Mumbai: WARC has unveiled the 2026 edition of the WARC Media 100, the global benchmark ranking the most awarded campaigns, agencies, brands and companies for media excellence. The annual ranking aggregates results from the most important global and regional media awards of 2025, based on a methodology developed with the WARC Rankings Advisory Board and a global panel survey.
Topping this year’s rankings is ‘Beauty Test Stops With Me’, a campaign created by Mindshare Mumbai for Dove, owned by Unilever. The campaign addressed beauty biases within India’s matchmaking culture and empowered mothers to challenge harmful beauty standards through a multi-channel strategy.
Among the agencies, PHD London secured the #1 global media agency ranking, while Mediaplus Munich emerged as the top independent agency. At the network level, Mindshare Worldwide ranked first, while Serviceplan Group topped the independent networks ranking.
According to WARC, three key themes defined this year’s winning campaigns: tapping into fan communities, capturing attention through unexpected or “hidden” advertising formats, and using media as a platform for social advocacy.
Commenting on the rankings, 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.”
Top Campaign for Media
The number one campaign, ‘Beauty Test Stops With Me’, combined cultural insight with a strategic media approach to challenge discriminatory beauty standards within the matchmaking process in India.
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.”
Other top campaigns included ‘If you’re into it. It’s in the V&A’ for the Victoria and Albert Museum by PHD London, which targeted younger audiences through culturally relevant media activations, and ‘The Redditor Edit’ for Skoda that tapped into fan communities on Reddit to reshape brand perception and boost sales.
Top Agencies and Networks
With four campaigns ranked in the top 100, PHD London secured the top agency ranking globally.
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.”
Meanwhile, Mediaplus Munich ranked third overall and topped the independent agency category.
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.”
Network and Holding Company Rankings
Mindshare Worldwide was named the top global media network, supported by 15 campaigns in the top 100 and contributions from agencies across markets including 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.”
Serviceplan Group maintained its leadership among independent networks for the 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.”
At the holding company level, WPP retained the top spot for the ninth consecutive year.
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.”
Brand, Advertiser and Country Rankings
For the third consecutive year, Dove ranked as the #1 brand for media, while Unilever retained its position as the top advertiser, marking seven consecutive years at the top.
Leandro Barreto, Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever and Beauty & Wellbeing, said, “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.”
Among countries, the United States retained the top position, followed by the United Kingdom and India. Canada and Germany completed the top five.
The full WARC Media 100 ranking features the top 100 campaigns, top 50 agencies, networks, brands, advertisers, countries and holding companies globally. The organisation also confirmed that the WARC Effective 100 will be released on 18 March 2026, following the earlier release of the WARC Creative 100 rankings.
