ADFocus announces Ogilvy as Agency Group of The Year 2024

It is therefore with great pride that Ogilvy received the top honours of ‘Agency Group of the Year’ in recognition of its eight operating companies (Retail, Advertising, PR, Influence, Digital, Social, Design, Health and Offshoring) and the market strength they have created over 2024. A year that has seen Ogilvy not only grow in size, but also rank number one in both creative and effective ranking tables. A year that saw the group grow its Graduate programme to 47 positions, demonstrating its long-term commitment to the growth of future industry talent.

In addition, Ogilvy for the second year running, won the coveted Partnership of the Year award, which celebrates relationships between clients and agencies. This year saw the KFC and Ogilvy relationship rank in first place.

Tracey Edwards, MD of Ogilvy’s Advertising Division in Johannesburg, expressing excitement over the win. "The strength of our partnership with KFC lies in a shared commitment to innovation, collaboration, and delivering results-driven campaigns, together, we’re not just creating work; we’re shaping meaningful experiences that resonate with audiences and leave a lasting impact. This recognition is a true reflection of our continued collaboration and the exceptional work we’re proud to deliver."

Moreover, Ogilvy also secured top spots as finalists in the following categories: Transformation, Partnership of the Year with its client VW, Advertising Agency of the Year and the Specialist Agency of the Year category.

The prestigious Group of the Year title comes at the perfect time, building on the momentum from last year’s runner-up position. The award signals Ogilvy’s group wide commitment for effective creativity across all its specialist communication businesses, driving consistent, impactful work that delivers real results for brands and achieving significant success across multiple key areas.

Angela Madlala, chief people officer of Ogilvy comments: “I am incredibly proud to be part of a team that is committed to and so invested in driving meaningful Black economic inclusion and transformation through initiatives like our Graduate Programme. We believe that this initiative, due to its scale and intimate participation from Ogilvy Leaders, will exponentially impact the availability of diversity in the industry’s leadership talent pool in future years. Winning the FM ADFocus Agency Group of the Year Awards is a massive endorsement of our collective effort, innovation, and commitment of everyone at Ogilvy. This recognition fuels our passion to continue making an impact and empowering future leaders.”

Pete Case, Ogilvy CEO, concludes, "This is a very special moment for us across our agency group. Thank you to every single person that believed in our ambition to get back into contention for this level of recognition. This is credit to our team’s incredible passion for the work we create and the impact we generate across the entire group. Thank you to the ADFocus judges for recognising our achievements across the last few years; The positive impact we’ve created for our clients, our people, our business, our industry, as well as the world we live in. Huge congratulations also to KFC for the wonderful recognition of our long-term partnership.”