Score (self-awarded): 9
Number of staff: 365
New business / billings: £40.3m
Summary of the year so far: " A really strong start to the year. Since January, we’ve created outstanding, talked about work that’s shared globally, entering and influencing popular culture; including Sunday Times (Fashion Royalty), Vodafone global and Ireland (Kiss, Lake, Ball, The Wait), Puma Fragrances (Dance Dictionary) and Lucozade (Dan). New business is thriving. We’ve been on the biggest pitch lists this year; winning HSBC, Gillette and Vodafone global, and we’re still going on ASDA and United Biscuits. We’re growing our own superstars and cherry-picking the best from elsewhere (Wayne Brown, MD GreyPOSSIBLE). The first major London agency to boast 50/50 split between traditional and new media skills. It’s delivering: GreyPOSSIBLE is the fastest-growing part of our business with £5m turnover after nine months. Our Open Culture continues to shape and drive the agency. People want to work here. Happy staff make better work. The first half of 2013 has flown by. Bring on the second. "
Awards won so far in 2013: "So far in 2013, we’ve won awards for our creative work, our thinking and our people. We enjoyed our most successful Cannes to date, winning five Lions, significantly across three different clients (having earned 15 shortlists across five clients). Most notably, we were awarded the prestigious Black Creative Effectiveness Lion for ‘Vinnie’; one of only seven awarded globally and one of only two awarded to UK agencies. The campaign has now saved 38 lives. ‘Vinnie’ also helped us take home the GRAND PRIX at the Thinkbox TV Planning awards for our campaigns for the BHF, praised as being ‘one of the most innovative users of TV’ by judges. We also won the ‘best ongoing use of TV’ category. A Gold/Silver/Bronze combo at CLIO Awards. A Gold and five silvers at Creative Circle. Two Golds at the Music + Sound Awards. We’re particularly proud of our deputy ECD, Vicki Maguire, who was named one of the IPA’s Women of Tomorrow in March. Cited as a future leader of the advertising world, the judges said ‘energy and enthusiasm absolutely poured out of Vicki. She’s an amazing individual who is clearly doing fantastic things, and really is someone who’ll inspire the next generation’. "