Patrick Collister looks beyond the rankings of "The Big Won" and uncovers some underlying trends of digital media based on his analysis of the survey's results.

Last week, Patrick gave us an overview of the survey's winners and what they did really well.

At the beginning of 2008, "The Big Won" report was published. It was an analysis of the world's best direct marketing (DM), as measured by the quantity and the quality of awards won.

If you go beyond the rankings and analyse the results of the report, "The Big Won" in 2007 indicates some key trends about 2008 and beyond.

Digital will soon be at the heart of most integrated brand communications. Traditional media may drive visitors to a site, but it is here that consumers will be able to get involved in the life of a brand in one way or another. Rather than being passive receivers, they will become active participants if, or when, agencies create experiences they can share.

In terms of digital rankings, the top 100 regional agencies were:
31st Kinetic, Singapore
59th BMF, Sydney
74th Leo Burnett, Sydney
98th Clemenger Proximity, Sydney

While regional agencies haven't done spectacularly in online categories, they pretty much rule the roost in direct marketing, with four agencies in the Top 10.

Second in the world goes to AIM Proximity, New Zealand, with M&C Saatchi, Australia coming in third; Arc Kuala Lumpur came in fourth place, Ogilvy Malaysia in sixth place and BMF, Sydney, was just outside, at 11th place.

This strong showing in DM categories is probably because agencies downunder seem to offer a genuinely more integrated creative product than their counterparts in the northern hemisphere. 2006's campaign of the year from Lowe Hunt for Lynxjet ran across 34 different media channels, overcoming a plateau in sales to drive the brand to an 85 percent share of the Australian market.

Procter & Gamble president A.G.Lafley remarked that this really is the most exciting time to be in advertising. But would I want to be in an agency that specialised simply in digital? No. I'd want to be in an agency that concentrated on identifying their clients' problems so they could devise imaginative solutions, regardless of communications channels.

BMF, M&C Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Sydney, Clemenger BBDO, George Patterson Y&R seem to fit the bill in Australia and in New Zealand, while TBWA\Whybin, AIM Proximity and Ogilvy Auckland are all trying to do it differently.

Good luck to them, because even if they aren't topping the tables of "The Big Won", they are capturing the attention of creative people in the rest of the world.

Top 20 "Big Won" digital campaigns at a glance

1. The Two Heidies 15MB of Fame by Farfar, Stockholm, for Diesel.
2. Nike+ from R/GA New York.
3. Safe Happens for VW, from CP+B, Miami.
4. Come into the Closet for Ikea from Forsman & Bodenfors, Gothenburg.
5. Audi R8 microsite for Audi from argonauten G2, Germany.
6. Evolution, the Dove viral, from Ogilvy & Mather, Toronto.
7. Big Shadow for Xbox from GT Inc., Tokyo.
8. King Games for Burger King, from CP+B.
9. Clearification for Microsoft, out of McCann Erickson, San Francisco.
10. The Hunt for Volvo by Euro RSCG, Amsterdam.
11. Bodygroom Electric Shaver for Philips, by Struck design, USA.
12. Reflections for Adidas Y-3 from Neue Digitale, Frankfurt.
13. Le Defi for Stella Artois by Lowe Brindfors, Stockholm.
14. Jonathan Yuen's website by Jonathan Yuen.
15. Recovery website for Axe, by VerveLife.
16. A Product of Free Will for the Volvo C30 by Euro RSCG Amsterdam.
17. Tea Partay the Smirnoff viral from BBH, New York.
18. Crash for Itau Insurance by DDB Brazil.
19. Daydream for Weave, Toshi by qubibi.
20. Ten Ways for Getty Images from Great Works, Stockholm.

Patrick Collister is CEO of Creative Matters. Read full bio.