Dove campaign tops WARC Effectiveness Rankings

The 2026 edition of the WARC Effective 100 ranks the most awarded campaigns and companies for marketing effectiveness, with long-running brand platforms and purpose-led strategies dominating this year’s results.

Compiled annually by WARC, the rankings aggregate performance across major global and regional effectiveness awards. The 2025 results point to consistent brand building, cultural relevance and the growing role of AI as key drivers of measurable business outcomes.

Amy Rodgers, Head of Content, WARC Creative: "The WARC Effective 100 Rankings are the pinnacle of marketing excellence, showcasing the campaigns and companies that have truly moved the needle and delivered measurable impact. Setting new standards for effectiveness, they are an invaluable resource for the industry to learn from the very best, help embed a culture of effectiveness and drive future business growth."

Dove campaign leads global rankings

The top-ranked campaign is Real Beauty: How a Soap Brand Created a Global Self-Esteem Movement, developed by Ogilvy London and Mindshare New York for Dove. The long-running platform continues to influence perceptions of beauty globally and has evolved into a large-scale brand initiative.

Other leading campaigns include Caramelo, created by AlmapBBDO São Paulo for Pedigree, which drove adoption and sales growth, and Michael CeraVe by FCB New York and 160Over90 for CeraVe, which combined influencer activity with a Super Bowl activation.

Creative and media agencies take top positions

AlmapBBDO ranks as the most effective creative agency, supported by six campaigns in the top 100. Independent agency Mischief @ No Fixed Address leads its category, continuing its consistent performance in recent years.

Filipe Bartholomeu, President and CEO, AlmapBBDO: “Being recognized as the world’s most effective creative agency by WARC is an extremely proud achievement, that reflects our belief in creativity as the main driver of growth and results for our clients. This recognition aligns with our core mission: to impact the world through brands by generating consistent and lasting growth for them.”

Jeff McCrory, Chief Strategy Officer & Partner, Mischief: “Mischief was founded on the belief that creativity, properly channelled and directed is the most powerful force in business. Being ranked the number one most effective independent agency in the world feels like one hell of a proof point for this hypothesis. Thank you to everyone at Mischief for delivering brilliance and to our clients for empowering us to strive for greatness.”

Networks, brands and advertisers recognised

Starcom Chicago leads the media agency rankings, while Streetwise São Paulo tops the independent category. Ogilvy ranks as the most effective network for the fourth consecutive year, and GUT leads independent networks.

Shelby Saville, CEO, Starcom US: “I am incredibly proud to see Starcom recognized at the top of the WARC Effective 100. This honor reflects the focus our teams bring to driving real business results for clients. It’s a testament to the collaboration, creativity and care our people bring to every idea.”

Mick McCabe, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy: “To be recognized as #1 four years in a row is a testament to Ogilvy’s enduring culture of strategic thinking, that is vibrant and thriving all around the world, across every office and discipline. Our gratitude to our clients for valuing, asking for and collaborating with us on bold strategic choices that make a difference — on their business and in the world. And we cannot underestimate how much shared commitment, passion, resilience and talent it takes to do this day in and day out. It speaks volumes about our people and how they always rise to the occasion.”

At holding company level, Omnicom Group takes first place, ahead of WPP and Publicis Groupe.

Brand and advertiser rankings highlight scale

McDonald's retains its position as the most effective brand for the seventh consecutive year, supported by campaigns across multiple markets. Unilever returns to the top spot among advertisers, achieving leading positions across creativity, media and effectiveness rankings.

Morgan Flatley, Global Chief Marketing Officer and Head of New Business Ventures, McDonald's: “A recognition like this is never about one campaign or moment, it’s about years of our marketers around the world building something bigger together. Seven years as WARC's number one Most Effective Brand is a reminder - and motivation - of what’s possible when marketing creativity is a driver of business growth.”

Leandro Barreto, Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever and Beauty & Wellbeing: “Achieving the #1 ranking in Creative, Media and Effectiveness is an extraordinary validation of our marketing transformation. Proof that purposeful creativity combined with world class media creates impact at scale. Creativity backed by rigour. Media powered by precision. Execution with discipline and reach. This is how we grow. Congratulations to every team member, partner and co-creator who made this achievement possible.”