BBDO Canada named Agency of the Year at The One Show 2023

Apple capped off Creative Week in New York with a huge night at the 50th anniversary ceremony of The One Show, picking up Best of Show, Brand of the Year, and Brand-Side/In-House Agency of the Year honors.

Apple London with Apple Cupertino was awarded The One Show 2023 Best of Show and Best of Discipline in Brand-Side/In-House for “The Greatest”, a film showcasing the brand’s ongoing commitment to accessibility which was launched for International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, 2022.  

Overall, “The Greatest” received Best of Show, one Best of Discipline, five Gold Pencils (three in Brand-Side/In-House, and one each in Film & Video and Music & Sound Craft), and a Silver in Moving Image Craft & Production.

BBDO Canada Toronto also had a stellar night, being named Agency of the Year, winning two Best of Disciplines (in Experiential & Immersive and Radio & Audio), and taking home nine Gold Pencils, two Silver, three Bronze and two Merits. All of the wins, working with TA2 Sound + Music Toronto, were for “Missing Matoaka” on behalf of Muskrat Magazine. 

Remarking on The One Show’s golden anniversary, Glenn Cole, Chairman of The One Club and founder, creative chairman, 72andSunny, said, “In this business, you’re doing something right if you’re still relevant after 50 years.  I’m thrilled that The One Show is vital at age 50, but I’m most proud that it is a purpose-driven non-profit that pours all proceeds into the betterment of the creative community. Let’s take it to 100.”

Top honorees in this year’s One Show, based upon cumulative scores for Pencils and Merits won across all disciplines, are as follows:

Agency of the Year — BBDO Canada Toronto

Independent Agency of the Year — Wieden+Kennedy Portland

Brand-Side/In-House Agency of the Year — Apple Cupertino

Network of the Year — Ogilvy

Independent Network of the Year — Wieden+Kennedy

Creative Holding Company of the Year — Omnicom

Production Company of the Year — Smuggler New York

Music & Sound Company of the Year — TA2 Sound+Music Toronto

Client of the Year — AB InBEV

Non-Profit Client of the Year — Grupo Estratégico PAE 

Brand of the Year — Apple

The One Show 2023 Best of Discipline winners, who receive a specially made, one-off 50th anniversary commemorative Pencil, are as follows:

Brand-Side/In-House: Apple London “The Greatest” for Apple 

Branded Entertainment: BETC Paris “Gender Swap” for Women in Games

Creative Effectiveness: The Monkeys Sydney with Collider Sydney “The First Digital Nation” for The Government of Tuvalu

Creative Use of Data: DDB Mexico Mexico City with Estudios Machina Bogotá and LaDoble Mexico City “Data Tienda” for Gahr WeCapital

Cultural Driver: Ogilvy Honduras Tegucigalpa with 14 at Centro LATAM Tegucigalpa “Morning After Island” for Grupo Estratégico PAE

Design: DDB Chicago with adam&eveDDB London, NORD DDB CPH Copenhagen and Molson Coors “Chillboards” for Coors Light

Direct Marketing: Accenture Song with Walker Santa Monica and The Mill New York “Less Talk, More Bitcoin” for Coinbase

Experiential & Immersive: BBDO Canada Toronto with TA2 Sound + Music Toronto “Missing Matoaka” for Muskrat Magazine

Film & Video: Ogilvy Group Thailand Bangkok with Factory01 Bangkok “The Innocent Eyes” for Monde Nissin/Voiz

Gaming: Wieden+Kennedy Portland with Spark & Riot New York “Clash from the Past” for Supercell/Clash of Clans

Health & Wellness: McCann Stockholm with McCann Workgroup London “Eat a Swede” for The Swedish Food Federation

Integrated: Squarespace New York with Q Department New York, Smuggler New York and Final Cut New York "The Singularity” for Squarespace

Interactive & Mobile Craft: Performance Art Toronto “The Black Elevation Map” for Black & Abroad

