2021 Effie Index: Overview

Since 1968, the Effie Awards have been honoring Ideas that Work globally.

Now in its eleventh year, the Global Effie Index identifies and ranks the most effective agencies, marketers and brands by analyzing finalist and winner data from more than fifty national & regional Effie Award competitions. The 2021 rankings reflect a compilation of over 4000 worldwide Effie winners and finalists announced between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.

Every brand and company ranked in the Effie Index has undergone rigorous evaluations of their case studies and work by expert industry judges to prove that their marketing achieved compelling results.

From a variety of distinct social good campaigns across New Zealand to a beer brand driving increased sales via WhatsApp in Colombia, Effie continues to reward Ideas that Work across the globe.From a variety of distinct social good campaigns across New Zealand to a beer brand driving increased sales via WhatsApp in Colombia, Effie continues to reward Ideas that Work across the globe.

The Effie Index features the most effective Marketers, Brands, Agency Holding Groups, Agency Networks, Agency Offices, and Independent Agencies. These rankings can be filtered by geography and product category.

Which companies, either independent or part of larger networks, produced the most effective work in each country and region over the past year? Which agencies, brands and marketers have achieved effectiveness on a global scale? Explore this year's rankings to find out.

Please note that the current rankings reflect updates made on November 2, 2022. The original announcement was made on September 28, 2022.

Most Effective Marketers

AB InBev, Unilever, PepsiCo, McDonald's, The Coca-Cola Company, Procter & Gamble

Most Effective Marketers 2021

Ranking
Rank Advertiser Points
1 AB InBev 1452
2 Unilever 952
3 PepsiCo 806
4 McDonald's 692
5 Procter & Gamble 646
Ranking
Rank:
1
Advertiser:
AB InBev
Points:
1452
Rank:
2
Advertiser:
Unilever
Points:
952
Rank:
3
Advertiser:
PepsiCo
Points:
806
Rank:
4
Advertiser:
McDonald's
Points:
692
Rank:
5
Advertiser:
Procter & Gamble
Points:
646

Source: www.effieindex.com. © Effie Worldwide

Most Effective Brands

McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Entel, Chevrolet

Most Effective Brands 2021

Ranking
Rank Brand Points
1 McDonald's 602
2 Burger King 560
3 KFC 356
4 Entel 234
5 Chevrolet 226
Ranking
Rank:
1
Brand:
McDonald's
Points:
602
Rank:
2
Brand:
Burger King
Points:
560
Rank:
3
Brand:
KFC
Points:
356
Rank:
4
Brand:
Entel
Points:
234
Rank:
5
Brand:
Chevrolet
Points:
226

Source: www.effieindex.com. © Effie Worldwide

Most Effective Agency Holding Groups

Omnicom, WPP, IPG, Publicis Groupe, Dentsu

Most Effective Agency Holding Groups 2021

Ranking
Rank Holding Group Points
1 Omnicom 7714
2 WPP 6902
3 Interpublic (IPG) 6001
4 Publicis Groupe 4198
5 Dentsu 1111
Ranking
Rank:
1
Holding Group:
Omnicom
Points:
7714
Rank:
2
Holding Group:
WPP
Points:
6902
Rank:
3
Holding Group:
Interpublic (IPG)
Points:
6001
Rank:
4
Holding Group:
Publicis Groupe
Points:
4198
Rank:
5
Holding Group:
Dentsu
Points:
1111

Source: www.effieindex.com. © Effie Worldwide

Most Effective Agency Networks

McCann Worldgroup, BBDO Worldwide, Ogilvy, DDB Worldwide, OMD

Most Effective Agency Networks 2021

Ranking
Rank Agency Network Points
1 McCann Worldgroup 3561
2 BBDO Worldwide 2703
3 Ogilvy 2330
4 DDB Worldwide 1917
5 OMD 1483
Ranking
Rank:
1
Agency Network:
McCann Worldgroup
Points:
3561
Rank:
2
Agency Network:
BBDO Worldwide
Points:
2703
Rank:
3
Agency Network:
Ogilvy
Points:
2330
Rank:
4
Agency Network:
DDB Worldwide
Points:
1917
Rank:
5
Agency Network:
OMD
Points:
1483

Source: www.effieindex.com. © Effie Worldwide

Most Effective Agency Offices

FP7 McCann (Dubai), DDB Colombia (Bogotá), McCann Tel Aviv, Sancho BBDO (Bogotá), McCann Worldgroup India (Gurgaon, Haryana)

Most Effective Agencies 2021

Ranking
Rank Agency Location Points
1 FP7 McCann Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates 780
2 DDB Colombia Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia 440
3 McCann Tel Aviv Tel Aviv, Israel 436
4 Sancho BBDO Bogota, Cundinamarca, Colombia 422
5 McCann Worldgroup India Gurgaon, Haryana, India 367
Ranking
Rank:
1
Agency:
FP7 McCann Dubai
Location:
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Points:
780
Rank:
2
Agency:
DDB Colombia
Location:
Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Points:
440
Rank:
3
Agency:
McCann Tel Aviv
Location:
Tel Aviv, Israel
Points:
436
Rank:
4
Agency:
Sancho BBDO
Location:
Bogota, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Points:
422
Rank:
5
Agency:
McCann Worldgroup India
Location:
Gurgaon, Haryana, India
Points:
367

Source: www.effieindex.com. © Effie Worldwide

Most Effective Independent Agencies

Special Group (Auckland), GUT Buenos Aires, Gres Todorchuk (Kyiv), Interaction (San Jose), Suno United Creators (São Paulo)

Most Effective Independent Agencies 2021

Ranking
Rank Agency Location Points
1 Special Group Auckland, New Zealand 252
2 GUT Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, Argentina 244
3 Gres Todorchuk Kyiv, Ukraine 212
4 Interaction San Jose, Costa Rica 192
5 Suno United Creators São Paulo, Brazil 186
Ranking
Rank:
1
Agency:
Special Group
Location:
Auckland, New Zealand
Points:
252
Rank:
2
Agency:
GUT Buenos Aires
Location:
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Points:
244
Rank:
3
Agency:
Gres Todorchuk
Location:
Kyiv, Ukraine
Points:
212
Rank:
4
Agency:
Interaction
Location:
San Jose, Costa Rica
Points:
192
Rank:
5
Agency:
Suno United Creators
Location:
São Paulo, Brazil
Points:
186

Source: www.effieindex.com. © Effie Worldwide

Regional Rankings

The Index can also be analyzed by region and the companies that ranked highest in each region in 2021 are:

Asia Pacific
Unilever (marketer), McDonald's (brand), WPP (agency holding group), Ogilvy (agency network), McCann Worldgroup India (agency office), and Special Group (independent agency).

Europe
PepsiCo (marketer), IKEA (brand), Omnicom (agency holding group), McCann Worldgroup (agency network), McCann Tel Aviv (agency office), and Gres Todorchuk (independent agency).

Latin America
AB InBev (marketer), Entel (brand), Omnicom (agency holding group), BBDO Worldwide (agency network), DDB Colombia (agency office) and GUT Buenos Aires (independent agency).

Middle East & Africa
Unilever (marketer), Burger King (brand), IPG (agency holding group), McCann Worldgroup (agency network), FP7 McCann Dubai (agency office) and Dejavu – Dubai (independent agency).

North America
Restaurant Brands International (marketer), Burger King (brand), Omnicom (agency holding group), BBDO Worldwide (agency network), BBDO New York (agency office) and Alison Brod Marketing + Communications (independent agency).

Additional information about how the rankings are compiled can be found here.