A spotlight night for Publicis Groupe, with Ogilvy and Leo Burnett battling it out for the top awards at AOY 2023

Leo Burnett was the biggest victor at the Southeast Asia Agency of the Year (AOY) Awards 2023, winning a total of 15 awards, and edging out Ogilvy, which picked up 13—five shy of its 2022 tally. 

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Leo Burnett retained its Southeast Asia Creative Agency of the Year crown and won three Golds for Creative Agency of the Year in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. 

While Ogilvy also retained its Southeast Asia PR Agency of the Year award, they dethroned Leo Burnett to win Thailand Creative Agency of the Year—winning five golds in total. It did, however, lose Gold for Indonesia Creative Agency of the Year to Leo Burnett.  

Ogilvy with its Southeast Asia win for PR

Both agencies also competed heavily against each other in various other categories. Ogilvy improved on its Silver in 2022 to pick up a Gold in 2023 for Southeast Asia Social Media Agency of the Year, while Leo Burnett won the Bronze in the category.  

For Southeast Asia Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year, Ogilvy failed to defend its Gold, losing to McCann, and did not pick up an award in the category. Instead, Leo Burnett’s Manila office picked up the Bronze.

Ogilvy also failed to defend its Gold for Singapore Creative Agency of the Year, losing to TBWA, winning no awards in the category. They did however, pick up a Gold for Southeast Asia Best Culture. Leo Burnett picked up a Silver and a Bronze in the same category.

In the People Category: Monideepa Nandi from Leo Burnett Indonesia and Raoul Panes from Leo Burnett Manila won awards for Southeast Asia Account Person of the Year and Southeast Asia Creative Leader of the Year, respectively. The awards previously went to Ogilvy over the last two years.

TBWA improved on its showing this year, a significant leap from 2022—picking up metals in a total of seven categories, as compared to four last year. Its Singapore office won Golds for Southeast Asia B2C Marketing Agency of the Year and Southeast Asia Content Marketing Agency of the Year, after not winning anything in those two categories in 2022. 

In the Philippines too, TBWA defended its Gold for Digital Agency of the Year, but lost its Gold to Leo Burnett for Creative Agency of the Year. The agency picked up a Bronze for Thailand Creative Agency of the Year. 

Over on the Media side, Mindshare once again won Southeast Asia Digital and Media Agency of the Year. The agency retained its Gold for Digital Agency of the Year in Malaysia and Thailand, and won a Gold in Vietnam (after picking up a Silver in 2022). 

While Mindshare dethroned OMD to win Gold for Singapore Media Agency of the Year, Mindshare relinquished its Gold for Media Agency of the Year in Malaysia to PHD and in the Philippines. There was no Gold winner for Philippines Media Agency of the Year for 2023. 

Mindshare also successfully defended its Gold for Thailand Media Agency of the Year and Silver for Vietnam Media Agency of the Year. 

Mindshare winning Southeast Asia Media Agency of the Year

Publicis Groupe had a spotlight night, winning Gold for Southeast Asia Programmatic Agency of the Year and Bronze for Vietnam Creative Agency of the Year. Starcom—which took home a Silver for Singapore Media Agency of the Year in 2022—won a Bronze in 2023 instead. MSL meanwhile, successfully defended its Silver for Vietnam PR Agency of the Year. 

Digitas and Publicis Commerce picked up a Silver for Southeast Asia B2C Marketing Agency of the Year and Southeast Asia E-commerce Agency of the Year respectively, after both agencies did not win anything in the category last year.  

Zenith dethroned EssenceMediacom in Vietnam to pick up Gold for Media Agency of the Year. However, Zenith failed to improve on its Silver for Thailand Media Agency of the Year and picked up a Bronze.  

Publicis’ staff continued to dominate the People category. Joanne Theseira of Publicis Communications took home Southeast Asia Agency Head of the Year and Valerie Wang of Publicis Singapore won Southeast Asia Channel/Engagement Planner of the Year. 

