DDB Group crowned Overall Agency of the Year

After years of nipping at the heels of the Overall Agency of the Year Award, DDB Group Hong Kong has claimed the award amid some of the toughest competition yet.The overall award caps of a run of gold trophies for the Omnicom agency, which also secured top honours in Creative Agency of the Year, Integrated Agency of the Year and Most Outstanding Client/Agency Partnership.FULL LIST OF WINNERS HERE.Another big winner for the evening included Mirum Hong Kong, which secured gold in the Innovative Agency of the Year and Mobile Marketing Agency of the Year categories in addition to three bronze awards.In the competitive public relations category, Weber Shandwick returned to winning form, claiming gold against Edelman Hong Kong in one of the tightest finishes for gold and silver. Independent agency Plug PR edged out FleishmanHillard for the bronze.Another closely fought category included Social Media Agency of the Year, with Guru Online edging out Dentsu Aegis Network-owned Isobar for the gold award. CMRS Digital Solutions took bronze in the social category.OMD defended its crown as Media Agency of the Year for the third consecutive year in this competitive category. OMD retained the top award ahead of PHD Hong Kong and Starcom MediaVest Group, which locked in the bronze.Another to successfully defend its gold award was Isobar, which took out the Digital Agency of the Year award for a second consecutive year. TBWA\Digital Arts Network\Hong Kong jumped to silver, while local agency Pixo Punch secured bronze along with the Local Hero Award.This year a number new categories were introduced to recognise emerging agencies and innovation. These include Best Client Management Team, Best New Business Team, Specialist Agency of the Year, Small Size Agency of the Year and Innovative Agency of the YearTaking out Best Client Management Team Wunderman | AGENDA Hong Kong, with iClick Interactive Asia securing silver and Mirum Hong Kong in bronze.[gallery link="file" ids="98552,98551,98554,98555,98532,98523,98526,98529,98521,98520,98518,98512,98513,98514,98515,98516"]Rise of the IndependentsHong Kong independent agencies were the big story to emerge in the 2015 Agency of the Year Awards, claiming a record number of gold, silver and bronze awards.A growing group of agencies including Constant, Fimmick, fluid, Eight Partnership, PacificLink iMedia, Pixo Punch and Plug PR outgunned their bigger global rivals to claim a number of awards.This year a total of 11 gold awards were handed to independent firms, a record for the awards in its nine year history, with another nine silver and 12 bronze awards were won by independents.After taking the silver and Local Hero awards in the 2014 in the Brand Consultancy category, independent firm Eight Partnership cemented its reputation as one to watch after locking in gold ahead of FutureBrand and last year’s gold winner StartJG, which secured bronze.The new Best Agency Culture category was dominated by independents with fluid HK snatching gold and Constant taking the bronze. DDB was awarded silver.Other independent firms to win top honours included ManyMany Creations for Best Production Team, Clix International for CRM & Loyalty Agency of the Year, AsiaPac Net Media, Independent for Direct Marketing Agency of the Year and PacificLink iMedia, which snatched gold in Specialist Agency of the Year.