2024 Winners

Case Summary

‘Tooth strength’ is such an intrinsic and expected benefit from toothpaste, that it has become a BLINDSPOT, making people flirt with new offerings and leading to a decline for Colgate Strong Teeth (CST). To make ‘tooth strength’ exciting, we got Indians to reevaluate how strong their teeth are through an unexpected visual of a granddaughter becoming a cutting machine for her toothless granny, even for things beyond food. Hearing “CST is not just a paste but nourishment for teeth”, people took notice and started buying more often, growing sales by 10%.

Case Summary

Thums Up revolutionised its connection with India’s beloved Biryani, recognising that ads alone don’t solidify food trends. Enter Thums Up’s Toofani (meaning adventurous) Biryani Hunt, a fusion of influencer marketing, OTT content, gamification, and irresistible promos. Renowned Chef Ranveer Brar and influencers guided enthusiasts in making their Biryani, Toofani with Thums Up, creating a flavourful journey. This dynamic approach garnered millions of new Thums Up enthusiasts, establishing a fresh sales channel through food service aggregators. It’s a tale of blending taste with technology, turning a pairing into a nationwide sensation.

Case Summary

As a sponsor of NBA JAPAN GAMES, Nissan faced with the objective of leveraging this opportunity to raise awareness of the ProPILOT 2.0 technology and strengthen their brand image of innovation. Nissan’s ambition was to go beyond simple technology introduction. Nissan hijacked halftime show with an out of box thinking and demonstrated ProPILOT 2.0 in a completely new way. The demo conveyed that Nissan is a brand that excites people with its technology.

Case Summary

Campaigns focus on customer adoption for digital payments, but merchant acceptance is crucial for growth. Small merchants resist due to the simplicity of cash over complex digital processes. Paytm’s solution – the Soundbox – introduces India’s first voice-based instant payment confirmation system. By making money talk, it made digital payments carry the emotional reassurance and simplicity of cash. Selling at a rate of one every 6 seconds, the Soundbox transforms how small merchants receive payments.

Case Summary

People want loans. Many don’t have documents. Other institutions shut their doors on them. Piramal launches loans, given without documents. We had to advertise. So, what’s difficult? This is a unique case. Not about getting customers. But of attracting the right kind. Read on to see how we developed a spanking brand platform for a greenhorn finance company. How an unclaimed human virtue, difficult to explain in English, became a bedrock of communications that grew disbursals by 95%, branch-productivity by 36%, profitability by 125% and lowered default rates by 14%.

Case Summary

This is the story of how ‘Un-Australia’ combined an enduring brand strategy of unity, a provocative idea of satirising the term ‘un-Australian’, and a lamb barbie to deliver new records for Meat and Livestock Australia. Slaying two unique challenges it faced in 2023: a precarious reliance on ageing Australians, along with a weak affinity with younger multicultural Australians, and the monster of inflation pushing the cost of living to two-decade highs which put a ‘cut it out’ target on discretionary, premium brands. Like lamb.

Case Summary

The rivalry between New Zealand and Australia is legendary. Think USA v Russia. Argentina v Brazil. Ireland v England. Now imagine that rival having the power to decide your country’s future. That’s what happened to New Zealand when ‘Every Kiwi Vote Counts’ asked their rival Australia to cast the deciding votes in their 2023 election. This tongue-in-cheek campaign urged the thousands of Australian voters to ‘sway the outcome’. It generated millions in earned media, the highest voter turnout on record and the largest shifts in electoral seats since 1999.

Case Summary

This case is a masterclass in massive reputation recovery for a telecom network. Lapses during post-merger integration had left people deeply prejudiced against Vi. We decided to overturn this from the city up, prioritising markets by business. We started with Mumbai, but we could not rely on 3rd party network experts to help, as they had lost all credibility. Hence, we tied up with the Six-Sigma-rated human network of Dabbawalas. They worked with our engineers to restore our network and restore our reputation, leading to a turnaround in business.

Case Summary

Byron Sharp might have coined the term “meaningless distinctiveness”, but for the launch of OOHA in Thailand— we owned it. In a category best described as carbonated flavoured water, an unexpected flavour combination was a challenger to the lemon status quo. But to get picked up from a crowded shelf we looked beyond differentiation. With a name like a reaction and an attitude about to burst up like shaken soda, we made everything OOHA. We managed to steal shares from a competitor that owned more than half of the market.

