Creative agency
Special Group
Independent creative agency from Sydney and Auckland, top of the 2026 APAC Effie tables.
Special is an independent creative agency whose Sydney and Auckland offices placed first and second in the Spikes Asia 2025 Independent Agency of the Year table. Its Sydney office was named both Agency of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year at the 2026 APAC Effie Awards, where its Uber Eats work also took the Grand Effie.
Standing in the Report's landscape
No. 1 in Asia-Pacific agencies 2026
9 points: first in the Spikes Asia 2025 Independent Agency of the Year table and first in both the Agency and Independent Agency of the Year tables of the 2026 APAC Effie Awards; it leads Motion Sickness on the same points by Effie standing.
See the list and how it was made
The rankings behind it
- Spikes Asia 2025 — #1 Independent Agency of the Year (Special, Sydney)
- APAC Effie Awards 2026 — #1 Agency of the Year (Special, Sydney)
- APAC Effie Awards 2026 — #1 Independent Agency of the Year (Special, Sydney)
- APAC Effie Awards 2026 — Grand Effie, Uber Eats “Get Almost Almost Anything”
A place in a list is read from published rankings and award tables by a points rule set out with the list; nobody pays to be on it. Size and fame are not fit: check what this agency does against your brief.
Where it shines
- First in both the creative (Spikes Asia 2025) and the effectiveness (APAC Effie 2026) independent tables.
- Its Uber Eats platform won the 2026 APAC Grand Effie, the top award of the show.
Check before signing
- An independent agency ranked from its home office: ask how it staffs work in other markets.
- Rankings name its Sydney and Auckland offices separately: ask which office would lead your account.
What it offers
- Markets
- Asia-PacificAustraliaNew Zealand
How it is classified
- Category
- Creative
Something is listed only when it can be checked. A connection we could not confirm is left off, and Find your stack then credits a public API at half weight.
Our six checks
- Ownership is public: not known yet
- Services are published: not known yet
- Offices are listed: not known yet
- Privacy is published: not known yet
- Effectiveness is evidenced: met
- Work is shown: not known yet
- Ownership is publicNot assessed
It names its owner (the holding group) or states that it is independent, and names its leadership.
Listed as independent in the cited award tables; the agency's own statement of ownership and leadership was not checked.
- Services are publishedNot assessed
A services or capabilities page says what it does.
The agency's services page was not checked for this listing.
- Offices are listedNot assessed
It publishes where it operates: its offices or markets.
The cited award tables name its office city; a published list of offices was not checked.
- Privacy is publishedNot assessed
Its site has a privacy notice, and a code of conduct where one was seen.
A privacy notice on the agency's site was not checked.
- Effectiveness is evidencedMet
An independent effectiveness ranking or award from 2023 to 2026 names it (the Effie Index, the IPA Effectiveness Awards, the WARC Effective 100).
Agency of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year at the 2026 APAC Effie Awards.
- Work is shownNot assessed
It publishes case studies or named client work.
Named client work appears in the cited award coverage; the agency's own case-study pages were not checked.
Not assessed is not a failure — it means we have not checked yet. Methodology
Evidence
Sources
- Spikes Asia announces its 2025 winnersTo re-check
- Spikes Asia 2025: India bags five Grands PrixTo re-check
- Special, LEO, Grab dominate APAC EffiesTo re-check
- 67 winners announced at the 2026 APAC Effie AwardsTo re-check
Every attribute
The same attributes, measured by the same rules, for every listing. "Not recorded" means we have not checked yet — never a "no". Spot something missing or wrong? Suggest an edit.
Identity
| Type | Agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Categories | Creative | |
| Founded | Not recorded | |
| Headquarters | Australia | |
| Ownership | Privately held | |
| Added by | IMC Report team |
Fit
Trust
The community
| "Looks right" confirmations | 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Community experiences | 0 |
Experiences and ratings
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