DDB New Zealand crowned YoungGuns Agency of the Year; NZ third most awarded country

DDB New Zealand has been awarded YoungGuns Agency of the Year at the international YoungGuns Awards announced today – with 2 Gold Bullets, 4 Silver Bullets, 1 Bronze Bullet and 2 Finalists.

The 2 Gold Bullets were awarded to James Tucker and Simon Vicars in the Copywriting Campaigns and Radio Campaigns categories. The pair were ranked first equal as the world’s best advertising, media and digital creatives.

DDB New Zealand is the first office in the DDB Worldwide Network to be awarded YoungGuns Agency of the Year.  DDB Worldwide is also the 2010 YoungGuns Network of the Year.

ColensoBBDO is the only other New Zealand Agency to have won the YoungGun Agency of Year in the last decade.

New Zealand was the 3rd most awarded country with 2 Gold Bullets, 4 Silver Bullets, 6 Bronze Bullets and 8 Finalists overall.

This continues to demonstrate the strength of New Zealand’s’ young creative talent into YoungGuns 2nd decade.

Overall, in the Professional Awards (Advertising, Digital, Design & Media) 14 Gold Bullets, 48 Silver Bullets and 49 Bronze Bullets were awarded, with 58 Finalists.

In the Student Award 2 Gold Bullets, 9 Silver Bullets, 11 Bronze Bullets were awarded with 12 Finalists.

2010 Professional YoungGun of the Year

Douglas Goh_McCann Erickson_Malaysia

2010 Student YoungGun of the Year

Raúl Cosculluela, Nikolai Shorr, Bona Jeong, HyoJoo Kim, Ethan Lee, Guerim Lee_ SVA Unconventional Advertising_New York, USA

2010 YoungGuns Network of the Year

DDB Worldwide

2010 YoungGuns Agency of the Year

DDB New Zealand

2010 YoungGuns Design Agency of the Year

Kinetic Singapore

2010 YoungGuns Digital Agency of the Year

CPB Group USA

2010 YoungGuns School of the Year

SVA Unconventional Ads / Frank Anselmo, New York, USA

As the 2010 jury chairman, Duncan Marshall, ECD & Partner of Droga5 Australia (left) says in his statement: “YoungGuns has spent a decade providing our industry with a platform for its most exciting young and emerging talent, and in doing so has done a huge service to advertising across the world. The winners of the past ten years have gone on to inspire and drive agencies everywhere, not just to the benefit of their own careers, but of all those working with them.

“Speaking of benefits, the best of the work the jury saw this year all tackled that great challenge that comes with almost every brief we see these days – how to engage a modern audience used to being given everything for nothing. Every product and every client has something unique to offer, and the ideas that stood out this year were the ones that used those unique assets to create a real benefit to the consumer. And from that, generated a relationship with and a loyalty to the brand.

From cutting edge digital to the humble coupon, the jury saw extraordinary original thinking and world class craft”.

DDB Group executive creative director Toby Talbot said winning the Young Guns Agency of the Year is a reflection of the creative department’s youthful exuberance: “Every day I have the honour of hanging out with some of the smartest, funniest and most talented creatives I have ever had the pleasure to work with. The fact that so many of them are under the age of 30 makes me feel two things. One, old. Two, grateful. We are Young Guns Global Agency of the Year after all. And that’s entirely down to their limitless energy and enthusiasm. Which in turn makes me feel two things. One, jealous. Two, old.”

DDB New Zealand managing director Justin Mowday says the Gunn Report recognition adds yet another string to the agencies bow: “To have our creative capabilities, people and award wins acknowledged again is a real honour and one we don’t take lightly. We are always aiming to produce world class creative work that gets the strongest response. Agencies the world over are continually stepping up their game so keeping ourselves in the company of the world’s best is both a huge achievement and no mean feat.”

All 2010 Winners and Finalists information is available from the YoungGuns site – www.ygaward.com. All work can be seen in the 2010 Showcase, also on the site.