agency Network of the Year for both the Art Director’s Club and the New York Festivals.

The agency has also seen strong new business success driven in part by the addition of such clients as Virgin Atlantic, Office Depot, Pirelli, LG and Bacardi. In BRIC markets, including China the office has turned the corner with the recent win of the massive GAP account. Y&R’s Singapore office in June 2010 landed the prestigious Tiger Beer business. Key talent upgrades have been appointed in all major business hubs around the world.