Accenture Song is on a winning streak at the 2025 Agency of the Year Japan/Korea awards, clinching multiple Golds in the agency categories. The agency secured Gold in Japan Digital Innovation Agency of the Year, Consultancy of the Year, Data Analytics Agency of the Year, and E-Commerce Agency of the Year, standing out as the top achiever in major categories, reinforcing its excellence in digital and data-driven innovation.
Meanwhile, TBWA Hakuhodo held strong, winning Gold in the Japan Creative Agency of the Year category and reaffirming its creative dominance. Beacon Communications repeated with Silver in Japan Creative Agency of the Year, maintaining its steady pace as a leading creative shop.
TBWA Hakuhodo's winning team with Haymarket's managing director, Atifa Silk
In South Korea, the landscape shifted dramatically as Innocean climbed to Gold for Korea Creative Agency of the Year, taking over the top spot from last year’s winner TBWA Korea, which slipped to Bronze. Leo Korea advanced to Silver in the creative category, reflecting some of the dynamic shifts in the Korean agency scene. TBWA Korea, after an impressive multi-Gold sweep last year, settled for Silver in both Korea Digital Innovation Agency and Korea Media Agency this year, with Zenith surging to the Gold in Media.
PRAP Japan took home Gold for Japan PR Agency of the Year
The PR competition saw new leaders emerge. PRAP Japan claimed Gold for Japan PR Agency of the Year, succeeding last year’s winner Platinum, while The Weber Shandwick Collective made significant strides, taking Silver in both Japan and Korea, and Hoffman Agency Korea rounded out the category with Bronze.
Other important wins from the night included CREATIP taking the top honour for Independent Agency of the Year in South Korea, a leap from Bronze last year, while Team Cookie was awarded Silver and PUSH Japan earned Bronze. McCann Worldgroup Japan stood out with a Gold win for Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year, while Publicis Groupe Japan and TBWA Korea followed with Silver and Bronze, respectively.
Notably, there were several categories where no Gold was awarded, including Boutique Agency, Programmatic, Influencer, Market Research, OOH, and CSR categories, reinforcing the fierce standards of the agency landscape today. In the brand categories, Special Uber (Japan) took home Gold, while Uber Eats was named Brand of the Year, and Ally Doube recognised as Marketer of the Year.
Japan’s Best Place to Work title shifted to Publicis Groupe Japan, replacing last year’s Sunny Side Up Group, and TBWA Hakuhodo was awarded Best Culture, demonstrating the growing value placed on workplace excellence and employee well-being. This movement in workplace awards, alongside competitive category shake-ups, signals a market that continues to reward both innovation and people-focused leadership.
People: TBWA Hakuhodo's talent keeps thriving
TBWA Hakuhodo once again swept awards in this category. The agency claimed top honours across several individual awards, with Juri Itsuki named Account Person of the Year, Shohei Oishi winning Young Creative Person of the Year, and Daisuke Tanaka awarded the Strategic/Brand Planner of the Year. Agency Growth Leader of the Year was presented to Kijung Kelly Kwon of Hoffman Agency Korea, advancing from last year’s commendation.
Creative Leader of the Year: Jung A Kim of Innocean received the highest recognition, reflecting the agency's increasing influence in the creative space.
Young Achiever of the Year: Yuta Hagi of TBWA Hakuhodo was commended, continuing the agency’s tradition of nurturing top emerging talent.
Young Business Leader of the Year: Leehyoung Yang from Team Cookie took home the award, spotlighting the rising impact of independent agencies.
Strategic/Brand Planner of the Year: Daisuke Tanaka of TBWA Hakuhodo was recognised, marking another win for the agency.
