Ad awards are coming thick and fast and WARC, part of Ascential which owns Cannes Lions, is getting in first (just) with its various Grand Prix for effectiveness. These days all awards entries seem to demand so much justification that it’s hard to know where creativity and so-called effectiveness begin and end – but there you go.
WARC Grand Prix winners for 2024 go to Australia, Brazil, India, Spain and Sweden – Leo Burnett Mumbai won two.
Cultural Impact Grand Prix: ‘Changing the education system to keep girls in school’ for Whisper by Leo Burnett, Mumbai, India.
Feminine hygiene brand Whisper helped girls remain in school in India with an educational lobbying campaign aimed at breaking the taboos around menstruation.
Instant Impact Grand Prix: ‘Handshake Hunt’ for Mercado Libre by GUT, São Paulo, Brazil.
Mercado Libre, an electronic commerce platform in Latin America, partnered with TV channel Globo during Black Friday, displaying QR codes for discounts whenever their logo, a handshake, appeared on-screen to increase transactions in Brazil.
Long-term Growth Grand Prix: ‘Big enough to make a difference’ for McDonald’s by Nord DDB, Stockholm, Sweden.
Fast-food giant McDonald’s introduced over 20 initiatives in Sweden that focused on sustainability, the environment, and social responsibility, to increase brand trust, visit intent, and sales.
Partnerships & Sponsorships Grand Prix ‘Absolutely Heinz – Bringing two household brands together to go absolutely viral’ for Heinz by VML Barcelona, Spain.
Condiment brand Heinz partnered with vodka brand Absolut to create a limited-edition vodka pasta sauce released in the UK, aiming to increase product awareness for Heinz and new occasions consumption for Absolut.
Strategic Thinking Grand Prix. ‘How can a country exist without land?’ for the Government of Tuvalu by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, Sydney, Australia.
The global campaign for the small island nation of Tuvalu helped elevate it from being a helpless victim of global warming, to becoming a global leader driving change by presenting it as the world’s first digital nation.
Use of Data Grand Prix. ‘Democratising technology to help farmers fight climate change’ for Lay’s by Leo Burnett, Mumbai, India.
Potato chip manufacturer Lay’s created a data-driven initiative to protect its supply chain by helping farmers identify and respond to weather hazards to prevent crop loss.
