Leo Burnett becomes first Lankan agency to make it to The Gunn Report

THE Sri Lankan office of the global advertising agency Leo Burnett  has once again made history with its award winning short film, “Pass it on when you’re done with it“ making it into the prestigious Gunn “Showreel of the year” Report. The commercial has made an appearance in the “Top 100 Creative Ideas of 2011” rankings report, which compiles the 100 most creative pieces of advertising from the industry, globally.

The Gunn Report is the only independent barometer on creative excellence in the advertising world and has been the source of industry ranking since 1999. Furthermore, Donald Gunn, the founder of the influential Gunn Report announced that Leo Burnett is the Creative Agency Network of the Year in Asia Pacific for 2011 at ADFEST 2012 which just took place in Pattaya. Additionally, with an impressive medal haul of 46 Lotus’ which included a metal won by the Colombo office, Leo Burnett was a very close second to the network of the year title.

Jarek Ziebinski, President, Leo Burnett Asia Pacific, stated that “Being recognized by The Gunn Report as Creative Agency Network of the Year is without a doubt one of the most prestigious recognitions to have in our business. Leo Burnett Sri Lanka’s success with the “Pass it On” TV commercial contributed towards this success as well. We share the same belief with The Gunn Report that creativity has a direct correlation with business success and it certainly is the case for us as Leo Burnett. We have enjoyed unprecedented success on the business front in 2011. This accolade encapsulates our ambition, hard work and passion for the business and most importantly demonstrates that we mean business when it comes to creativity.”  

The runner ups for the Asia Pacific Creative Agency Network of the Year category in The Gunn Report include BBDO in second place, Ogilvy in third place, DDB in fourth place, while Dentsu and JWT jointly occupy the fifth spot. The Gunn Report 2011 was released earlier last month, Gunn debuted the Asia Pacific set of results during his seminar session at ADFEST 2012 this week.  

Continued Ziebinski, “I am incredibly proud of our achievement; with a remarkable tally of 46 Lotus wins across eleven offices, we not only have surpassed our total wins from last year but also increased the number of winning offices from 2011. This set of results demonstrates the consistent creative might of our teams across the region from Colombo to Sydney and Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo, putting us in the best position to push through to the next level of creativity.”

The company adopts a philosophy named HumanKind which helps brands to move forward with its simple and singular approach of putting a brand's purpose at the centre of communications to truly connect with people. This approach has empowered and energized the company across the world and importantly in Asia and very specifically in Sri Lanka to be at the forefront of the advertising industry, sweeping awards and acclaim for its work and campaigns.

Commenting on the achievement, Ranil De Silva, Managing Director, Leo Burnett Solutions Inc, stated:  “This is yet another exceptional recognition for Leo Burnett Sri Lanka as it not only exhibits the talent of our diverse team but also showcases the creative prowess of Sri Lankan advertising to the world. We are proud to have been one of the contributing offices that have helped Leo Burnett Worldwide achieve this outstanding ranking.’’