{"id":4366993,"date":"2025-11-18T16:48:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T14:48:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/insight\/purpose-in-practice-dept-takes-home-2025-anthem-agency-of-the-year\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T23:34:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T21:34:30","slug":"purpose-in-practice-dept-takes-home-2025-anthem-agency-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/en-uki\/insight\/purpose-in-practice-dept-takes-home-2025-anthem-agency-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Purpose in practice: DEPT\u00ae takes home 2025 Anthem Agency of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/mask><\/g><\/svg>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tInsights\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\tPurpose in practice: DEPT\u00ae takes home 2025 Anthem Agency of the Year<\/h1>
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\n\t\tIn\u00eas Saraiva\t\t
\n\t\tGlobal Communications & PR Director\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tDate\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNovember 18, 2025\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n\n\tDEPT\u00ae is honoured to share that for the second year in a row, we were named Agency of the Year at the 2025 Anthem Awards, the global awards show recognising purpose- and mission-driven work. <\/p>\n\tPresented by The Webby Awards, the Anthems amplify the voices and ideas that spark change\u2014and we\u2019re proud to stand alongside a community that\u2019s redefining what impact looks like in the digital age.

This year, DEPT\u00ae and our clients earned around 28 honours across categories spanning diversity, equity & inclusion, responsible technology, sustainability, and education. From AI-powered language platforms and circular fashion to cultural preservation and playful climate action, each project proves that creativity and technology can do far more than drive performance. They can help build a better tomorrow.

As a Certified B Corp, being recognised at the Anthems is a validation that our growth, our ideas, and our work remains tethered to real-world impact. And we\u2019re only just getting started.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n
\n\t\u201c<\/span>\n\tEach of these projects reflects what happens when creativity is guided by purpose. Being recognised by the Anthem Awards is an honour and a reminder of the responsibility we carry as a global agency. I\u2019m incredibly proud of our teams and partners for proving that meaningful impact and innovative work can, and should, go hand in hand.<\/p>\t
\n\t\u201d<\/span>\n\n\tPooja Dindigal, Global Head of Impact at DEPT\u00ae<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\tOur winning work:<\/strong>

Signs<\/a> <\/h2>\n\tHELLO MONDAY\/DEPT\u00ae x NVIDIA x American Society for Deaf Children<\/strong>
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging \u2013 Best Use of AI: Gold<\/em>
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging \u2013 Education or Literacy Program or Platform: Gold<\/em>
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging \u2013 Partnership or Collaboration: Gold<\/em>
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging \u2013 Education or Literacy Program or Platform: Gold<\/em>
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging \u2013 Best Use of Technology: Gold<\/em>
Responsible Technology \u2013 Best Use of AI: Gold
Responsible Technology \u2013 Partnership or Collaboration: Silver<\/em><\/sub>

Signs reimagines how people learn American Sign Language. Built with NVIDIA and the American Society for Deaf Children, the AI-powered platform uses motion tracking and a growing video dataset to teach ASL as naturally as a face-to-face conversation. By pairing accessible design with cutting-edge tech, Signs helps close communication gaps between Deaf and hearing communities\u2014and shows how responsible AI can remove barriers rather than reinforce them.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\tNyiyaparli Widi<\/a><\/h2>\n\tKarlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation x DEPT\u00ae
<\/strong>Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Local Awareness Campaign: Silver<\/em>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Digital & Innovative Experiences: Silver<\/em>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Local Community Engagement: Silver<\/em>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Education or Literacy Platform: Silver
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Special Projects: Bronze<\/em><\/sub>

Nyiyaparli Widi is a mobile adventure game co-created with the Nyiyaparli community to help protect an endangered Aboriginal language. Players become junior rangers, exploring the country, collecting cultural items, and learning everyday Nyiyaparli words through quests, challenges, and rewards. By turning language learning into play, the project uses mobile gaming as a powerful ally for intergenerational knowledge transfer and pride in identity.
<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\tGet Your Bum On Board<\/a><\/h2>\n\tTrainline x DEPT\u00ae<\/strong>
Sustainability, Environment, Climate \u2013 Social Media Content, Campaign or Channel: Gold<\/em>
Sustainability, Environment & Climate \u2013 Campaign: Brand: Gold
Sustainability, Environment & Climate \u2013 Local Awareness Campaign: Silver<\/em>
Sustainability, Environment & Climate \u2013 Short Form Video: Bronze<\/em><\/sub>

