Leo Burnett Beirut, 4th Most Creative Agency in the World according to the Big Won 2015

The Directory Big Won Ranking, the global creative annual report published in London every year at the end of January, sums up all the points that stem from all the creative awards won by advertising agencies in the 32 most important award shows and festivals around the world during the previous year. 

Along with the Gunn Report, this is one of the two most-awaited annual creative rankings by the worldwide industry, which lists agencies, campaigns and creative people according to the number of prestigious awards that were won.

Leo Burnett Beirut tops its own game by ranking 4th in 2015 after it surprised the global industry in 2012 by ranking 6th in the world.

This year, not only does it reinforce its global creative reputation by taking it to new heights, but it does what no other agency from the Arab region was able to do to date: reaching such a prestigious level of creative reputation by worldwide standards. Leo Burnett Beirut won 116 prestigious international and regional awards in just one year, along with two titles of Agency of the Year at the Dubai Lynx and the Cristal Festival.

Leo Burnett Beirut's multi-awarded campaigns for Johnnie Walker, Sakker el Dekkene and KAFA at the Cannes Lions, The One Show, Facebook Awards, Clio awards, the Dubai Lynx, AdFest Asia, New York Festivals, Epica, the Golden Drum, and the Global Cristal are among the 10 best in the world in several categories.

The Johnnie Walker “Keep the Flame Alive” campaign is the 9th most awarded campaign in the world for 2015, the 5th most awarded digital campaign and the 5th most awarded integrated campaign.

Leo Burnett Beirut is also the No. 1 media agency in the world.

Leo Burnett MENA's CCO, Bechara Mouzannar, is the No. 1 Chief Creative Officer in the world. 

Leo Burnett Beirut's ECD, Malek Ghorayeb, is the No. 1 Executive Creative Director in the world.

Leo Burnett Beirut's ECD, Areej Mahmoud, is the No. 2 Creative Director in the world.

There are also twenty Lebanese creatives, planners and communication people from Leo Burnett Beirut that rank among the 30 best in the world.

These results constitute a first for both the Lebanese and the Arab creative advertising industries. 

Patrick Collister, publisher of the Directory Big Won Rankings, reacted to this win:

"Looking at The Directory Big Won rankings, there is one agency that really shouldn’t be in the Top 10 for 2015: Leo Burnett Beirut. After all, this is a small agency in a small country, which just happens to be situated in one of the most politically sensitive parts of the world. And yet, there it is. “

Collister adds, “I was fortunate enough to visit Lebanon twice in 2015 and was struck by how determined the people of that country are to live normal lives in monstrously abnormal circumstances. The advertising community is at the forefront of this. Leo Burnett Beirut in particular is attempting to use creativity to tackle sagging morale and endemic corruption. If their ‘Keep the Flame Alive’ campaign for Johnnie Walker, ‘Lebanon4Sale’ work for Sakker el Dekkene and KAFA 'Vote for Us, We'll Vote for You' have won many awards around the world, then the agency is probably more proud of the effects they have had on the people they live with: restoring pride, stiffening resolve, encouraging conversation.

“In 2011, Special Group made a video about ‘New Zealand, most creative country in the world’.  They worked out they have one Cannes Lion per every 155,982 people. Without going into the math, I estimate Lebanon to be more creative per capita," ends Collister.

It is, without a doubt, through that agency’s vision that Leo Burnett Beirut became – with time – the creative hub of major global brands from the P&G portfolio for the MENA region, Africa, Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Latin America.

The agency has also lately been working on campaigns for the North American direct broadcast satellite provider, Dish. 

The Leo Burnett MENA network also made its way to the top, being the most awarded network in the world with 183 international and regional awards, won by its offices in Beirut, Dubai, Amman and Cairo, proving once again that creativity really is at the cornerstone of Leo Burnett MENA’s vision and structure.