Publicis Communications's Joanne Theseira winning Southeast Asia Agency Head of the Year

Sue Ann Malig-Nolido from Prodigious Philippines was awarded Southeast Asia Agency Growth Leader of the Year. 

Leo Burnett Indonesia’s Nilakshi Medhi took home Southeast Asia Strategic/Brand Planner of the Year and Janath Gamage of Leo Burnett Singapore clinched Southeast Asia Young Creative Person of the Year. 

Elsewhere for WPP, the Gold for Southeast Asia Market Research Agency of the Year Gold went to GroupM Thailand, while EssenceMediacom picked up a Bronze in Vietnam for Media Agency of the Year after losing its Gold to Zenith. 
 
Wavemaker picked up a Silver for Indonesia Media Agency of the Year, improving on its Bronze from 2022. There was no Gold awarded in this category. 

Unlike 2022, Dentsu agencies picked up a Gold this year. Merkle dethroned Edelman to win Gold for Southeast Asia Data Analytics Agency of the Year and won a Bronze for Singapore Digital Agency of the Year after not winning an award in the category last year. 

Dentsu X maintained its Bronze in Thailand for Digital Agency of the Year and won a Silver for Media Agency of the Year in Thailand after going home empty-handed in the category in 2022. 

Carat picked up a Bronze for Philippines Media Agency of the Year after not winning anything in the category in 2022. 

For IPG agencies, McCann won Gold for Southeast Asia Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year, improving on its Silver from 2022. The agency picked up a Silver for Singapore Creative Agency of the Year after failing to win any awards in the category last year. 

MRM defended its Gold for Southeast Asia B2B Marketing Agency of the Year and picked up a Silver for Singapore Digital Agency of the Year, improving on its Bronze from 2022. 

Initiative APAC's Growth Team was awarded Southeast Asia New Business Development Team of the Year. The agency’s Malaysia and Philippines offices picked up two Silvers for Southeast Asia Consultancy of the Year.  

There was no Gold awarded in that category this year. Initiative’s sister agency UM won Gold in the category last year. 

Initiative picked up a Silver for Southeast Asia Data Analytics Agency of the Year. It did not win anything in this category last year which saw UM picked up a Bronze. UM maintained its Bronze for this category in 2023. 

There was no Gold winner for Philippines Media Agency of the Year for 2023 and Initiative picked up a Silver. 

UM also bagged the Silver for Singapore Media Agency of the Year, replacing Initiative who won the same award in 2022. Universal McCann picked up a Bronze for Malaysia Media Agency of the Year, backsliding on its Silver from 2022. 

Mediabrands Content Studio’s Thailand team maintained its Silver from 2022 for Southeast Asia Influencer Marketing Agency of the Year, and its Malaysia team won a Silver for Southeast Asia Talent Development Programme of the Year—a category which it did not win anything in 2022. 

Mediabrands Content Studio’s Malaysian team failed to defend its Gold for Malaysia Creative Agency of the Year, which went to FCB Shout, and took home the Silver instead. Bala Pomaleh, CEO of IPG Mediabrands Malaysia recevied a commendation for Southeast Asia Agency Head of the Year. 

There were no winners for Southeast Asia Independent Agency of the Year. ADA, which was the winner in 2022 did not win any Gold this year. It picked up a smattering of Silvers and Bronzes from various countries. 

The Secret Little Agency maintained its Bronze for Singapore Creative Agency of the Year and Gold for Singapore Independent Agency of the Year. 

The Secret Little Agency defending their Gold for Singapore Independent Agency of the Year

IDEASXMACHINA’s Troy Jose was awarded Southeast Asia Young Achiever of the Year and Southeast Asia Young Business Leader of the Year went to WE Communications’ Ayden Ong. 

Other Gold independent agency awards went to Happiness, Ampersand Advisory, Propel Manila and M&C Saatchi Performance.