6 Funny, Moving and Provocative Ads That Showed Ogilvy's Creative Excellence in 2016

Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide just had a banner year, winning both the Cannes Lions Network of the Year and the Effie Awards' Most Effective Agency Network of 2016, thanks to some clever, moving work. Ogilvy prescribes to a "Twin Peaks" agenda, through which it strives to hit the highest level of creativity and effectiveness via success at Cannes and the Effies. The agenda paid off in 2016, and new worldwide CEO John Seifert is leading the agency into the future by aiming to continue its stellar track record. Here's a look back at the work that helped Ogilvy gain recognition as Adweek's Global Agency of the Year for 2016. Swedish Tourism Association – The Swedish Number (by Ingo Stockholm) The tourism campaign encouraged people around the world to call a number and be connected to a random Swedish person who could talk to them about the country. It won the Direct Grand Prix at Cannes and two Grand Clios. "Every Swede literally answered for his country, demonstrating genuine 'freedom of speech.' And with the amazing response it has produced, it makes you realize that nothing still beats the power of having a good talk," Merlee Jayme, chief creative officer of Dentsu Jayme Syfu and Clio Direct jury chair this year, told Adweek. MACMA – Manboobs for Boobs (by Ogilvy agency David) South America-focused agency David's #ManBoobs4Boobs campaign brought awareness to women's breast health and circumvented Facebook censorship of women's breasts by using "manboobs" to demonstrate breast self-exams. David executive creative directors Joaquin Cubria and Ignacio Ferioli told Adweek earlier this year: "It's hard to get women over 25 to examine their breasts regularly to prevent breast cancer. But it isn't hard to make them check their phones every five minutes. So that's how we decided to get to them." Gesicht Zeigen – Mein Kampf Against Racism Ogilvy's Berlin office published Mein Kampf Against Racism, a competing volume to Hitler's facist opus Mein Kampf, which was published in Germany this year for the first time since 1945. Ogilvy's book spotlighted 11 people who have fought against xenophobia and injustice. The first printing of 11,000 volumes nearly sold out, with 1 euro from every sale supporting Gesicht Zeigen, a nonprofit group that fights for social justice. Make Love Not Scars – Beauty Tips by Reshma In this powerful PSA, Reshma, an Indian woman who was a victim of an acid attack, takes viewers through a YouTube make-up tutorial. The effort was done to raise awareness of the country's 1,000 reported acid attack cases per year, of which 90 percent of victims are women. It encourages viewers to sign a petition to forbid the sale of acid, reinforced by the hashtag #EndAcidSale. Philips – Breathless Choir Ogilvy London's "Breathless Choir," a touching ad that tells the story of how a choir of breathing-impaired people came together to sing, won a Cannes Grand Prix at the Lions Health awards. "It shows how our innovation impacts people's lives in a very meaningful way," said Lenze Boonstra, head of brand at Philips. IBM – Art With Watson Ogilvy's work for IBM Watson has shown how artificial intelligence can be applied to various aspects of daily life and in different creative endeavors. In this spot, six artists worked with Watson to craft various pieces of art. "AI can be intimidating and dark because of the cultural reference points in science fiction, but Watson is the antithesis of that," said Jon Iwata, svp, marketing and communications at IBM. "This lets people see the possibilities of this technology, and that AI is moving into the mainstream." Glade – Museum of Feelings This museum – a bricks-and-mortar representation of the Glade brand that connected its scented products with feelings – attracted more than 56,000 visitors after opening in New York City last fall. It also won four Cannes Lions. For more on Adweek's 2016 Agencies of the Year, be sure to check out: • U.S. Agency of the Year: Droga5 • Global Agency of the Year: Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide • 6 Funny, Moving and Provocative Ads That Showed Ogilvy's Creative Excellence in 2016 • Breakthrough Agency of the Year: Venables Bell & Partners SaveSave

Creativity

6 Funny, Moving and Provocative Ads That Showed Ogilvy's Creative Excellence in 2016

Winning work from Adweek's Global Agency of the Year

Christine Birkner

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Christine Birkner