Omnicom Media’s PHD agency has been named Agency of the Year and Agency Network of the Year at the 2025 Festival of Media North America Awards. The network was awarded the crowns after winning nine categories and being highly commended four times.
Additionally, PHD USA won the coveted Campaign of the Year for ‘Just Joking’, a campaign for Sandy Hook Promise that saw comedians integrate real school shooter threats into their stand-up routines – to highlight how people often dismiss danger as a joke. The work won picked up four category wins: Best Use of Talent; The Bravery Award; Best Campaign Led by Cause; and Best Response Campaign.
PHD’s other wins were for the following clients and campaigns: Buchanan’s, ‘How Do You Say Buchanan’s?’ (two wins: Best Use of Out of Home; Best Use of Data Award); Uber Eats, ‘Football is for Food’ (two wins: Best Integrated Campaign; The Creative Use of Media Award); belairdirect, ‘Mystery Fridge’ (Best Event of Experiential Campaign).
All of Omnicom Media’s agencies won significant prizes at the show.
Initiative won three golds: ‘Leave Inspired, Not Tired’, for Destination Canada, won Best Engagement Strategy; ‘Breakfast Battlegrounds’, for Wendy’s, won Best Use of an Adtech Platform; and Initiative USA won for ‘Ex Program x World Pride’ in the Best Campaign for an Awareness or Observation Day/Week/Month category.
Beauty Co-Lab also won three times: ‘The Final Copy of Ilon Specht’, picked up wins for Best Branded Content and Best Distribution and Amplification of Content. ‘Teddy Tint’, a campaign for the Maybelline brand, won The Retail Media Award.
OMD won a brace of prizes: Best Use of Sport for ‘Lay’s Bar Crawl’, and Best Use of Video for ‘Get Loose’, a campaign for Gap. UM picked up metal for Best Use of Audio for ‘Huggies Sound of a Hug’, a campaign for Huggies.
Created in 2017, the Festival of Media North America Awards benchmarks and celebrates the best media work from across North America. Its juries and judging processes are highly respected throughout the region and regarded as one of the most prestigious media awards programmes in North America.
View the full list of winners here.
Omnicom Media agency wins are as follows:
GRAND PRIX:
- Agency Network of the Year: PHD
- Agency of the Year: PHD USA
- Campaign of the Year: Sandy Hook Promise, ‘Just Joking’ (PHD USA)
WINNERS:
- Best Use of Out of Home: Buchanan’s, ‘How Do You Say Buchanan’s?’ (PHD USA)
- Best Use of Data Award: Buchanan’s, ‘How Do You Say Buchanan’s?’ (PHD USA)
- Best Use of Talent: Sandy Hook Promise, ‘Just Joking’ (PHD USA)
- The Bravery Award: Sandy Hook Promise, ‘Just Joking’ (PHD USA)
- Best Campaign Led By Cause: Sandy Hook Promise, ‘Just Joking’ (PHD USA)
- Best Response Campaign: Sandy Hook Promise, ‘Just Joking’ (PHD USA)
- Best Event or Experiential Campaign: belairdirect, ‘Mystery Fridge’ (PHD Montréal)
- Best Integrated Campaign: Uber Eats, ‘Uber Eats: Football is for Food’ (PHD USA)
- The Creative Use of Media Award: Uber Eats, ‘Uber Eats: Football is for Food’ (PHD USA)
- Best Branded Content: L’Oréal, ‘The Final Copy of Ilon Specht’ (Beauty Co-Lab)
- Best Distribution and Amplification of Content: L’Oréal, ‘The Final Copy of Ilon Specht’ (Beauty Co-Lab)
- The Retail Media Award: Maybelline, ‘Teddy Tint’ (Beauty Co-Lab)
- Best Campaign for an Awareness or Observation Day: Ex Program, ‘Ex Program x World Pride’ (Initiative USA)
- Best Engagement Strategy: Destination Canada, ‘Leave Inspired, Not Tired’ (Initiative Canada)
- Best Use of an Adtech Platform: Wendy’s, ‘Breakfast Battlegrounds’ (Initiative Canada)
- Best Use of Sport: PepsiCo Lay’s, ‘Lay’s Bar Crawl’ (OMD USA)
- Best Use of Video: Gap, ‘Get Loose’ (OMD USA)
- Best Use of Audio: Huggies, ‘Huggies Sound of a Hug’ (UM Canada)
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
- Best Campaign for a Holiday or Celebration: belairdirect, ‘Mystery Fridge’ (PHD Montréal)
- Best Response Campaign: Tangerine, ‘No Fee Checking’ (PHD Canada)
- The Creative Use of Media Award: Volkswagen, ‘Tomato, Tomato’ (PHD USA)
- Best Distribution and Amplification of Content: Postmates, ‘We Get LA’ (PHD USA)
- Best Use of Talent: PepsiCo Lay’s, ‘Lay’s Bar Crawl’ (OMD USA)
- Best Event or Experiential Campaign: Cheetos, ‘Cheetos The Other Hand x Thrillist’ (OMD USA)
- Best Use of Audio: Descovy/Healthysexual (Healthysexual is Unbranded Campaign), ‘Sniffies Cruising Confessions’ (Initiative USA)
- Best Use of Data Award: Wendy’s, ‘Breakfast Battlegrounds’ (Initiative Canada)
- Best Use of Out of Home: Wendy’s, ‘Breakfast Battlegrounds’ (Initiative Canada)
- Inclusive Campaign of the Year: Indigenous Tourism Alberta, ‘In Good Spirit’ (Initiative Canada)
- The Bravery Award: World Wildlife Fund Canada, ‘Save Big’ (Initiative Canada)
- The Retail Media Award: World Wildlife Fund Canada, ‘Save Big’ (Initiative Canada)
- Best Use of Audio: Tylenol, ‘Tylenol Siiiick Beats’ (UM Canada)
- Best Use of Media in a Media Campaign: Tylenol, ‘Tylenol Siiiick Beats’ (UM Canada)
- Best Use of Video: SKIP, ‘SKIP to the Good Part’ (UM Canada)
- The Retail Media Award: General Mills Portfolio Products, ‘General Mills Back to School Superheroes’ (UM USA)