Effie Worldwide has today announced the 2023 Effie Index®, the 13th annual ranking of the companies behind the world’s most effective marketing initiatives.

Ukrainian agency Gres Todorchuk and Ukrainian brand UNITED24 are at the top of the Global and European rankings of Effie Index 2023. Gres Todorchuk is among the top 3 most effective independent agencies worldwide and has topped two European rankings for the most effective office and the most effective independent agency. UNITED24 is among the top 5 most effective brands in the world and is the leader of this ranking in Europe.

FMCG/CPG, fast food and beverage companies dominated this year’s rankings, with 3 out of the Top 5 Most Effective Brands being QSRs. AB InBev and McDonald’s demonstrate their dedication to effectiveness by taking top spots in the Marketer and Brand rankings, respectively, for the third year running.

The competition for Most Effective Agency Office showcases the global breadth and strength of agencies in relation to effectiveness.  The Top 10 Most Effective Agency Offices span the globe, representing Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, India, New Zealand, Ukraine, and United Arab Emirates. Similarly, the Top 10 ranking for Most Effective Independent Agencies include Argentina, Brazil, China, Denmark, India, New Zealand, Peru, Ukraine, and the United States.

“The Global Effie Index has become the gold standard for measuring marketing effectiveness,” said Traci Alford, Global CEO, Effie Worldwide.  “The companies and brands at the top of our rankings demonstrate the highest commitment to effectiveness. No matter what their business challenge, they all have one thing in common, they continue to drive tangible successes for their brands.  I’d like to congratulate all the teams involved, they represent the very best of our industry and should be very proud of their achievements.”

The Effie Index identifies and ranks the most effective agencies, marketers, brands, networks, and holding companies by analyzing more than 4,750 finalist and winning entries from eligible global, regional, and national Effie Awards competitions around the world. Announced annually, it is the most comprehensive global ranking of marketing effectiveness.

This year's rankings are representative of Effie Awards finalists and winners announced between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.

View the full rankings at effieindex.com.

Information about how the rankings are compiled can be found here.

The results in detail:  

Most Effective Marketers

Top 5: AB InBev, Unilever, McDonald’s, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company    

Most Effective Brands

Top 5: McDonald’s, KFC, Oreo, UNITED24, Burger King 

 Most Effective Agency Holding Groups

Top 5: Omnicom, WPP, Publicis, Interpublic (IPG), Dentsu 

 Most Effective Agency Network

Top 5: McCann Worldgroup, DDB Worldwide, Ogilvy, BBDO Worldwide, Leo Burnett Worldwide 

Most Effective Agency Offices

Top 5: AlmapBBDO (São Paulo, Brazil), Leo Burnett Dubai (UAE), McCann Worldgroup Gurugram (India), GUT (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Leo Burnett India (Mumbai) 

Most Effective Independent Agencies

Top 5: GUT (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Special (Auckland, NZ), Gres Todorchuk (Kyiv, Ukraine), Valor Socios de Marcas (Lima, Peru) and GUT (São Paulo, Brazil)

2023 REGIONAL RANKINGS

Europe

McDonald’s (marketer), UNITED24 (brand), Omnicom (holding group), McCann Worldgroup (agency network), Gres Todorchuk (agency office & independent agency) 

Asia Pacific

The Coca-Cola Company (marketer), McDonald’s (brand), WPP (holding group), Ogilvy (agency network), McCann Worldgroup Gurugram (agency office), Special (independent agency)  

Latin America

AB InBev (marketer), McDonald’s (brand), Omnicom (holding group), BBDO Worldwide (agency network), AlmapBBDO (agency office), GUT (independent agency)

Middle East & Africa

Landmark Group (marketer), K-Lynn (brand), Publicis Groupe (holding group), Leo Burnett Worldwide (agency network), Leo Burnett Dubai (agency office), Joe Public (independent agency)

North America

Unilever (marketer), Froot Loops (brand), IPG (holding group), McCann Worldgroup (agency network), Starcom Chicago (agency office), Mischief @ No Fixed Address (independent agency)