WARC Awards for Effectiveness 2021 – Shortlists Announced

A total of 103 entries from 29 different markets, covering a wide range of categories for global and local brands, have been shortlisted for the inaugural WARC Awards for Effectiveness, a new global competition in association with LIONS, awarding the best marketing campaigns that deliver business results.

Each of the six categories has been judged by its own high-calibre international jury, who have applied the WARC/LIONS Creative Effectiveness Ladder, a unique tool, providing a consistent approach and global language to benchmark effectiveness.

Paul Coxhill, Managing Director, WARC, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the great response from the industry for this new awards scheme, in particular to the application of the Creative Effectiveness Ladder, a standard framework to measure effective marketing. 

“Now, following the first stage of a rigorous judging process, we are pleased to announce the shortlists of the first WARC Awards for Effectiveness which reveal a wide variety of outstanding and successful work from around the globe.” 

• Instant Impact category

21 entries from 10 markets have been shortlisted in this category, which awards short-term campaigns (with a duration of six months or less) that lead directly to a sales increase.

A jury of 19 chaired by Dhiren Amin, CMO, Asia, The Kraft Heinz Company, have shortlisted work for brands including KFC, Kraft, Mastercard and Toyota.

• Collaboration & Culture category

Awards strategies and instances of brands entering or impacting on culture that can demonstrate a business outcome.

The jury chaired by Nadja Bellan-White, Global Chief Marketing Officer, VICE Media Group, have shortlisted 25 entries from 11 markets, with New Zealand leading the charge with eight campaigns in the shortlist. Brands include American Pecans, Deutsche Telekom, Sky New Zealand and Tencent.

• Brand Purpose category

A total of 18 entries from 11 markets for brands such as Aguila Beer, Dove, KitchenAid and Knorr have been shortlisted.

Tati Lindenberg, Vice President Marketing, Dirt For Good, Unilever, has led the jury in search of the most effective marketing initiatives that have successfully embraced a brand purpose and achieved commercial success as well as benefit for the wider community.

• Business-to-Business category

Judging effective campaigns from one business targeting another, the jury, chaired by Corinne Sklar, Global Chief Marketing Officer, IBM iX, have shortlisted nine entries from seven markets.

Shortlisted brands include Export Development Canada, Kioxia in Japan, Maersk in the UK, Maxis Business in Malaysia and Ramboll in Sweden.

• Sustained Growth category

Chaired by Brent Smart, Chief Marketing Officer, IAG, the jury have shortlisted 15 entries across seven markets.

Brands shortlisted in this category, which awards campaigns that have invested in building a brand over time (12 months or more), include Aldi, Equity Bank Foundation, Heineken and Sipsmith.

• Customer Experience category

Campaigns for AstraZeneca, Burger King, Campbell’s and Lexus are among the 16 entries from ten markets that have made the shortlist.

Honouring new ways of engaging with consumers and innovative experiences created to connect and immerse on the path to commercial success, the category was chaired by a panel of 20 experts chaired by Dara Treseder, SVP, Head of Global Marketing & Communications, Peloton.

The winners of the Gold, Silver, Bronze and three Special Awards for each of the six categories will be announced throughout the day on Monday 21 June on warc.com. The Grands Prix will be revealed later that day at 19:30 BST at Cannes Lions Live, during a session where the jury chairs will share insights of these highest accolades.