For the second year in a row, VMLY&R has been named as an Ad Age A-List Agency to Watch.
The Ad Age article, written by Lindsay Rittenhouse, reads:
In its first year operating as VMLY&R, the agency proved it can thrive as a digitally savvy creative player and showed early signs of being a formidable force in the industry—all while merging two $500 million networks (VML and Y&R) that span 82 offices and six continents.
The shop secured $50 million in new business in 2019, retained all of its major clients and picked up significant accounts including Walgreens, Google Pixel, Sherwin-Williams and the Australian Department of Defense in only its first six months of going to market as VMLY&R.
The strength of the agency globally is credited with helping drive WPP to report growth in its 2019 third quarter, the first time it did so in two years. VMLY&R itself generated 3 percent growth in 2019 in North America.
On the creative front, VMLY&R continued to drive Wendy’s feisty persona on social, even infiltrating it into gaming platforms; it bought a notoriously sexist Polish erotic magazine just to put it out of business and have its last message be one of female empowerment; it partnered with soap operas in Brazil (where 1,388 sexual assaults occur daily, on average) to raise awareness to the Next Minute law, which ensures free, immediate assistance for rape victims at public hospitals
The Ad Age Creativity Award finalists will be announced soon. Wendy's was shortlisted for two categories, including Experiential Campaign of the Year and Idea of the Year. VMLY&R Poland's "Last Issue Ever" work for Gazeta.pl, BNP Paribas and Mastercard is a finalist in the Best Work for Good category. "Laugh Tracker" for Tennessee Department of Tourist Development was shortlisted in the category of Best ROI: Work that Works. Debbi Vandeven is a finalist for Chief Creative Officer of the Year. Additionally, Group Director of Strategy and Insights Miriam Raisner was shortlisted for Strategic Planner of the Year, and Supervisor of Client Engagement Colin Belmont was named a finalist for Account Manager of the Year.