Adfest 2025: BBDO, Ogilvy, McCann, Leo, Havas Creative win big

New Delhi: BBDO Mumbai was awarded the coveted South Asia Agency of the Year title, while Ogilvy Mumbai won the Media Agency of the Year title at Adfest 2025, held on Friday.

BBDO Mumbai topped the medal tally by winning 10 awards, including one Grande Lotus, two Gold, two Silver, and five Bronze awards.

BBDO India’s work for P&G Ariel’s “Home Teams #ShareTheLoad” was the standout of the night. It took home the Grande in the Effective Lotus category and a Gold in the Creative Strategy Lotus for long-term strategy. The campaign also earned two Silvers in Creative Strategy and Effective Lotus, and five Bronzes across various categories.

Adding to the celebration, BBDO India also won Gold in the Film Craft Lotus category for WhatsApp’s “Oye Lucky,” recognized for Best Use of Adapted Music.

Commenting on the win, Josy Paul, Chairperson and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, said, “We are thrilled to be recognized as South Asia Agency of the Year—this is big! We’re grateful to the jury for shining a light on our work for P&G Ariel and Meta’s WhatsApp. These campaigns are all about impact and influence, which aligns with our global mantra: Do Big Things. This win was only possible thanks to incredible teamwork and the trust of our client partners.”

Besides winning the Media Agency of the Year title, Ogilvy Mumbai won six Lotus awards, including a Gold, two Silvers, and three Bronzes.

McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai, won a total of eight awards, including a Grande Innova Lotus, a Lotus Roots, three Gold, a Silver, and two Bronze medals.

Leading the charge was the Grande Innova Lotus win for “Fit My Feet” for Buckaroo Footwear—a powerful innovation in design and accessibility. The campaign also clinched a Silver in the Sustainable Lotus (Health & Well-Being) and a Bronze in both Design (Product Design: Consumer Products) and Creative Strategy Lotus (Contextual Insight).

The agency’s work for ESAF Small Finance Bank, “Dabba Savings Account,” emerged as a major highlight, winning in Lotus Roots and clinching three Gold awards in Creative Strategy (Audience Insight and Finance/Commercial Services) and Sustainable Lotus (Reduced Inequalities)—a testament to the campaign’s deep cultural insight and positive social impact.

“These wins represent not just creative excellence, but purposeful thinking rooted in human truths,” said Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific and CEO & CCO of McCann Worldgroup India.

“From financial empowerment in rural India to inclusive footwear design, our teams in Mumbai and Bangalore have pushed boundaries in service of ideas that matter. I’m proud of the passion and commitment that we bring to our work,” Joshi added.

Leo Mumbai also won eight awards, including an Innova Lotus, a Grande, a Gold, two Silvers, and three Bronzes.

Havas Creative Mumbai won four Lotus awards. The agency’s bold and thought-provoking campaign, “Ink of Democracy,” for The Times of India won one Grande, one Gold, and two Bronzes, reaffirming its creative excellence on a global stage.

Anupama Ramaswamy, Joint MD & Chief Creative Officer, Havas Creative India, said, “My young team, Soham and Ravinder, came up with a simple yet powerful idea. One look, and I knew this was magic. Because the power of an idea is to drive meaningful change. In this case, we made the most popular newspaper remind citizens about their duty and help shape the future of our nation.”

Full list of winners: