Agency of the Year 2010

This year may feel like déjà vu, with DDB and Taxi once again dominating AOY. In the last decade, there hasn’t been a single year that they didn’t take home a medal, and this year is no exception. Impressive to be sure (and no doubt frustrating if you’re the other guys).

But this year also marks some notable newcomers, proving that the other guys should never be counted out. Sid Lee wins its first AOY medal with a Bronze. The agency is known for its international buzz thanks to groundbreaking work for Adidas, and is now making even more headlines here at home as they recently opened a Toronto office (see p. 67 for more).

And Lg2 entered the winner’s circle with a Finalist finish – not surprising considering how it racked up awards recently, cracking the top 10 in strategy’s Creative Report Card earlier this year.

In a year where the campaigns often felt Olympic in scope (because many actually were for the Games), several judges commented on the “world class” calibre of the work, both in traditional mediums like television, but also in the seemingly fearless approach to digital and social media.

“I love seeing how agencies and marketers are grasping the larger canvas that is available,” said judge Paul LeBlanc, founder and CEO, Extreme Group. “The work is becoming much more confident as we really understand how the digital world, traditional media and the real world all work in providing a 360-degree communication.”

As these agencies fearlessly move forward into new territory, we asked the winners what agencies will look like in the next decade, and more specifically, how they’re readying themselves for what lies ahead.