The Drum has revealed the winners of its New Year’s Honours – recognizing the companies, the work and the people who proved that marketing can change the world in 2017 – in the latest edition of its monthly publication.
This year's New Year's Honours are split into seven categories: People, Agency, Brand, Organisation (trade body or other), Media Company, Campaign, and Dishonourable Mentions.
Following nominations gathered from it's readership, this year's honorees was compiled by the The Drum's own editorial team.
Agencies recognized include Omnicon-owned BBDO, the "last great large creative powerhouse" which boasts award-winning and agenda-setting work from almost every office, and Fred and Farid - now simply called FF - the global independent which has been proactive in representing Diversity not only in its work but internally too.
The Drum would be remiss not to recognize Marc Pritchard in its People of the Year. The chief brand officer for Procter & Gamble delivered a landmark speech at the start of the year in which he called out the “murky at best, fraudulent at worst” media supply chain which set in motion a train of events that brought long overdue action on the issues of viewability and ad fraud.
Meanwhile Ali Hannan has been recognised for enacting change in the physical makeup of the industry. The founder and chief executive of Creative Equals spearheaded several initiatives to make advertising a more inclusive sector to work in, including teaming up with Cannes Lions to ensure that there is a 50:50 gender split in speakers by 2018.
Patagonia was one of the brands recognized in the New Year's Honours for proving that profit and purpose can coexist, while tech brands HP and Airbnb were both decorated for their movements to celebrate inclusivity and diversity.
Both Jigsaw's "deliberately divisive" immigration campaign by creative agency The Corner and Bodyform's real blood campaign by AMV BBDO feature in Campaigns of the Year. You can read more about Bodyform's campaign in a feature in the January issue of the magazine.
Media-wise, Channel 4 was revered for influencing greater diversity in advertising with its annual competition, while Teen Vogue was recognised for breaking the boundaries of fashion media.
There are dishonourable mentions, too. To see the full list of honorees, subscribe to The Drum magazine here.
