Ogilvy and WPP lead World Creative Rankings

By mid-2026, Ogilvy and WPP have retained their top positions in the respective interim World Creative Rankings. Below them, however, the competitive landscape is shifting rapidly, with Leo Constellation and LePub making notable gains.

In mid-2026, Ogilvy and WPP have retained their leading positions in the respective Network and Holding Company rankings of the World Creative Rankings. Below them, however, the competitive landscape is shifting rapidly, with Leo Constellation and LePub making significant gains.

Ogilvy and WPP continue to top the Network and Holding Company rankings in The Drum's World Creative Rankings midway through 2026. However, the order beneath the leaders is changing quickly. This is according to the interim leaderboards published by The Drum as part of its mid-year edition, following the agency and advertiser rankings released earlier this week.

Ogilvy remains the highest-performing agency network, ahead of VML in second place. The biggest movement at the top comes from Leo Constellation, which climbs seven places to third, while LePub moves up from ninth to fourth.

The Holding Company rankings show a similar pattern. WPP and Omnicom retain first and second place respectively, while Publicis Groupe and Havas gain ground to move into third and fourth.

These rankings are provisional and are based only on award shows that have taken place so far in 2026. With several qualifying awards still to come, the final year-end rankings could change significantly.

Ogilvy stays ahead of VML as rivals close the gap

Ogilvy retains the top position it also held in the most recent annual World Creative Rankings. Its lead has been built on a broad portfolio of award-winning work. Vaseline Verified has been its most influential campaign so far this year, earning recognition at The Drum Awards for Marketing, The One Show, the Clio Awards, D&AD and Cannes Lions. Other major contributors include Dove's Dove R/Eal Reviews, Coca-Cola's Shades of Red and You Must Love Coke, and Kraft Heinz's You Can't Have Fries Without Heinz.

VML remains in second place, supported by campaigns including Ziploc's Preserved Promos, Coca-Cola's Thanks for Coke-Creating and Oreo's Name This Oreo, alongside KitKat's KitKat Phone Break and The KitKat Heist, and Telefónica Movistar's Game Guardian.

Leo Constellation breaks into the top three

The standout rise near the top comes from Leo Constellation, which jumps from tenth to third place. The network's progress has been driven primarily by AXA Business Insurance's AXA – Three Words, which received recognition at four major award shows. Heineken's Pub Succession also strengthened its performance across multiple clients, markets and creative disciplines.

LePub follows in fourth place, climbing five positions from ninth last year. Its rise is largely driven by Tecate's Gulf of Mexico (Bar), one of the highest-performing campaigns in the rankings so far. A strong body of work for Heineken also contributed, including Could Have Been a Heineken, Pub Succession, Starring Bars and Tocayos.

TBWA moves from seventh to fifth, led by Hornbach's No Project Without Drama and Apple's A Critter Carol. McCann remains steady in sixth, supported by L'Oréal Paris' The Final Copy of Ilon Specht.

Interim Network Rankings

Position	Network
= 1 (1)	Ogilvy
= 2 (2)	VML
↑ 3 (10)	Leo Constellation
↑ 4 (9)	LePub
↑ 5 (7)	TBWA
= 6 (6)	McCann
↓ 7 (4)	BBDO
↓ 8 (5)	DDB
↑ 9 (New)	Uncommon Creative Studio
↓ 10 (3)	FCB

BBDO and DDB—despite strong award performances—drop to seventh and eighth respectively. DDB, which is being phased out by its new parent company Omnicom, continues to perform well through campaigns such as Columbia Sportswear's Expedition Impossible, supported by Engineered for Whatever and Death Wishes.

Uncommon Creative Studio is the only new entrant in the Network Top 10, debuting in ninth place. Its momentum has been driven by The Ordinary's The Periodic Fable, the same campaign that helped Uncommon Creative Studio London secure fourth place in the Agency Rankings.

FCB, another Omnicom network being phased out, falls from third place in the annual rankings to tenth at the halfway point. Its strongest work includes Chicago Hearing Society's Caption with Intention and SickKids Foundation's The Count.

WPP and Omnicom remain out front

The Holding Company rankings are more stable at the top. WPP retains first place, while Omnicom remains second. WPP's leadership is underpinned by the continued strength of its leading networks, Ogilvy and VML. Key campaigns across its portfolio include Vaseline Verified, Ziploc's Preserved Promos, Coca-Cola's Thanks for Coke-Creating, KitKat's The KitKat Heist, Dove's Dove R/Eal Reviews and Oreo's Name This Oreo.

Omnicom benefits from its high-profile acquisition of IPG and an exceptionally broad portfolio of work, including Chicago Hearing Society's Caption with Intention, Hornbach's No Project Without Drama, Columbia Sportswear's Expedition Impossible, L'Oréal Paris' The Final Copy of Ilon Specht, SickKids Foundation's The Count and Apple's A Critter Carol.

Publicis Groupe rises one place to third, although this change is partly due to the reshaped holding company landscape. IPG, which ranked third last year, is no longer listed separately following its acquisition by Omnicom. Publicis nevertheless delivered a strong performance, driven by the rise of Leo Constellation and LePub, as well as campaigns including Tecate's Gulf of Mexico (Bar), AXA – Three Words, and Heineken's Pub Succession and Could Have Been a Heineken.

Havas also climbs one place to fourth, thanks in part to the breakthrough performance of Uncommon Creative Studio. Accenture completes the top five after rising from seventh place.

Interim Holding Company Rankings

Position	Holding Company
= 1 (1)	WPP
= 2 (2)	Omnicom
↑ 3 (4)	Publicis Groupe
↑ 4 (5)	Havas
↑ 5 (7)	Accenture
↑ 6 (9)	Globant
↓ 7 (6)	Dentsu Group
↑ 8 (10)	Hakuhodo DY
↑ 9 (11)	Stagwell
↓ 10 (8)	Chime Communications

Globant climbs three places to sixth, while Dentsu Group slips one place to seventh. Hakuhodo DY rises from tenth to eighth, and Stagwell enters the Top 10 after gaining two positions. Chime Communications falls to tenth, while S4 Capital moves up one place to eleventh.

For the interim rankings, The Drum analysed 1,059 campaigns from 691 advertisers working with 606 agencies. New this year, The Drum plans to publish the full annual World Creative Rankings before the end of the year for the first time—at the end of 2026 rather than the usual February release—in an effort to bring the rankings closer to real time.

Source: The Drum, Ogilvy and WPP lead World Creative Rankings at halfway mark as Leo hits top three (Editorial), 23 July 2026. Adapted by the Marketing Report editorial team.

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