Entries for the AdNews Agency of The Year Awards 2025 have officially opened.
The judging panel is solely comprised of senior marketers and CMOs from over 50 companies, spanning sectors such as FMCG, finance, retail, automotive, travel and telecommunications. These experts bring a wealth of experience and insight to the evaluation process.
As the industry prepares to submit entries ahead of the September 2025 deadline, AdNews looks back on what previous judges have defined as award-winning work.
Big W CCO and former Woolworths MarketPlus CMO Ryan Gracie said effectiveness was a priority for judges assessing large volumes of entries.
“Give me the facts, the real numbers around business growth and the metrics that count. For me, creative that sells is the creative that counts, I’m not overly impressed by campaigns that tick all the ‘new gimmicks box’, or make consumers jump through hoops, I just want to know the campaign moved the brand and sales needles in the right direction and made a real difference to the top and bottom lines.”
Honda GM brand, marketing and customer experience Eva Barrett also emphasised the need for clear, impactful results during her judging phase.
"I’m looking for creativity that drives effectiveness. How do they answer the clients' brief and clearly deliver upon the objectives outlined? Great agencies partner with their clients, they know and understand their business, they’re curious, they’re consumer insight led, they spend the time on strategy first as great strategic thinking leads to great big ideas.
"They support their clients to protect and nurture those big ideas so they get to see the light of day. But they need to be effective, they need to drive tangible results for the business and they need to get people talking about the brand.
"This is what it takes to win an Agency Of The Year Award. Keep those big ideas coming, in a world where we can measure everything, creativity still tugs at the heart strings and I believe is still the biggest differentiator out there."
IKEA ANZ head of marketing Kirsten Hasler said entries with a strong brief and execution stood out, whether in campaign or workplace categories.
“The work that stands out manages to gain cut through by using innovative creative or unique channel usage, securing maximum ROMI. Agencies who demonstrated a strong focus on not only profitability and client retention, but also great ways to keep their agency staff engaged and invested, also ultimately resulted in better outcomes.”
Afterpay international VP marketing Joel Moran adds that when it comes to D&I initiatives for agency employer categories, it's about breaking away from the ordinary and steering clear of the 'business as usual' laundry list. During his judging phase, several agencies stood out for extending company culture across all touchpoints.
“Exceptional agencies didn't just check the boxes; they had a vibe, a real culture that seamlessly seeped into their client interactions, people policies and business moves. We were most impressed by those who not only stated what they stood for but boldly declared what they were not doing.
“We saw some cool new tech implementations when judging [some categories] but the real standouts weren't just tech-savvy; they were strategy masters with impressive results to back it up.
“Some dabbled in advanced tech like AI, but the outcomes didn't quite match the buzz. The real heroes were the brands with heart – they executed social responsibility programs brilliantly and made it look effortless, giving their brand a natural boost.
“Amidst the glitz and glam, what set agencies apart was the power of simplicity, blended with killer strategies, execution that oozed impact, and results that spoke for themselves. While many agencies boasted of client loyalty, some of those claims raised eyebrows.
“A handful dared to venture into the honest territory of acknowledging lost clients, learning from those experiences, and truly owning their growth. Now, that's the stuff of winners!”
Karl Winther, CMO at Kogan.com, said there were three factors that defined winning entries during his judging period.
“The stand out cases were big ideas that created new media, made the message more extremely distinctive in the market and could endure with new phases.
"Other top cases were all-encompassing type of sponsorships that aligned perfectly with the brand objectives and target audience. Agencies thought of every way they could leverage the sponsorship and did so exceptionally well.
"Some other great examples ambushed cultural events to their advantage, even with a smaller budget than competitors, to have a larger voice that they could otherwise afford and therefore impact.”
UWA CMO Haylee Felton agreed that ‘fit for platform’ ideas had cut-through in judging entries.
“The work really stood out when these platform specific ideas were then adapted in distinctive and original ways to utilise a multi-channel approach to market.
“It sparked a lot of conversation amongst the judges around platforms and channels working in isolation or finding a way to complement one another across the audience and customer journey for greater impact."
Entries are now open for this year's AdNews Agency of the Year Awards.
AdNews would like to thank supporting partners Blis, Boomtown, Perion, PubMatic and associate partner Coles 360.
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