The Caples Awards, the free-to-enter global festival run by creative people for creative people, has announced its winners for 2023.
In 2023, Caples, which is sponsored by BBDO Worldwide and WPP, received entries from 52 countries, eight more than in 2022, and were judged by 55 jurors from 22 countries. There were a total of 1,704 entries resulting in 134 Bronzes, 86 Silvers, and 39 Gold Awards.
The Andi Emerson Award
This is recognition of any person who the President feels has made an outstanding contribution to creativity. In 2023, jury president, Laura Jordan Bambach, President and Chief Creative Officer of Grey London, nominated Ryan Reynolds, the actor, owner of Wrexham Football Club, and founder of creative agency Maximum Effort.
“Through the power of humour, Ryan Reynolds’ ads for Aviation Gin built a brand worth $650 million,” said Bambach.
“His ads for Mint Mobile built a brand that T-Mobile bought for $1.25 billion in March this year. He is an example to us all.”
The Courageous Client Award: Rankin Carroll, Chief Brand Officer of Mars
The Caples Awards pioneered the idea of honoring the clients who make it possible for their agencies to do their best work.
Jordan Bambach said: “With its apparently woke decision to replace the spokescandies for being “too polarising”, the brand opened itself up to derision and outrage. Few brands would dare poke fun at the culture wars currently raging in America but someone at the Mars-owned brand had the temerity to do just that.”
The special jury awards
Best in Show
BBDO New York : M&Ms – “Spokescandies on Pause”
Best Art Direction/Design
Forsman+Bodenfors: First Nation/Logan – “The Shuffle Ticket”
Best Copywriting
Grey London: Dole Sunshine Company – “Unforbidden Fruit”
Agency of the Year:
Caples Awards Golds 2023
AUDIO
Agency: Colenso BBDO, Auckland, New Zealand
Client: Skinny Title: Phone It In
B2B
Agency: Colenso BBDO, Auckland, New Zealand
Client: Spark Title: Beyond Binary Code
Branded Content
Agency: Special Group Auckland
Client: Partners Life Title: Last Performance
Creative Use of Data
Agency: Leo Burnett Sydney
Client: Diageo Title: Bundy Mixer
Agency: Ogilvy Spain
Client: DGT Title: The 36
Digital
Agency: Forsman+Bodenfors Singapore
Client: Down Syndrome International Title: Kami
Agency: Grey London
Client: Pringles Title: Pringles NPC
Agency: MRM Santiago
Client: LATAM Airlines Title: Fly Over Monday
Agency: The Monkeys Sydney
Client: Tuvalu Title: First Digital Nation
Direct Mail
Agency: Impact BBDO Dubai
Client: UN Women Title: Child Wedding Cards
Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
Client: Royal Canadian Legion Title: Letters Home
Gaming
Agency: Grey London
Client: Pringles Title: Pringles NPC
Agency: Leo Burnett Manila
Client: McDonald’s Title: Unbranded Menu
Healthcare
Agency: Cheil Spain
Client: Samsung Title: Unfear App
Innovation
Agency: The Monkeys Sydney
Client: Tuvalu Title: First Digital Nation
Agency: VMLY&R India
Client: Unilever Title: Smart Fill
Integrated
Agency: BBDO New York
Client: Mars M&Ms Title: Spokescandies on Pause
Mobile
Agency: serviceplan Germany
Client: Dot-Go Title: Object Interaction App
New Product Launch
Agency: Leo Burnett Sydney
Client: Diageo Title: Bundy Mixer
Agency: DDB Australia
Client: Jarden Title: Creativity Index
Not for Profit
Agency: Forsman+Bodenfors Singapore
Client: Down Syndrome International Title: Kami
PR
Agency: The Monkeys Sydney
Client: Tuvalu Title: First Digital Nation
Agency: Impact BBDO
Client: AnNahar Newspaper Title: The Newspapers Inside
Agency: Impact BBDO Dubai
Client: Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation Title: #WeMissLebanon
Agency: Impact BBDO
Client: AnNahar Newspaper Title: The Newspapers Inside
Agency: Havas Lisbon
Client: Raparigas da Bola Title: The Day After Women’s Day
Self-Promotion
Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
Title: The Left-Handed Chutney Jar
Radical New Strategy
Agency: BBDO New York
Client: Mars M&Ms Title: Spokescandies on Pause
Agency: Impact BBDO
Client: AnNahar Newspaper Title: The Newspapers Inside
Agency: Innocean Berlin
Client: Wer Braucht Feminismus Title: The Vulva Spaceship
Agency: Seven.One AdFactory/White Rabbit, Budapest, Hungary
Client: Ahr Wine region Title: Flood Wine
Small Agency Award
Agency: BBD Perfect Storm London
Client: Unseen UK Title: Ukraine Welcome Message
Agency: Forsman+Bodenfors Singapore
Client: Down Syndrome International Title: Kami
Agency: Neil Dawson & Company
Client: Asics Title: Mind Games – Experiment
TV and Video
Agency: BBDO Bangkok
Client: Five Star Chicken Title: The Movies that Made (For) Us
Agency: The Monkeys Sydney
Client: Macpac Title: A Bit Precarious
Agency: Special Group Auckland
Client: Partners Life Title: Last Performance
APAC jurors for 2023
- Matt Batten, ECD, Momentum WW, Australia.
- Stephen de Wolf, CCO, DDB Group Australia.
- Wez Hawes, ECD, Innocean Australia.
- Tara McKenty, Innovation Director, BMF Sydney.
- Kestrel Lee, ECD, Dentsu China.
- Chris Kyme, Founder and CCO, Kymechow, Hong Kong
- Meera Sharath Chandra, CCO and Fiunder, Tigress Tigress, India
- Mukund Olety, CCO, VMLY&R INdia
- Brett Colliver, formerly ECD, DDB New Zealand.
- Kristal Knight, ECD, Ogilvy New Zealand
- Raymund Sisun, Partner and CCO, Propel Manila.
- Pete (Thasorn) Boonyanate, CCO, BBDO Thailand
Jurors at The Caples are free to give as many – or as few – awards as they choose. In 2023 they whittled 1,704 entries down to 134 Bronzes, 86 Silvers and 39 Gold Awards.
The jury was led over three days of deliberation by Laura Jordan Bambach, President and Chief Creative Officer of Grey London.
“The Caples Awards is free to enter which means small agencies have been encouraged to take part. I am particularly pleased that we have been able to give Golds to three agencies with fewer than 40 employees.
I am also delighted that Mars M&Ms ‘Spokescandies on Pause’ is our Best in Show. While we want to reward work with social purpose, The Caples has always been about celebrating campaigns that have commercial intent. This idea generated 25.2 billion media impressions, leading to the highest January/February sales for the brand ever.”
As President of the jury, Jordan Bambach has two awards within her personal gift.
The Caples Awards is managed by Patrick Collister, former Executive Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather London and Head of Design for The Zoo at Google, with Duncan Gray, former Chief Creative Officer for Proximity Worldwide.
All The Caples Awards winners can be viewed at www.caples.org/winners
