Creative Ranking 2020: Four Wins

A lot of things got mixed up, were canceled or postponed in this corona-battered year 2020. A lot, but not everything. And so agencies submitted their work to the various competitions that took place. Of the competitions that fall into the creative rankings, there were their three that dropped out completely: Cannes Lions, the Clio Award and the London International Award.

The top 5

Go to For the fourth time in a row, the Jung von Matt Limmat agency asserts itself at the top, for the former CCO Dennis Lück this is already the fifth time. Winning four times in a row is something only the former Y&R Group has managed in the history of the creative rankings. The agency, which has been renamed Wunderman Thompson, was ranked first from 2008 to 2011. Ruf Lanz secured second place and thus performed one rank better than in 2019. Third place is occupied by Thjnk, which thus had to give up one place, as the agency was ranked second last year. Hinderling Volkart Part of Dept improved its ranking by one place and now occupies fourth place. The top 5 are rounded off by the agency Havas, which thus improves its ranking by two places and advances to the top 5.

No less exciting: ranks 6 to 10

The biggest leap in the rankings was made by Heimat Zürich. In 2019, the agency appeared in the list for the first time ever, and just one year later, Heimat Zürich is already in 6th place. Notch, which has been part of the Publicis Group since last year, secures 7th place and thus loses one rank, Serviceplan holds on to 8th place, Wunderman Thompson, which took a slow run last year and dedicated itself to its own relaunch, secures 9th place, and Farner occupies 10th place.

Working under corona conditions

The agency world, like all other industries, was confronted with completely new starting points in 2020. Concepts had to be created from scratch, and employees learned to master creative processes, important meetings, selection processes, pitches and much more from their home offices at lightning speed. Lucky were those who had embraced the "work from anywhere" principle. Jung von Matt Limmat invested heavily to get the necessary changes underway.

And that in form and content: working together remotely and digitally has become a well-rehearsed daily routine for the agency. CEO Roman Hirsbrunner sums it up like this: "We are always happy when we are at the top of the podium. But even the fourth number one in a row doesn't change our real ambitions: How do we do the best work for our customers? How do we create an inspiring environment for our employees? How do we create work that doesn't 'just' sell, but also answers social questions?" (Read also the interview on page 6.)

Ruf Lanz has been dealing with social issues and attitude for a long time. Markus Ruf: "In 2021, we will continue to adhere to our guiding principle: If you rest on your laurels, you're wearing them in the wrong place. Even more so in Corona times. Because in times of uncertainty, a brand's attitude becomes even more important. People want to know what a company stands for and what contribution it makes to society. Staging this purpose of our clients in a surprising, entertaining and intelligent way is our goal." For years, the agency has kept itself on the winner's podium - and that with a dozen employees.

Alexander Jaggy and Andrea Bison from Thjnk have decided to standardize the home office for the future. They are switching completely to mobile working, they say, as the learning from the Corona crisis.

What was, what is coming

Last year, Hinderling Volkart joined Dept, an international group of digital agencies. Then came the lockdown, and with it the tension between all the demands grew. But thanks to Dept's trust and sensitivity, and clients' drive for innovation and digitization, new requests and projects opened up. Managing Director Michael Volkart sums it up like this: "We are delighted to be among the top 5 agencies in the creative rankings for the second time. This nomination is an appreciation for the courage of our clients for creative and digital solutions and the heart and soul of our team. At the same time, it also sets the bar for this year."

Havas was able to catapult itself up two ranks. The company is aware that 2021 will be no less challenging, as the effects of the pandemic cannot really be grasped. Patrick Beeli, Creative Director of Havas, sees opportunities in the culture of discussion, as this is more often conducted at eye level again, because everyone is in the same boat.

For Heimat Zurich, 2020 was a successful year despite all its adversities, also in terms of the creative ranking. Heimat partners Simon Rehsche and Nico Ammann have this to say about the ranking: "Advertising and self-promotion are not a luxury, and agencies should also set an example. That's why we're all the more pleased today about the important, good placement in the ranking - and hope that this success will take us even further."

Peter von der Touw, CEO of Notch Interactive, and his team are extremely proud to have been able to maintain their position in the ranking for years. He sees the integration into the Publicis Group as an exciting and very inspiring experience. Serviceplan is already looking forward to the joint coffee breaks, aperitifs and parties that were not possible last year due to the lockdown. The creative exchange also works virtually, but it is just not the same. Raul Serrat sums up: "The situation in 2020 was unexpected and radical for all of us. At first, we thought that the lockdown and the home office would nip creativity in the bud. But we were able to discover that this was not the case. Creativity always creates and finds new solutions and ways to keep things going. I firmly believe that this situation brings some insights that we will keep and cultivate in the future."

Wunderman Thompson is pleased to have made it directly back into the top 10 of the ranking after the award break in 2019. Swen Morath, CCO, explains further: "And this despite the fact that we were not able to collect any points at international awards due to the corona-related submission stop on the part of the network. We are particularly pleased that we won awards with work for almost every one of our major clients."

Farner took part in the ranking for the first time and immediately secured a place among the top 10. Philipp Skrabal, Partner and CCO at Farner, on joining the ranking: "Especially in a difficult environment, creativity is crucial. With our first-time participation in the creative ranking, we want to set an example - internally and externally." This is despite the fact that the creative competitions included in the ranking do not cover the full spectrum of the communications industry that Farner considers relevant, Skrabal explains.

TBWA\Zurich slipped just outside the top 10. ECD Manuel Wenzel explains: "We decided on an award stop relatively early in the Covid story, as part of a series of measures we initiated to safeguard jobs for our people. As a result, we were only able to collect points at four shows. Sure, we hoped it might still be close enough for the top 10, but can live with it for this year for reasons mentioned."