Leo Burnett Agency of the Year after a night of Science and Magic with the Effies

The team at Leo Burnett Advertising pose on stage after winning the Agency of the Year award at the Malaysian Effie Awards 20019.

Leo Burnett Advertising was named “Agency of the Year” at the 12th edition of the Malaysia Effie Awards held on Friday. The creative agency went home with the top honour of the night by winning the Gold award for it’s campaign “The Unheard Prayer” for Maxis, along with 2 Silver and 6 Bronze awards. 

The awards, attended by over 320 marketers and agencies, was themed “Science and Magic”, highlighting the fascinating results that are achieved by combining data and creativity. As it has for over five (5) decades, the Effie awards recognises effective marketing companies that bring together science and magic. 

“This duality of data (or Science) and creativity (or Magic) permeates our work, and while it is not easy to find the intersection of the two, when it does come together, they are a potent catalyst for effectiveness,” organising chairperson of the Malaysia Effie Awards 2019, Irene Wong said. 

Three new categories were added for the awards this year; Entertainment & Sports, Financial Cards, and New Product or Service Introduction which brought the total to 24 Product & Services categories, and 11 Specialty categories. On top of that,  the “Efforts for Good – Brands” and “Effort for Good – Non-Profit/Pro-bono” categories were renamed “Positive Change : Social Good – Brands” and “Positive Change : Social Good – Non-Profit” respectively.

From a total of 138 entries, 40 finalists were shortlisted, with 2 Gold, 8 Silver, and 20 Bronze awards presented to brands for their creative campaigns. In addition, each finalist also received Effie points that contribute to the creative agency’s ranking on the Global Effie Index.

Maxis was named “Brand of the Year”, having won 1 Gold, 1 Silver, and 4 Bronze awards, while one other Gold award was presented to Grey Malaysia for their “Wanita Besi” campaign for Pantene.

The award winners were decided by a panel of 60 judges led by CEO and Founding Partner of M&C Saatchi Kuala Lumpur, chief judge Datin Seri Sharifah Menyalara Hussein, and jury leads, Lau Su Lin, Eileen Ooi, Bala Pomaleh, and Amit Sutha. 

The annual awards is organised by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As) and supported by the Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA) and Media Specialists Association (MSA), in association with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).

“Since its inception in 1968 in New York, the Effie Awards has been recognised by agencies and advertisers worldwide as the pre-eminent award in the communications industry,” said 4As President, Andrew Lee. “We aim to elevate the role of the 4As in cultivating a creative economy, engineer a positive perception of Malaysia as a market for creative excellence both locally and internationally, and promote the notion that ideas can drive value change.”