Dentsu named MAD STARS Agency of the Year as TBWA\HAKUHODO and FP7 McCann take top honours

MAD STARS 2026 announced this year’s winners at its Awards Show in Busan on 28 August. DENTSU Inc., Tokyo, took home Agency of the Year, while TBWA\HAKUHODO and FP7 McCann Dubai took out the top honours  winning the two overall Grand Prix of the Year awards. TBWA\HAKUHODO’s  “Radio Time Machine” for NICHII GAKKAN CO., LTD., won the Grand Prix of the Year in the SOLUTION Group. The Grand Prix of the Year in the POSITIVE IMPACT Group, went to FP7 McCann for “Recipe for Change” for ARLA Food.

This year, MAD STARS reorganized its entry categories into two groups. The SOLUTION Group recognizes work that demonstrates practical problem-solving through strategy and execution, while the POSITIVE IMPACT Group focuses on work that drives meaningful social change in areas such as sustainability, diversity, and health.

SOLUTION Group: RADIO TIME MACHINE
Radio Time Machine is an AI-powered radio device from NICHII GAKKAN CO., LTD., entered by TBWA\HAKUHODO INC. in Japan. When users turn the dial to a specific year, AI generates a radio program based on news, music, and historical context from that period. By combining AI with reminiscence therapy in a familiar radio format, the device is designed to support memory recall and communication for people living with dementia.

The device is currently being tested and validated at care facilities in Japan. In pilot research, participants showed an average 8.7% increase in smiles and a 10.0% increase in upper-body gestures, while speech rate increased by an average of 10.8 words per minute.

Raja Rajamannar, Senior Fellow and Former Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Mastercard, described Radio Time Machine as “a case impossible to ignore, even for those we thought wouldn’t have the memories anymore, but we know they’re still there.”

“Radio Time Machine beautifully subverts the fear of a sterile, cold, automated future. Instead of replacing human connection, it uses AI as a cognitive bridge to restore it. Technology is at its best when it doesn’t try to substitute our humanity, but rather heals, preserves, and reunites it across generations,” said Sandipan Bhattacharyya, Chief Creative Officer at Monks.

POSITIVE IMPACT Group: Recipe for Change
Recipe for Change is an ARLA Food campaign entered by FP7 MCCANN in the United Arab Emirates. When war disrupted the brand’s retail distribution in Lebanon, the campaign used recipes from Lebanese women as intellectual property to create a recurring income stream. The recipes were licensed to 96 restaurants across 28 cities, with half of the revenue from each dish going to the woman who provided the recipe.

The initiative has since received more than 350 inquiries from restaurants across Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania, while a digital platform is now being developed to expand the program.

Anny Havercroft, Global Head of Product MarComs at TikTok, said: “Recipe for Change has a lot going on, but all of the pieces fit together. It starts with something deeply human, the recipes passed down by Lebanese mothers, and uses them to preserve culture while also creating real economic value for women, families and local restaurants.”

Tara McKenty, Chief Creative Officer at AKQA, described the approach as “a genuinely elegant piece of strategic thinking, finding dignity-preserving value in something people already own, rather than positioning them as recipients of charity.”

Aurora Straton, Creative Lead at Google, focused on the commercial model: “The easy solution would have been donations, but they created a viable B2B licensing framework, setting a best-in-class benchmark for sustainable corporate social responsibility.”

Grand Prix Winners
Beyond the two Grand Prix of the Year, Grand Prix honors were awarded across nine additional Stars categories:
• The Kaprao Criminals (Film Stars) — YUM RESTAURANTS INTERNATIONAL (THAILAND) CO., LTD. / WOLF BKK, Thailand. This campaign also won 3 Gold awards and 1 Silver.

• Radio Time Machine (Health Stars) — NICHII GAKKAN CO., LTD / TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., Japan. This also won a Gold award in the Radio & Audio category.
• Back to Kai Tak (Brand Experience & Activation Stars) — CATHAY / LEO HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China. The campaign also was awarded 5 Golds making it one of the most awarded of the night.

• Humanity Chain (PR Stars) — FORTE BANK / PROGRESSION CA, Kazakhstan. This campaign also scored 2 Golds
• CHEER SIGNS (Entertainment for Sports Stars) — TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT / TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., Japan
• Safetynovela (Branded Entertainment Stars) — PHILIPPINE AIRLINES, INC. / BBDO GUERRERO, Philippines

• dear difference (Design Stars) — THE NIKKA WHISKY DISTILLING CO. LTD / DENTSU INC., Japan
• Soil Stay (Strategy Stars) — TRA MONGKUT FERTILIZER / VML THAILAND, Thailand. This also won 2 Gold Awards.
• TileChalk (SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) Stars) — DBL CERAMICS LIMITED / POP5, Bangladesh

MAD STARS 2026 was held under the theme “AMPLIFY” from 26 to 28 August at SIGNIEL BUSAN and across the Haeundae area in Busan, South Korea.

This is the sixth time that Dentsu has won Agency of the Year at MAD STARS. Dentsu Inc. also won a total of 20 awards, including one Grand Prix, one Gold, four Silver, eight Bronze and six Crystal awards.
As a group, dentsu won a total of 21 awards, comprising one Grand Prix, one Gold, four Silver, eight Bronze and seven Crystal awards.