Winners announced for Warc Awards for Effectiveness

Seven grand prix, nine golds, 15 silvers, 18 bronzes and 12 special awards for work that excelled in key areas have been awarded. Campaigns for both global and local brands have won, with KFC Australia picking up four awards for three different campaigns. The winners are from 17 different markets with New Zealand winning the most with 11 awards. The UK and US follow with eight awards each; Canada and the UAE have each won six awards.

Paul Coxhill, managing director at Warc, said, "The wide range of winners of these first Warc Awards for Effectiveness have set a new benchmark for effectiveness. Having been judged using the Warc/Lions Creative Effectiveness Ladder as a universal framework to measure effective marketing, this exceptional collection of work will inspire and lead the way for our industry's future success. We thank our juries and congratulate all the winners."

Key highlights for categories

1. Brand purpose

Ten awards: One grand prix, one gold, three silver, three bronze, two special awards.
Winning countries: Australia, Canada, Egypt, Malaysia, UK, USA

The grand prix was awarded to Havas New York for Finish: Skip the Rinse. The dishwasher brand grew sales and market share in the US with this multichannel campaign to launch its Skip the Rinse movement encouraging Americans to save water.

2. Business-to-business

Six awards: One grand prix, one gold, one silver, one bronze, two special awards
Winning countries: Finland, Japan, Malaysia, Sweden, UK, US

The grand prix was awarded to Havas International London for Maersk: Setting a New Course for Growth. The shipping giant used digital and TV executions to reposition itself as a complete end-to-end logistics and services provider to the C-Suite in Denmark.

3. Collaboration and culture

Seventeen awards: Two grand prix, two gold, four silver, six bronze, three special awards
Winning countries: Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, UAE, UK, USA

Wieden+Kennedy New York won the grand prix for McDonald's: The Travis Scott Meal. The quick-service restaurant teamed up with an inspirational icon to build the brand and drive traffic with young consumers in the US.

A second grand prix for good was awarded to FP7 McCann Dubai for Donner Sang Compter (DSC): Blood Unity. The NGO turned tradition on its head to encourage blood donation and save lives in Lebanon.

4. Customer experience

Eleven awards: One grand prix, one gold, two silver, four bronze, three special awards
Winning countries: Australia, Belgium, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, USA

The grand prix was given to Grey Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, for Tesco: Unforgettable Bag. The supermarket greatly reduced single-use plastic bag usage in Malaysia with a behaviour-changing campaign that rewarded customers.

5. Instant impact

Ten awards: One grand prix, three gold, two silver, three bronze, one special award
Winning countries: Australia, Canada, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, UAE

The grand prix went to FP7 McCann, Dubai, for Home Centre: A Dad's Job. The home furniture retailer tackled the taboo topic of single mothers to create impact with its Father's Day campaign in the UAE.

6. Sustained growth

Seven awards: One grand prix, one gold, three silver, one bronze, one special award
Winning countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, UK

The grand prix was awarded to McCann Manchester for Aldi Stores: 2010-2019 - How Taking an Alternative Path Took Aldi from Shame to Pride. The German discount supermarket ran a ten-year, multi-channel campaign in the UK to improve perceptions, grow sales and share, and become a top-five grocery retailer

Jury chairs of Warc Awards for Media named

20 May 2021

The winners of the gold, silver, bronze and special awards were revealed on the Warc website with the grand prix being announced at Cannes Lions Live, including insights from the juries.

This session can be viewed on demand at Cannes Lions Live or on here.

For more information on the WARC Awards for Effectiveness 2021, go here.