WARC Rankings 2026: Media 100 announced – the most awarded campaigns and companies for media excellence 

Compiled by WARC, the annual Media 100 Ranking aggregates the results of the most important global and regional media awards of 2025. The shows tracked are determined in consultation with the WARC Rankings Advisory Board and by a yearly global panel survey. 

Amy Rodgers, Head of Content, WARC Creative, said: “The rapid evolution of the media landscape driven by technology, shifting consumer behaviours and new platforms is reshaping how brands and their partner agencies engage with audiences in meaningful and impactful ways. The WARC Media 100 celebrates the most awarded campaigns and companies at the forefront of these changes and will spark inspiration and new opportunites for the industry.”  

Three themes stand out from this year’s Media 100: 

• Tapping into fans: Speaking to customers in their language and reaching them in places and across media where they spend time has become a core tenet of effective marketing. This year’s top 100 campaigns for media excellence draw inspiration from these very places. 
• Hidden ads: With consumers exposed to thousands of marketing messages each day, brands are capturing attention by subterfuge, evoking emotions like intrigue and surprise to encode memory and drive engagement. 
• Media as a vehicle for advocacy: This year’s Media 100 showcase how brands are driving change through innovative media ideas. Though not a new theme in the Rankings, top campaigns spotlight how the creative use of media combined with impactful product solutions advocate diverse groups, including women, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and young people. 

#1 Campaign for media: ‘Beauty Test Stops With Me’ by Mindshare Mumbai for Dove  

The most awarded campaign for media excellence of 2025 was ‘Beauty Test Stops With Me’ for Dove. Activated via a multi-channel strategy, the campaign empowered mothers as key agents in driving cultural change by challenging beauty biases in the Indian matchmaking process.   

Ailsa Lochrie, Client President, Unite, at WPP Media, said: “Topping the WARC Media 100 ranking with the Dove ‘Beauty Test Stops With Me’ campaign is a remarkable achievement and we are so proud of our partners at Hindustan Unilever for effecting real change in India. What’s all the more impressive is the approach. We take great pride in combining cultural nuance, strategic thinking, and innovation to deliver measurable, profound impact. In collaboration with our clients, we develop ideas that elevate brands, redefine categories, drawing on exceptional acumen and all that tech and AI can offer to ultimately drive unparalleled growth for them.” 

In second place is ‘If you’re into it. It’s in the V&A’ by PHD London. The campaign for the Victoria & Albert museum in London used mass reach channels, contextual channels and grass-roots activations  to attract younger audiences by making its vast collection feel hyper-relevant to their interests. In third, ‘The Redditor Edit’, also by PHD London is for car manufacturer Skoda. The campaign leveraged the passionate fanbase on the Reddit community and turned them into brand evangelists to transform perceptions and boost sales. 

#1 Agency for media: PHD, London 

#1 Independent Agency for media: Mediaplus, Munich  

With four campaigns ranked in the top 100, PHD London tops the Media ranking this year for the first time, having previously peaked in third place in 2022.  

Paul Knight, CEO, PHD UK, said: “Being ranked as global no.1 agency in the WARC Media 100 is testament to the creative media skills and ingenuity of everyone at PHD UK, the clients who put their trust in us, and the media owner and agency partners who were pivotal in the success of our award-winning work.” 

Mindshare Mumbai jumps from sixth place last year to take second place. In addition to its top ranked campaign for Dove, it has a further two in the top 100.  

Mediaplus Munich had another strong performance, coming in third. The agency also ranks first in the Independent agency ranking with five campaigns featured in the Rankings. 

Max Schöngen, Global Chief Creative Officer & Partner, Mediaplus Group, said: “Seeing Mediaplus named named the #1 independent agency worldwide for four consecutive years in the WARC Media 100 is a testament to teams pushing boundaries with work that drives real impact and growth for our clients. To also rank #3 overall sets the benchmark for creative media – and makes me incredibly proud of our teams, partners and clients.” 

Rethink Toronto and GUT São Paulo come in second and third respectively in the Independent agency ranking. 

#1 Network for media: Mindshare Worldwide 

#1 Independent network for media: Serviceplan 

Mindshare Worldwide was the most awarded media network for the fifth time. The network had fifteen campaigns in the top 100 and seven agencies around the world contributing to its ranking: Mumbai, New York, London, Shanghai, Sydney, Warsaw and Jakarta. 

Prasanth Kumar, CEO South Asia, WPP Media, said: “The work our clients and teams do to earn these WARC recognitions requires extraordinary courage and relentless ingenuity. Alongside our clients, we are focused on accelerating business growth and inspiring our entire industry to embrace real transformation. This bold vision combined with masterful execution is what drives our collective efforts to continually redefine possibilities and reshape every part of the media landscape. I am incredibly proud of our teams and their relentless drive to deliver groundbreaking impact for our clients.” 

PHD Worldwide is in second place, followed by OMD Worldwide in third.  

Serviceplan Group tops the independent networks Media ranking for an impressive ninth consecutive year. 

Alexander Schill, Global Chief Creative Officer & Partner, Serviceplan Group, said: “Being ranked the number one independent network in both the WARC Creative 100 and Media 100 for the second year in a row means a lot to us and makes me really proud of our teams. It proves that creativity grows strongest where different disciplines and perspectives come together.” 

New entrant Cossette, comes in second place and GUT in in third. 

#1 Holding Company for media: WPP 

There’s no change at the top for the holding companies’ ranking. WPP has maintained its top place since 2018 when the Media 100 launched.  

Brian Lesser, Global CEO, WPP Media, said: “Leading the WARC Media 100 for a ninth straight year is an honor and a testament to the incredible clients, people and innovative work across the entire WPP network. In a world where media is truly everywhere and in everything, these awards powerfully show how we create captivating work that’s strategically brilliant, culturally relevant, and deeply impactful. At the heart of every truly successful client partnership lies a powerful idea – one that doesn’t just meet objectives but fundamentally transforms a business. Congratulations to our clients and our teams for consistently delivering outstanding work that moves audiences to think and act.”   

Omnicom Group is in second for its performance prior to the merger. Publicis Groupe is third. 

#1 Brand for media: Dove  

2026 marks three years at the top for Unilever hero brand, Dove. The personal care brand has four campaigns in the top 100 and 14 across the full media 100 database. 

Close behind in second place is McDonald’s, up from fourth last year. Coca-Cola jumps from ninth to third. New entrants to the top 50 this year are British Heart Foundation, Heinz, Vaseline and Skoda. 

#1 Advertiser for media: Unilever 

Unilever has now been the top advertiser in the Media 100 for seven consecutive years. The FMCG giant is represented by 24 different brands in the full Media 100 database, with Dove, Vaseline, Knorr and OMO making the top 50 brands. 

Leandro Barreto, Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever and Beauty & Wellbeing, says: “We’re reshaping how our brands show up in people’s lives – in the moments that truly matter – and I couldn’t be prouder of the way our teams are raising the bar in media. By combining precision, cultural fluency and bold thinking, we’re delivering impact at scale, both commercially and culturally. I’m especially proud to see Dove top the campaign rankings once again – proof that when purposeful creativity is powered by world-class media, we deliver real impact.” 

McDonald’s rises to second place, and Volkswagen moves up to third. 

#1 Country for media: USA 

The USA retains its first place – a rank it has held since 2018 when the Media 100 was launched. 16 of the top 100 campaigns came from the USA, including two of the top 10. The UK generated 11 of the top 100 campaigns. India remains in third place. Canada and Germany follow in fourth and fifth place. 

The top ten most highly ranked campaigns and companies in the 2026 WARC Rankings Media 100 are: