Now in its sixth year, AdForum’s Business Creative Report is a ranking of the world’s most awarded campaigns by industry sector. This year’s report was launched in partnership with Kantar Media.

The report covers nine categories: Automotive, Entertainment & Leisure, Finance, Food & Beverages, Health & Beauty, Luxury, Retail, Technology, and Transport & Tourism.

Rigorously compiled from the results of the leading awards shows around the world, it allows advertisers and agencies to measure their creative impact against their peers in the same industry.

This year’s report is based on the results of more than 40 awards shows, both local and global. It also includes a number of new local and specialist prizes, including Best !n (Spain), CCB (Belgium), the Webby awards (to be precise, its Advertising, Media & PR category), and Clio Entertainment.

One of the report’s major findings was that, in this digital era, the world’s most awarded campaign overall last year was a print campaign: “Better With Pepsi” by Alma. Although social media helped spread its fame, it owed its visual flair to the skills of an origami artist.

Alvar Suñol, co-President and Chief Creative Officer at Alma, said in a statement, “Our journey with ‘Better With Pepsi’ has garnered a phenomenal reception and we’re truly honored by this recognition of its impact. I hope it's especially seen as an example of the beauty that lives in print, and how advertising in its simplest forms [is] still unforgettable mediums for storytelling. As an idea led by an insightful cultural tension, detail, and genuine craft, ‘Better With Pepsi’ is a true reminder of why many of us, including myself, fell in love with advertising in the first place.”

MEA focus

The star of the show in the MEA region was clearly MINI with its striking “MINImalism” campaign by Serviceplan Dubai, which was in pole position in the Automotive category. Another stand-out campaign was Essity’s Tena with “Despair No More” from Impact BBDO, which also had a purposeful dimension as it set out to empower women. Interestingly, South Africa dominated the Food & Beverages category, led by Carling Black Label and Ogilvy with “Bride Armour.”

Elsewhere, a wide spread of brands won the praise of awards juries last year, suggesting that creativity is thriving across a broad range of industries.

See the full report here.