Coca-Cola Regains Title as Most Effective Brand in 2019 Effie Index

Effie has announced the results of the 2019 Effie Index, which annually ranks the companies behind the most effective marketing communications ideas from around the world.  FMCG/CPG, fast food and beverage companies dominated this year’s rankings.  Additionally, the top 20 list of the most effective individual agency offices represented effective teamwork from 12 countries. 

The Effie Index is the objective global marketing effectiveness ranking, compiled from the insights of experienced juries of industry peers throughout the world.  

“Despite the pace and rate of change that we are experiencing as an industry, effectiveness remains at the heart of everyone’s business objectives,” said Effie Worldwide CEO, Traci Alford.  “The marketers ranked in this year’s Effie Index have achieved great results against challenging business goals and continue to raise the global gold standard of marketing effectiveness. On behalf of Effie Worldwide, I offer my sincere congratulations to the top ranked teams around the world on this achievement.”

Unilever, Coca-Cola, WPP Group, McCann Worldgroup, Sancho BBDO and Jung von Matt topped the lists in their respective categories (Marketer, Brand, Agency Holding Group, Agency Network, Agency Office and Independent Agency).  Highlights from each Effie Index ranking are listed below.  

Unilever, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble

Unilever retained its title as the most effective marketer in 2019, the sixth time since 2011 that it has held the top spot.  Nestlé moved up one spot as the second most effective marketer (based on its success across more than two dozen markets). The Coca-Cola Company ranked third, followed by McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble respectively. PepsiCo dropped four spots to sixth, while global brewers AB InBev (#7) and Heineken (#9, tie), along with Mars (#8) and Yum! Brands (#9, tie) all land in the top 10.

Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Vodafone, KFC, IKEA

Coca-Cola returned as the most effective brand in 2019, unseating Pepsi. This is the fifth time Coca-Cola has held the top spot since 2011. McDonald’s retained its second-place spot, with Vodafone jumping one spot to third. KFC took the fourth spot, its first appearance in the top five thanks to its success in the APAC region, followed by IKEA ranking fifth. Eighth-ranked Pepsi (last year’s most effective brand) along with Burger King, Chevrolet, Nescafé, MasterCard and Movistar landed in the top 10. 

WPP Group, Omnicom, IPG, Publicis Groupe, Dentsu

The top five most effective holding groups is unchanged from 2018. WPP Group remains the most effective holding company for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Omnicom, IPG, Publicis Groupe and Dentsu.

McCann Worldgroup, BBDO Worldwide, Ogilvy, Wunderman Thompson, DDB Worldwide

McCann Worldgroup retained its title as the most effective network in 2019, followed by BBDO Worldwide in second and Ogilvy in third. WPP’s new network, Wunderman Thompson ranked fourth with DDB Worldwide rounding out the top five.

Sancho BBDO (Bogotá), FP7/DXB (Dubai) McCann Worldgroup (New Delhi), Ogilvy (Mumbai), DDB Group (Auckland)

Sancho BBDO (Bogotá) held its title as the most effective individual agency office in 2019 behind its success for brands like Bancolombia, the Colombia Red Cross and Postobón, among other regional and global brands. Dubai-based FP7/DXB follows at number two, behind success for regional and global brands including Babyshop, Dubai Properties, OMO, Puck and Uber. McCann Worldgroup’s New Delhi office entered into the top five, ranking third. Ogilvy (Mumbai) jumped one spot to fourth, followed by DDB Group New Zealand – also its first debut into the top 5. The top 20 effective agency offices continue to feature a globally diverse mix of agencies, including those from Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Israel, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, Turkey, UAE, and the United States.

 

Jung von Matt (Hamburg), Interaction (San José, Costa Rica), Special Group (Auckland), Medulla Communications (Mumbai), Rafineri (Istanbul)

German agency Jung von Matt is the top-ranked independent agency in 2019 for the first time, followed by Interaction (San José, Costa Rica) at number two and Special Group (Auckland) in third. Mumbai-based Medulla Communications and Rafineri (Istanbul) round out the top five.

 

This year’s Index rankings were determined by the cumulative success of 46 national, regional and multi-national Effie Awards competitions from 2018, encompassing 3,753 worldwide Effie winners and finalists announced between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. 

Every brand and company featured in the Effie Index has undergone rigorous evaluations of their case studies by expert industry judges, who examine and debate each case’s strategic communications challenges and objectives, the idea, how the idea was brought to life through creative, and what makes an Effie an Effie: strong results.