Top Agencies: BBDO New York

Major 2011 campaigns: AT&T, “The Last Text,” TV, radio, online; FedEx, “Your Ultimate Caddie,” TV, print, online, mobile; GE, “Imagination at Work,” TV, online

Comments: Added new b2b clients, including AT&T (enterprise business), HP (imaging printer group), Empire State Development, ExxonMobil; expanded work with existing clients such as FedEx, GE, Monster.com and Motorola Solutions; launched two new business practices—ShopWork and SocialWork.

BBDO New York continued to define itself as a leading b2b agency by perfecting the art of storytelling for its clients, which include some of the biggest names in b2b marketing.

“The way we run our b2b business is not too dissimilar from our b-to-c business. We want to find new, different and engaging ways to tell our clients' stories,” said John Osborn, president-CEO of BBDO New York.

BBDO expanded its work with existing clients AT&T, FedEx, GE, Monster.com and Motorola Solutions last year, and won new business from Hewlett-Packard (imaging printer group), Empire State Development and ExxonMobil.

“One thing we're doing differently is looking at the ways in which stakeholders and customers can participate in not only hearing those stories but participating in the conversation,” Osborn said. “We want to tell great stories, but also enable our customers to contribute to the stories.”

For longstanding client FedEx, BBDO developed a campaign called “FedEx. Your Ultimate Caddie” that used TV, print, online, mobile and social media.

FedEx, which has been the official shipping sponsor of the PGA Tour since 2003 and the major sponsor of the FedEx Cup (a PGA tournament) since 2007, wanted to connect even more with golf fans, many of whom are business executives. So BBDO created a campaign that showed how fans could ship their clubs in specially designed FedEx boxes, get discounts and enter a FedEx Cup sweepstakes, with a grand prize of a trip to the PGA Tour Championship.

As part of the campaign, BBDO created a website to which FedEx customers could send stories about traveling with golf clubs. “It's not just us telling you a story, but inviting customers to tell their stories,” Osborn said.

The campaign resulted in increased orders placed through FedEx Office stores and online.

For GE, BBDO also used storytelling devices in the ongoing “Imagination at Work” campaign, featuring actual GE employees and customers. For example, a TV spot that debuted last year for GE's healthcare business showed company employees meeting cancer survivors, who talked about how GE's technology helped detect their disease at an early stage.

A spot for GE's aviation business also showed company employees, who talked about the passion they feel for building aircraft engines.

The GE campaign included a website at www.ge.com/stories, featuring case studies and online videos of customer stories, as well as social media to help share them.

“The b2b space can be a little technical and complex. We are striving for the emotional high ground,” Osborn said.

For client AT&T, BBDO created a public awareness campaign called “The Last Text” to educate drivers about the dangers of texting and driving.

The campaign included real people telling stories of texting and crashing, and used TV, radio, online and social media. “The Last Text” video received more than 2.5 million views on YouTube and won the Diamond Echo Award for best campaign at the DMA Echo Awards last year.

BBDO also launched two new business practices last year: ShopWork, aimed at the retail industry, and SocialWork, which provides a framework for executing social media campaigns.

LARGE AGENCIES

	WINNER: BBDO READ MORE
	RUNNER-UP: Ogilvy & Mather North America READ MORE
	HONORABLE MENTION: Wunderman READ MORE

MIDSIZE AGENCIES

	WINNER: Doremus READ MORE
	RUNNER-UP: gyro READ MORE
	HONORABLE MENTION: Stein+Partners Brand Activation READ MORE

SMALL AGENCIES

	WINNER: Sullivan READ MORE
	RUNNER-UP: DeSantis Breindel READ MORE
	HONORABLE MENTION: RiechesBaird READ MORE

INTERACTIVE AGENCIES

	WINNER: MRM READ MORE
	RUNNER-UP: Digitas READ MORE
	HONORABLE MENTION: Tocquigny READ MORE