Trainline and DEPT\u00ae flipped the sustainability narrative on its rear end with \u201cGet Your Bum On Board.\u201d Instead of guilt-driven messaging, the campaign uses humour, bold visuals, and a cheeky rallying cry to reframe low-carbon travel as an easy, everyday choice: just put your bum on a train seat. Rolled out across film and digital, the work drove a measurable lift in ad recall and millions of views\u2014proving climate communication can be both effective and fun.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\tARtefact Adventures Barbados & Reclaiming our Atlantic Destiny<\/h2>\n\tGovernment of Barbados x DEPT\u00ae<\/strong>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Digital & Innovative Experiences: Gold<\/em>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Public Service: Silver<\/em>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Community Space: Silver<\/em>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Public Service: Silver
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Education or Literacy Platform: Silver<\/em>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Education or Literacy Platform: Bronze<\/em>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Community Engagement: Bronze<\/em><\/sub>

\u201cBarbados: Reclaiming Heritage Through Play\u201d turns cultural exploration into a game. This AR- and mobile-led experience encourages young audiences to discover artefacts, stories, and sites tied to Barbados\u2019 history in a playful, interactive way. By blending on-the-ground exploration with digital storytelling, the project helps reconnect communities with their heritage, invites tourism that\u2019s rooted in understanding, and makes history feel alive rather than distant.

Reclaiming our Atlantic Destiny (R.O.A.D.) is a long-term effort to digitise, preserve, and re-contextualise one of the world\u2019s largest archives tied to the transatlantic slave trade. Partnering with the Government of Barbados, DEPT\u00ae helped develop the brand, digital experience, and platform foundations that make these records discoverable to communities, researchers, and descendants around the globe. The work turns a static archive into a living digital monument\u2014centring truth, memory, and repair in the Caribbean and beyond.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\tOvatars by Otrium<\/a><\/h2>\n\tOtrium x DEPT\u00ae
<\/strong>Sustainability, Environment & Climate \u2013 Business Strategy: Silver<\/em>
Sustainability, Environment & Climate \u2013 Innovation: Silver<\/em>
Responsible Technology \u2013 Best Use of Technology: Silver<\/em><\/sub>

<\/em>Ovatars helps tackle fashion waste by making unsold stock visible again. Otrium partnered with DEPT\u00ae to create AI-generated digital models that can wear items which never received full photo shoots\u2014turning basic product shots into rich, on-model imagery at scale.

The solution has reduced traditional shoot costs and improved conversion for overlooked SKUs, showing how AI can unlock circular-economy value while respecting brand aesthetics and shopper experience.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\tTalking Portraits<\/a> <\/h2>\n\tDOGSTUDIO\/DEPT\u00ae<\/strong>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Best Use of AI: Bronze<\/em>
Education, Art & Culture \u2013 Innovation: Bronze<\/em><\/sub>

<\/em>Talking Portraits brings static images to life through emotionally aware, generative AI. Using computer vision and natural-language capabilities, DOGSTUDIO\/DEPT\u00ae created digital portraits that can hold conversations in real time\u2014reacting to questions, context, and tone. It\u2019s an experiment in how emerging technology can deepen our relationship with art and storytelling, transforming viewers into active participants and opening up new possibilities for museums, galleries, and cultural institutions.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\n\tHuge thanks to the Anthem Awards jury for recognising this work, to our clients and partners for trusting us with their missions, and to every Depster who poured their creativity, craft, and conviction into these projects. Most importantly, thanks to the communities at the heart of each initiative. Your stories, languages, and futures are why this work matters. Here\u2019s to unlocking even more possibilities together in the year ahead.


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