McCann Worldgroup was named Network of the Year at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The global agency group, which won a total of 73 Lions representing creative work from across its disciplines and all of its regions, was also named at the weeklong Festival as the Healthcare Network of the Year for its global McCann Health network, and McCann Health China was additionally honored as Healthcare Agency of the Year.
“We are very proud to win this honor at Cannes this year recognizing our creative work from so many countries, clients and disciplines, across all platforms and Lions categories,” said Harris Diamond, Chairman & CEO of McCann Worldgroup. “Thanks to the inspired leadership of [Global Creative Chairman] Rob Reilly, our incredibly diverse and talented creative staff is driving our business, and that of our clients, forward with real results.”
The network’s global recognition at Cannes follows the news two months ago that McCann Worldgroup was named the Most Creatively Effective Agency Network in the global 2019 Effie Effectiveness Index, earning that effectiveness leadership distinction for the second consecutive year.
“This is a fantastic success for McCann Worldgroup and we are proud to be part of the best agency network in the world. For me personally, this moment has an additional emotional value since ten years ago our agency McCann Skopje brought the first golden lion for McCann and one of the first lions in this part of Europe, thus paving the way for the entire creative industry of this region. Like all awards, this success of our network sets a new scale and binds us to new results and awards and, knowing the projects we are working on this year, we are eagerly looking forward to Cannes 2020, “said Vladimir Dimovski, CEO of McCann Adriatic.
In addition to the Network of the Year and Agency of the Year wins by McCann Health, multiple McCann Worldgroup companies in addition to the McCann agency won Lions this year. Momentum Worldwide’s New York and Toronto team won the Grand Prix for Industry Craft, while MRM//McCann and Weber Shandwick also won Lions. Also, many of the Lions were won for the network’s global clients–including Coca-Cola, GSK, L’Oréal, Microsoft/Xbox, Nestlé/Purina and RB— as well as for major regional marketers, such as Verizon, and a variety of local clients.
“It’s exciting to see this much innovative work coming from so many different agencies with so many different brave marketers, including some of our largest global clients,” said Rob Reilly. “And to have both McCann and McCann Health take their respective Network of the Year honors in the same festival is just mind-boggling.”
McCann New York, which was ranked as the No. 2 Cannes Agency of the Year, won both a Titanium Lion and the Grand Prix in Brand Experience and Activation for its “Changing the Game” work for Microsoft, which features an adaptive Xbox controller that makes it easier for people with physical disabilities to play. McCann New York also won the Grand Prix for Good for its “Generation Lockdown” work with “March for our Lives,” related to school shootings. In addition to McCann New York and Momentum, Grand Prix were also won by McCann Health China for its work for GSK (Pharma) and McCann Israel for its campaign for IKEA that makes furniture accessible to persons with disabilities. (Health & Wellness).
