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BBDO NEW YORK WINS AGENCY OF THE YEAR AT THE 22ND ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS

McCann New York, R/GA, and Jung von Matt AG Among Top Agencies to Score Webby Award Wins This Year

National Geographic Wins Webby Media Company of the Year

http://webbyawards.com

NEW YORK, April 24, 2018 –  The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) today announced the Winners of the 22nd Annual Webby Awards, with BBDO New York taking home the top honor of “Webby Agency of Year” and National Geographic recognized as the first-ever “Media Company of the Year.” With eight Webby Awards and People’s Voice Awards, including for Sandy Hook Promise – Tomorrow’s News, Downtown Records – Live Looper, M&M’s & Friends, and P&G – The Talk, BBDO New York earned more Webby Awards and Nominations across all categories than any other agency this year.

Hosted by comedian Amber Ruffin, this year’s star-studded ceremony, will celebrate the most innovative, inspiring, and entertaining work on the Internet. Fans can watch the full Awards Show and show highlights, including special performances and all the hallmark 5-Word Speeches from the night’s big Winners on Tuesday, May 15 at webbyawards.com.

McCann New York (6 Webby and People’s Voice Awards), Jung von Matt AG (5 Webby Awards and People’s Voice Awards), and R/GA (2 Webby and People’s Voice Awards) were in close contention for Webby Agency of the Year, with standout campaigns like Fearless Girl (McCann New York), The Most German Supermarket (Jung von Matt AG), and #weneedmore (R/GA) all recognized as Webby Winners this year.

The Academy announced the first-ever Webby for Media Company of the Year. National Geographic took home the historic Webby Award, with the most pieces of celebrated work across all Webby categories and an impressive 26 wins overall. Condé Nast and VICE were among those in close contention for Webby Media Company of the Year.

“We’re honored to recognize the achievements of this year’s Webby Winners and celebrate their unwavering commitment to make the Internet a place for curiosity, wonder, community, and inclusiveness,” said David-Michel Davies, Webby Media Group CEO. “This year’s creative work has immersed us in virtual worlds, offered us an escape through humor and levity, given a platform to those who haven’t been heard, and compelled us to take action to change the status quo.”

Webby Nominees and Winners were selected by the Academy, whose members include Alyson Warshaw (Laundry Service), Levi Slavin (Colenso BBDO), Lisa Sherman (The Ad Council), Susan Credle (FCB), Attica Alexis Jaques (Under Armour), Winston Binch (Deutsch), Colleen DeCourcy (Wieden+Kennedy), and Andy Goldberg (GE). In addition, three million votes were cast from Internet fans in over 240 countries and territories around the world to choose the Winners of the Webby People’s Voice Awards.

Highlights from this year’s winning campaigns include:

• Fearless Girl by McCann New York: Best Use of Earned Media (Advertising, Media & PR), Best Cause-Related Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Your 2017 Wrapped by Spotify: Best User Experience and Best Use of Online Media (Advertising, Media & PR)
• The New York Times – The Truth Is by Droga5: Best Viral PR Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
• The IKEA Human Catalogue by BBH: Social Media Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
• The Most Boring Films Ever Made by Facebook: Best Use of Mobile Media (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Turning Their Tweets Against Them by MullenLowe: Real-Time Response Campaign (Advertising, Marketing & PR)
• Gone Girl by Facebook: Public Service & Activism (Social)
• #InYourName by Edelman Deportivo: Best Influencer Endorsements (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Google Year in Search 2017 by 72andSunny: Best Art Direction (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Refugees Welcome by Purpose: Activism (Websites)
• USPS Operation Santa by MRM/McCann: Corporate Social Responsibility (Websites)
• Apple “Barbers” by Furlined: Best Art Direction (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Google Home of the Whopper by DAVID the agency: Online Guerilla & Innovation (Advertising, Media & PR)

Highlights from this year’s winning branded content include:

• Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror by Google Brand Studio: Best-Cause Related Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
• A Message from Earth by WeTransfer: Best Branded Editorial Experience (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Test Kitchen by Taco Bell by Deutsch: Food & Beverage (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Who is John Malkovich? by Squarespace: Products & Services – Branded (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Parents Coming Out by Colle McVoy: Public Service & Activism – Branded (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Netflix | Plantation to Prison by T Brand Studio – The New York Times: Media & Entertainment (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Everyone is Welcome by m ss ng p eces: Tourism & Leisure – Branded (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Treasures from Chatsworth by Sotheby’s: Series – Branded (Film & Video)
• Budweiser: Proud to Serve Those Who Serve won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Viral (Film & Video)
• Love Story by Y&R Mexico: Viral – Branded (Film & Video)
• IRL Podcast by Mozilla: Best Branded Podcast or Segment (Podcasts & Digital Audio)
• Drone Week by Viceland: Integrated Campaigns – Branded (Film & Video)

Highlights from this year’s winning technical achievements across VR, AR, and machine learning categories include:

• Genius Chatbot by National Geographic: Messaging/Bots (Advertising, Media & PR)
• A Trip to Mars with Buzz Aldrin by The Foundry @ Meredith Corporation: VR – Branded Cinematic or Pre-Rendered (Film & Video)
• Outthink Melanoma by Ogilvy: Best Use of Machine Learning (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Play the City by TBWAChiatDay: Augmented Reality (Advertising, Media & PR)
• The Last Goodbye by Here Be Dragons: 360-Video (Branded) and Best Narrative Experience (Advertising, Media & PR)
• The Long Road Home VR by National Geographic: VR – Cinematic or Pre-Rendered (Film & Video)
• Instagram DeepText by The OutCast Agency: Best Use of Machine Learning (Mobile Sites & Apps)
• Your Voice is Your Stamp by MRM/McCann: Experimental & Innovation (Mobile Sites & Apps)
• Streetchange by MIT Media Lab: Best Use of Machine Learning (Websites)
• Welcome to Hogwarts by Active Theory: Technical Achievement (Websites) and Best Home/Welcome Page (Websites)
• Night Sky Best Use of Augmented Reality (Mobile Sites & Apps)

EY provides vote tabulation consulting for The Webby Awards. To view the full list of Advertising, Media & PR Winners, please visit http://webbyawards.com/winners.

Find The Webby Awards Online:
Website: webbyawards.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/TheWebbyAwards
Twitter: @TheWebbyAwards
Instagram: @TheWebbyAwards
Snapchat: TheWebbyAwards
YouTube: youtube.com/webby

About The Webby Awards:
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Film & Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Mobile Sites & Apps, Social, Podcasts & Digital Audio, and Games. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received more than 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: YouTube, HBO, WP Engine, Vitamin T, EY, YouGov, PUBLIC, The Hollywood Reporter, WNYC Studios, Digiday, Glixel, Product Hunt, and Social Media Week.