WARC Rankings 2022: Media 100 revealed

MediaCom New York was the top media agency during 2021 and Mindshare the top media network, according to the Media 100 Ranking from WARC; French child welfare association L’Enfant Bleu topped the brand ranking and Unilever the advertiser ranking. 

The Media 100 Ranking is produced by combining the results of the industry’s most important global and regional media award shows tracked throughout 2021. The awards tracked are determined by a worldwide industry survey and in consultation with the WARC Rankings Advisory Board.

#1 Campaign: Undercover Avatar for L’Enfant Bleu by Havas Sports & Entertainment Paris

French child welfare association L’Enfant Bleu harnessed the power of Fortnite, the hugely popular video game, by creating an undercover in-game avatar enabling children to confide their concerns about abuse during lockdown. The impact of the campaign resulted in the French government working on solutions to turn video games into new ways to identify abused children.

#1 Media Agency: MediaCom New York 

With five highly placed campaigns in the top 100 for Ally, Uber, Walgreens and Duracell, MediaCom New York has stormed up the rankings to claim global pole position. Mindshare Shanghai is in second place with eight campaigns ranked. PHD London rises to third place, up from 40th, with two campaigns, including Media That ‘Eats’ Pollution ranked #3.

#1 Media Network: Mindshare 

For a third consecutive year, taking top place is Mindshare, with seven agencies in the top 50 contributing to its tally of points: Shanghai, Mumbai, Ho Chi Minh City, New York, Sydney, Stockholm and Moscow. Hot on its heels and closing the points gap is MediaCom in second place and PHD Worldwide is in third, up from fourth.

#1 Holding Company: WPP

No change for the top three networks for the past five years, with WPP retaining its pole position, Omnicom Group in second place and Interpublic Group in third.

#1 Brand: L’Enfant Bleu 

Newcomer to the WARC Rankings, French child welfare association L’Enfant Bleu is top brand with its outstanding and impactful campaign Undercover Avatar. Pedigree is in second place following a three year absence from the top 50. Online US bank Ally enters the the top 50 brands for the first time in third position.

#1 Advertiser: Unilever

Multinational consumer goods company Unilever retains its number one spot for the third consecutive year. Brewing giant AB InBev, moves up one place to second. The Government of New Zealand, which has steadily climbed the Media 100 Rankings over the past couple of years, is now in third place. 

#1 Country: USA

No change in the top three from last year, with USA retaining its #1 ranking, followed by the UK in second place and China in third. 

Summing up, David Tiltman, SVP Content, WARC, said: “The WARC Media 100 shows the growing influence of gaming on the media landscape. More clients are showing an understanding of the nuances of gaming beyond simple product placement or ads in games.”

The WARC Media 100 Ranking can be viewed in full here. It includes the world’s top 100 awarded campaigns for media, top 50 media agencies, agency networks, brands, advertisers, countries and top holding companies. The campaigns, case studies, credits and subsequent insights reports are available to WARC Rankings subscribers.

The WARC Creative 100 has been announced and can be viewed here. The WARC Effective 100 will be revealed on 17 March.