Interactive, Online & Mobile: Virtue Copenhagen “Backup Ukraine” for Polycam, Unesco, and Blue Shield

IP & Product Design: Weber Shandwick Paris with McCann Paris and Mediabrand Paris “Turnstile Turbines” for Iberdrola

Moving Image Craft & Production: TBWAMedia Arts Lab Los Angeles with Blacksmith New York and MJZ “Share the Joy” for Apple

Music & Sound Craft: Apple “Rihanna - Stay” for Apple Music

Out of Home: TBWAMedia Arts Lab Los Angeles with OMD “Public Displays of Encouragement” for Apple

Pharma: Area 23 New York with Dalmation Cow Los Angeles and Blind Pig London “Eyedar” for Horizon Therapeutics

Print & Promotional: Impact BBDO Dubai with Impact BBDO Beirut and DejaVu Dubai “The Elections Edition” for An Nahar Newspaper

Public Relations: Ogilvy Honduras Tegucigalpa with 14 at Centro LATAM Tegucigalpa “Morning After Island” for Grupo Estratégico PAE

Radio & Audio: BBDO Canada Toronto with TA2 Sound + Music Toronto “Missing Matoaka” for Muskrat Magazine

Social Media: TBWAJuice Beijing with TBWABolt Shanghai, Filmate Productions Shanghai and Real Good Studio New York “BMW: Nothing But Sheer Joy” for BMW

The One Show 2023 Special Awards

There were two winners of The One Show 2023 Penta Pencil, awarded to the agency and brand who together have created outstanding creative work for the last five years: FCB Toronto for work on behalf of Canadian Down Syndrome Society, and VMLY&R Kansas City with Spark Foundry New York and Ketchum Chicago for their for Wendy’s.

The One Show 2023 Fusion Pencil, the industry’s first global award to recognize great work that best incorporates DEI principles and underrepresented groups in both the creative content of the work and the team that made it, was awarded to Edelman New York with Mindshare New York for “See My Skin” on behalf of Vaseline.

The One Show 2023 Green Pencil, recognizing the most environmentally conscious creative work for the year, was awarded to NORD DDB Stockholm with Camp David Stockholm and House Agency Stockholm “Vehicle of Change” for Vattenfall.

The One Show 2023 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Pencil, created in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and non-profit PVBLIC Foundation to reward agencies and brands for work that betters the world and contributes to securing a sustainable future for all, went to DDB Mexico Mexico City with Estudios Machina Bogotá and LaDoble Mexico City for “Data Tienda” on behalf of Gahr WeCapital.

Top winners in The One Show 2023 received a dazzling new One Show Pencil modeled after the original Pencil designed by industry legend George Lois, whose son Luke Lois was on stage for the unveiling.  The new Pencil is larger than the traditional one, made of crystal surrounding a black metal core for Best of Show, and around a gold metal core for Best of Discipline and “of the Year” winners.

The new Pencil was created this year to mark The One Show’s 50th anniversary, and will be presented from this point forward to the show’s top winners. 

Globally, FCB New York won the most One Show Gold Pencils with 11, including 10 for “McEnroe vs McEnroe” on behalf of AB InBev/Michelob ULTRA, and one with Wave Studios for Spotify Advertising “A Song For Every CMO - Mastercard”.  “McEnroe vs McEnroe” was the piece of work to win the most Golds this year.  

A total of 20,166 pieces from 69 countries and regions were entered in The One Show 2023.  Agencies, studios, brands, production companies and designers in 54 countries and regions were awarded 210 Gold Pencils, 200 Silver, 238 Bronze, and 1,172 Merits. 

“The One Show is 50 years young, and we continually strive to push boundaries, remain relevant, and are constantly evolving as the industry does,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club.

The One Show 2023 Global Creative Rankings will be announced on May 24, 2023.

The One Club for Creativity, producer of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, ONE Asia Creative Awards, Type Directors Club competition, TDC Ascenders, Young Guns, and more, is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community.  Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organization’s four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development.