Special has set a new record by winning ‘New Zealand Agency of the Year’ title at the B&T Awards for the third time in a row – something no agency has achieved before.
The B&T Awards are Australia’s premier annual award shows, and one of the big three industry judged ‘Agency of the Year’ shows – along with Campaign Asia and Campaign Brief.
Each agency has the submit a written entry covering business results, culture, DE&I, creative work, industry contribution and innovation. Then, if shortlisted, present live to an industry panel of leading CMO’s in Sydney.
Judges said of Special: “On the back of its best-ever year last time out, Special was B&T’s Grand Prix winner. Somehow, in 2022, the agency has managed to best itself again recording a 29 percent boost in revenue, profits increasing by more than a third, and growing its headcount by 21 percent. Of course, it wasn’t all a numbers game for Special. Special won a Gold Lion at Cannes and a One Show ‘Best in Discipline’ pencil — only the second pencil to be awarded to a Kiwi agency.”
“Special also won New Zealand’s first-ever Global Effie. Despite New Zealand only fully reopening from COVID restrictions last month, Special managed to open offices on two different hemispheres. Special London and Wellington join the company’s existing offices in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles. That global reach has not detracted from Special’s Kiwi heritage, however. This year, the company launched Special Aotea, a culturally-led creative, strategic, and business rōpū (Maori for group or collective) within the agency designed to authentically represent Te Ao Māori (the interconnectedness of all living and non-living things) in its people, work, and the next generation.”
Special also took out two of the most competitive categories – ‘Best PR Campaign of the Year’ & ‘Best Media Campaign of the Year’ – both for Special’s multi award winning ‘David’s Unusables’ for Motor Neurone Disease Association New Zealand.
“I want to thank the whole team that flew over to Sydney and presented our year’s work. It’s such a robust process, but an amazing opportunity to be able to talk face to face with some of the leading CMO’s in the region,” says Special Founder and CEO/CCO Tony Bradbourne.
“It’s incredibly tough to win in any year, to win three in a row is just amazing”.
The win is the latest title Special has won over the past 3 years – named ‘Global Creative Agency of the Year’ by the esteemed Campaign in 2021, ‘#1 Most Effective Independent Agency in the World’ by Effies Global Ranking in 2022.
