The WARC Media 100 2026, a global benchmark that ranks the most awarded campaigns, agencies, brands and companies for media excellence, has named ‘Beauty Test Stops With Me’ as the world’s top campaign. Created by Mindshare Mumbai for Dove, the campaign addressed beauty biases in India’s matchmaking culture and encouraged mothers to challenge discriminatory beauty standards.
The annual ranking aggregates results from major global and regional media awards held in 2025. Developed in collaboration with the WARC Rankings Advisory Board and a global industry panel, the list highlights campaigns that demonstrate outstanding creativity, strategy and media impact.
The Dove campaign stood out for its culturally rooted insight and multi-channel media approach, using storytelling and social advocacy to confront long-standing beauty stereotypes. By empowering mothers to reject beauty-based judgment in matchmaking practices, the campaign sparked conversations around confidence, inclusivity and self-worth.
Beyond the top campaign, the rankings also recognised leading agencies and networks shaping the media landscape. PHD London secured the number one position as the world’s top media agency, while Mediaplus Munich ranked as the leading independent agency. At the network level, Mindshare Worldwide topped the global media network rankings, supported by strong contributions from teams across markets including Mumbai, London, New York, Shanghai and Sydney.
Among holding companies, WPP retained the top position for the ninth consecutive year, reinforcing its global leadership in media and creative communications.
On the brand side, Dove continued its strong performance by ranking as the number one media brand for the third consecutive year, while Unilever maintained its position as the world’s top advertiser for the seventh year in a row.
In the country rankings, the United States secured the top spot, followed by the United Kingdom and India, highlighting the growing influence of Indian campaigns on the global media stage.
