McCann London: Hitting The Highs

McCann London has had a triumphant year, winning big in Cannes, landing coveted new accounts and hiring one of the UK's hottest creative leaders.

For CEO Polly McMorrow, alongside the strategic firepower of CSO Mel Arrow and the calm leadership of md Tommy Smith, the successes of 2024 reflected the fruits of two years of hard work building momentum in the business.

Add in standout creative work for brands like JustEat, Wimbledon and Xbox and it's clear McCann isn't taking its foot off the gas anytime soon. 

Creative Salon on McCann London's 2024

McCann London started off 2024 with a bang in hiring Aaron Harridge as head of strategy from Droga5 and promoting Jonathan Brown from planning partner to head of strategic product.

But the agency's biggest coup on the talent front was the poaching of the brilliant and award-winning Lynsey Atkin from 4Creative to take up the chief creative officer role.

The agency's creative excellence was recognised at Cannes with Xbox's "The everyday tactician" campaign winning two Grand Prix, in the Direct and the Entertainment Lions for Gaming categories, alongside gold in Brand Experience & Activation and a Titanium Lion. The tally meant McCann was the most awarded UK agency in Cannes .

And then in the autumn everything came together when the agency snared the prestigious global business for Peroni after a challenging four-way shootout. Nathalie Pfaff, chief growth officer at Peroni's parent Asahi Europe and International, said of the agency's pitch: “Creatively and strategically, McCann impressed the team over the course of a rigorous pitch process and we’re excited to start this next chapter of growth together.

During the year, Xbox work also saw a collaboration with Hollywood film Deadpool. An exclusive Xbox Wireless Controller design, ‘Cheeky Controller’, was launched ahead of the release of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’.

Other Xbox work included an accessibility gaming joystick in an effort to make gaming available to all. The ad supporting the initiative showed the different available thumbstick toppers customers could buy. 

For JustEat McCann launched ‘The Joy of Everyday’ in a series of nine different Wes Anderson-style 20-second films highlighting the delivery service at the go-to for ordering in convenient moments - not just to indulge in a weekend treat. The films featured a series of animal characters from suburban beavers to student rabbits, all personifying customer cohorts.

McCann again created the annual trailer for Wimbledon, with ‘Always Like Never Before’ showcasing both current tennis players and retired legends of the game. The work took viewers through The Championships’ most iconic moments and highlighted the tournament's time-honoured traditions. 

For Nurofen, McCann spotlighted the Gender Pain Gap in a continuation of its ‘See My Pain’ brand platform. An activation highlighting the biases women face when voicing their pain included an installation shaped as pill packet. 

Creative Salon says… 2024 has been a series of highs for McCann London, from winning in Cannes to hiring Lynsey Atkin and winning the hard-fought competition to land the Peroni account, all without missing a beat on the quality of the creative work.

The hard work of the last couple of years is really starting to pay off and the agency is now set fair for further momentum into 2025 and beyond.