Creative ranking 2019: Jung von Matt/Limmat takes the hat trick

For the second time, the Swiss Creative Ranking, which is conducted and published annually by Werbewoche, was evaluated according to the new mode: Adjusted weightings, three instead of only two freely selectable competitions. The new rules have not changed the dominance of one agency: Jung von Matt/Limmat wins for the third year in a row with a large margin over the competition. The fourth victory in a row for CCO and former "Advertiser of the Year" Dennis Lück, the third with his current agency Jung von Matt/Limmat. (Read all about it in the interview here).

This year's Top 5 agencies in a five-year comparison: Jung von Matt continues to dominate. Thjnk Zurich manages the leap of the year and TBWA\Zurich can hold on to the top 5 after last year's explosion. Ruf Lanz continues to be the constant in 3rd place and clings to this position. The only Top 5 newcomer: Hinderling Volkart brings digital wind into the top group.

With the campaign "Everyone is equal. No one is more equal." for Pro Infirmis, Thjnk Zurich won numerous creative competitions, including the Cannes Lions. In its second year of participation, the young agency already occupies second place in the creative rankings.

The reputation is on fire

3rd place? No surprise. For the fourth time in a row, Markus Ruf and Danielle Lanz are waving from the winner's podium. In fact, since its founding in 2001, the agency has always occupied a top 5 spot. With one exception, when Ruf Lanz took an award break in 2014 and still ended up in 8th place thanks to the "obligatory" ADC participation. Is another break on the horizon soon? "Another award break is currently not an issue. But we will continue to strictly select where we participate and what we submit," says Markus Ruf. In 2019, the agency co-founder is also pleased about the broad creative support with which they won. "So not just one outstanding campaign that clears everywhere - and often has little to do with day-to-day business - but award-winning campaigns for several real, often long-standing clients," says Ruf.

The unusual congratulatory campaign created by Ruf Lanz for Swiss Life's 101-year-old client Hans Knecht won numerous awards from ADC, Epica, Clio, London International Award, ADC of Europe and D&AD.

From regulars, returnees and debutants

What else has happened in the ranking? TBWA\Zurich succeeds in confirming last year's exploit and places itself once again in the top 5 with fourth place. Hinderling Volkart also makes an appearance there for the first time - thanks to its (usual) strong performance in the Best of Swiss Web.

The digital agency thus places itself directly ahead of another creative forge with digital DNA: Notch Interactive. The agency appeared in the top 10 for the first time in 2017 and, after a tenth and ninth place, has now reached the previous best mark. The question of whether Notch can also be counted on in the coming year is justified - after all, the agency has been part of the Publicis Group since this year. And as mentioned, the focus is not on awards and creative rankings. Co-founder Peter van der Touw, who is now the Chief Operating Officer of Publicis, waves it off: "As long as Notch continues to exist as an agency, we reserve the right to participate in the Advertising Week-creative ranking ahead ..."

With tbd. and Heimat Zürich, two newcomers also appear in the top 10 of the creative rankings. Last but not least, the absence of said heavyweights makes it possible this year to advance to the list of the ten best even with a low score - opportunity seized!

After a one-year Top 10 hiatus in 2018, Havas, a long-standing ranking permanent guest, also returns. Serviceplan Suisse completes this year's top field - the agency is represented in the list of the ten best for the second time after 2017.

As always, you can find the detailed creative ranking with all the points scored per competition in the printed edition of Werbewoche (1/2 2020).

Three great absentees

With 722 points, the agency scores so many points in 2019 that even one or two prominent absentees would have had their fair share of trouble preventing the ranking hat trick. There are three prominent absentees in 2019: Wirz took a one-year award break and submitted almost exclusively to ADC Switzerland. "As an ADC board member and in the spirit of promoting young creative talent, this was an obligation for me," says co-CEO Livio Dainese.

Wunderman Thompson also took the award slowdown in 2019 and dedicated itself to its own rebranding. Since fall, the former Y&R Group Switzerland has been appearing on the market with just one name; the subbrands Futurecom, Advico, Wunderman, Exxtra, and Young & Rubicam (Y&R) have disappeared. "In 2020, we'll be back in full force," promises Chief Creative Officer Swen Morath. Incidentally, the former Y&R Group so far holds the record in series wins: From 2008 to 2011, it won the creative ranking four times in a row.

The third prominent absentee is Publicis. After the worldwide award freeze in 2017 and 2018, the way back into the ranking would actually have been paved in 2019. Especially since the points from the ADC Awards alone would have been enough to advance to the midfield. However, CEO Thomas Wildberger has decided to forgo a listing in the ranking for the time being. If it were up to him, the ranking would have to show transparently and distinguish whether it was paid commissioned work or whether the campaigns were primarily developed to impress award juries. "A client must be interested to know whether an agency partner is actually capable of developing top creative solutions for day-to-day tasks as well, or whether he practices this mainly in the tinker's basement, where no one talks much into it, on briefings he has thought up himself," he says. With the discrepancy between day-to-day business and the award circus, Wildberger addresses a topic that has long been the subject of discussion in connection with creative competitions.

Established newcomer

Regardless of the absentees: It's lonely at the top for Jung von Matt/Limmat. But the competition is catching up. First and foremost Thjnk Zurich. The agency led by Alexander Jaggy and Andrea Bison is undisputedly one of the biggest winners in this year's ranking. Founded in 2016, it appeared in the ranking for the first time in 2018 and is already in second place in 2019. "To stand on the podium between two such strong renowned agencies three years after the agency was founded makes us very proud," says Jaggy. The top spot is no coincidence, but reflects the consistently high creative performance with which Thjnk Zurich repeatedly draws attention to itself. If the steep upward trend continues, Thjnk may soon be beckoning from the top. Or will it? Jaggy waves it off: "We don't have to be number one, we don't even have the award budget for it. We like the challenger position."

Home Zurich won with the Campaign for Kieser Training gold at the Epica Awards. Simon Rehsche and Nico Ammann (from left) picked up the award in Amsterdam, placing them in the top 10 of the creative rankings for the first time.