Three Words, the Titanium Lion, and the Top of the WARC Creative 100
The most awarded campaign of 2025 added three words to an insurance policy and gave women in abusive relationships somewhere to go. It won the Dan Wieden Titanium Grand Prix. Now it tops the WARC rank
In June 2025, at the Palais des Festivals at the Cannes Lions Festival, the Titanium Lion, the festival’s most prestigious award, given only to work that shifts the direction of the industry, went to a campaign built around three words added to an insurance policy. This writer was in the front row when it was announced.
The campaign was Three Words, created by Publicis Conseil Paris for AXA. The idea was precise: add the phrase ‘and domestic violence’ to AXA’s standard home insurance terms in France. Those three words reclassified domestic violence as an insurable risk, giving women in abusive relationships immediate access to emergency accommodation under a policy they already held. No new product. No new cost to the customer. Three words in a legal document that millions of people already owned.
Nine months later, Three Words tops the WARC Creative 100 rankings, published on 10 March, accumulating more points across global and regional awards shows than any other piece of work entered in 2025. The Titanium was its most prominent win, but far from its only one.
“I believe the reason this idea resonated with so many people is the contrast between its simplicity and its exponential impact. With just three words, we are pivoting millions of home insurance policies to make them more inclusive of a risk that affects women more than fires or floods. It serves as a reminder of the power of creativity. It proves that even the most common product – like a home insurance that hasn’t evolved in centuries – can be reinvented to make a difference.”
Marco Venturelli, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Conseil and Global CEO of Leo
The WARC Creative 100 aggregates results from the most significant global and regional creative awards shows each year, determined by an industry advisory board and annual global panel survey. It is one of the few genuinely independent benchmarks in the industry — no single show or geography dominates the methodology.
B2B in the Top Three
The second-placed campaign is also worth attention. Spreadbeats, by FCB New York for Spotify, repackaged the platform’s advertising performance data inside a functional spreadsheet — a piece of work aimed squarely at media planners, designed to shift their perception of Spotify’s video ad capabilities and ROI. It is a B2B campaign, and it finished second in the world.
Third place went to Michelob Ultra’s Formula 1 partnership Lap of Legends, which staged a race between real and virtual drivers. Two of the top three campaigns this year operate in the B2B space, a shift WARC has identified as a broader theme, with creative work increasingly used as a differentiator in business-to-business marketing rather than reserved for consumer-facing brands.
LePub and the Independent Story
At agency level, LePub Milan takes the top spot for the first time, rising from second place last year. Two Heineken campaigns in the top 100 anchor its points tally, alongside contributions from across its portfolio. CEO Bruno Bertelli said:
“LePub Milan is honoured to be ranked #1 in the WARC Creative 100. This achievement celebrates our visionary clients and extraordinary team, who inspire bold, culturally resonant ideas. At the intersection of creativity, strategy, tech, and insight, we craft work that resonates in people’s lives, builds brands, and delivers measurable impact. This recognition reinforces our commitment to innovation, rigor, and fearless creativity, helping clients move faster, smarter, and with confidence worldwide.”
The independent agency story belongs to Serviceplan. Serviceplan Munich climbed from seventh to second in the overall agency ranking and simultaneously took the top independent agency position. The Munich office also leads the independent network ranking for the second consecutive year — making Serviceplan the top-ranked independent operation at both agency and network level.
“I believe that in our competitive, technology-driven industry, creativity remains the true differentiator. That’s why being ranked number one in the WARC Creative 100 again means so much to us – both as an independent network and as an agency. It confirms that our way of working – bringing different disciplines and perspectives together – continues to produce impactful ideas. This recognition belongs to our teams, partners and clients who believe in the power of ÜberCreativity and practice it every day.”
Alexander Schill, Global Chief Creative Officer and Partner
Ogilvy’s Sixth Consecutive Year at the Top
Ogilvy leads the network ranking for the sixth year running — a run that began in 2020 and shows no signs of ending. Fifteen campaigns in the top 100 this year, contributed by offices across New York, Singapore, Mumbai, Madrid and Lima. Global Chief Creative Officer Liz Taylor:
“Six years at the top of WARC’s Creative 100 is more than a milestone — it’s a testament to how our network shows up. The best work, on the biggest brands, in every market around the world. I am endlessly proud of our teams and our clients who, every day, prove that creativity isn’t just what we do together, it’s the most powerful competitive advantage out there.”
WPP holds the number one holding company position for the fourth consecutive year, with Ogilvy and VML ranked first and third respectively among networks, and AKQA at twenty-eighth.
“Our continued recognition in the WARC Creative 100 is a testament to WPP’s incredible talent and the hard work of our dedicated teams globally. While awards represent the visible tip of the iceberg, we fundamentally believe in the power of creativity to shape culture and drive profound, sustainable growth for our client partners. This commitment to delivering real-world impact for the world’s most iconic brands is what truly defines our success.”
WPP’s Global Chief Creative Officer Rob Reilly
Omnicom Group and Interpublic Group are ranked second and third as holding companies, assessed on their respective performances prior to the completion of their merger.
Heineken and Unilever’s First-Time Wins
Two brand-level firsts stand out. Heineken reaches number one brand for the first time in the ranking’s history, having appeared in the top ten for four consecutive years. Its position is built on genuine global reach — two campaigns in the top 100, nineteen in the full database, across twelve countries. Nabil Nasser, Head of Global Heineken Brand:
“We are incredibly humbled and proud for Heineken® to be recognised as the #1 Brand Worldwide in the WARC Creative 100 for the first time in our history. WARC Rankings are one of the industry’s most respected benchmarks recognising work that delivers business results and cultural impact. This is further proof that our Legendary Creativity is widely recognised as a key formula for growth. By combining art, science and courage, our teams around the world continue to shape the category, cementing Heineken® as the most preferred beer globally and the #1 leader in global beer sales value.”
Nabil Nasser, Head of Global Heineken Brand
Unilever takes the top advertiser position for the first time, represented by fifteen brands in the full Creative 100 database. Vaseline and Dove both reach the top 50 brands — Vaseline, notably, as a new entrant driven by its Vaseline Verified and Transition Body Lotion campaigns across Asia.
“This recognition is a powerful endorsement of the bold, culturally resonant work our teams bring into the world — work that inspires, connects and drives real impact. Creativity is one of our strongest competitive advantages, and when it’s scaled through rigour, discipline and the smart use of technology, it becomes an engine of real business growth. I’m incredibly proud that we are continuing to elevate creative excellence across our brands and excited to see the bar rise even higher from here.”
Leandro Barreto, CMO
The United States retains the top country position — a rank it has held since 2006. Thirty of the top 100 campaigns originated from US agencies. The UK is second with eleven, Brazil third.
The WARC Media 100 publishes on 13 March and the Effective 100 on 18 March.
The full WARC Creative 100, including campaign case studies, is available to WARC members at warc.com