Case Summary

This is a case where a new launch in the highly-penetrated, and highly-contested soap category created more than just bubbles. Disruptive positioning, along with category-first AI innovation, got everyone talking about Vivel’s new VedVidya range of soaps. From 10% engagement rates that surpassed industry benchmarks, to adding 9% new trialists for the brand, the campaign saw brand Vivel achieve its best-ever growth of 24% in the highly sought-after premium soap portfolio.

Case Summary

As they say, when you’re down the only way is up, but what do you do when you’ve already reached the top? This is the case for how SEEK created its next wave of brand growth after many years of peak brand performance and seemingly plateauing. Reframing why Australians should choose SEEK for their job searches by creating a cultural movement. Showcasing how SEEK’s matching capabilities are so good that people could believe there is a higher power at play. The result, a brand that is finally creating growth again.

Case Summary

Why would a retailer tell customers to shop with the competition? ALDI took this risk and the reward was worth it, netting an all-time high for market share. ALDI confronted its biggest weakness: limited range. A barrier, but also a core principle of their operating model. Instead of convincing shoppers we had everything, we asked them to switch up their first shop, realise the savings on most of their groceries, then go elsewhere, if necessary. Only a brand clear on its limitations could turn this weakness into a strength.

Case Summary

This is the story of how ‘Un-Australia’ combined an enduring brand strategy of unity, a provocative idea of satirising the term ‘un-Australian’, and a lamb barbie to deliver new records for Meat and Livestock Australia. Slaying two unique challenges it faced in 2023: a precarious reliance on ageing Australians, along with a weak affinity with younger multicultural Australians, and the monster of inflation pushing the cost of living to two-decade highs which put a ‘cut it out’ target on discretionary, premium brands. Like lamb.

Case Summary

This is a masterclass in leveraging cultural power to revive a brand’s momentum after a new challenge dethroned it in just 17 months! When Pepsi Zero stormed into Korea, threatening Coca-Cola Zero’s top spot, the breakthrough came by revitalizing a 1990s kid’s rhyme deeply ingrained in Korean culture. With K-pop idols NewJeans and their hit ‘Zero’, Coca- Cola Zero swiftly regained trendiness, reclaiming the No.1 position within two months and conquering sales decline.

Case Summary

Late by two decades, with haphazard marketing, and battling behemoths like Naukri and Monster whose shares crossed 90%, Indeed had a fight on its hands. To grow, we needed to throw the rulebook out the window. We began with disruption in audience: in a white-collar fixated category, we spoke to SMBs: an overlooked, unyielding audience hiring (almost exclusively) from their social circles. To change behaviour, we disrupted communication, choosing humour-driven storytelling over classic stock-imagery-led B2B codes. Consequently, we drove Indeed’s biggest-ever revenue spike, increasing year-on-year share by +40%. Disruption? Indeed.

Case Summary

In India, 80% of women do not have access to a bank account. Traditionally, men are in charge of household finances, including access to the bank account. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank wanted to change that. Leveraging a cultural insight, we transformed a cultural signifier of prosperity – ‘Shagun Ka Lifafa’ (Envelope of Blessings), gifted at weddings – into a tool of financial inclusion. We reimagined these envelopes as bank account opening forms. Thereby empowering over 300,000 women with bank accounts.

Case Summary

In 2023, McDonald’s Hong Kong decided to permanently upgrade all its coffee to McCafé. Although McDonald’s coffee is one of the most consumed coffee brands in Hong Kong, it is also the least talked about. This campaign demonstrates how we can generate massive attention and conversation around our coffee upgrade via a bold and creative announcement. In one day, it propelled McDonald’s coffee from the least to the most talked about coffee brand on social media, increasing coffee sales and coffee market share.

Case Summary

This case is a masterclass in massive reputation recovery for a telecom network. Lapses during post-merger integration had left people deeply prejudiced against Vi. We decided to overturn this from the city up, prioritising markets by business. We started with Mumbai, but we could not rely on 3rd party network experts to help, as they had lost all credibility. Hence, we tied up with the Six-Sigma-rated human network of Dabbawalas. They worked with our engineers to restore our network and restore our reputation, leading to a turnaround in business.

Case Summary

This is a story of how we bridged McDonald’s unglamorous employment perception with Malaysian Gen Z’s content- hungry nature. By crafting a series of short, engaging episodes, ‘Kau Sundaeku’ (You’re My Sundae) seamlessly blended entertainment and career insights. Outcomes? Stellar. A whopping 7.5 million youths reached 33 million Instagram video views, 32.7 million TikTok views, a -25% turnover rate, and an extraordinary 110% hiring rate. These outcomes directly confronted McDonald’s high turnover rate, reaffirming its 2026 vision. By cleverly tapping into Gen Z’s media habits, the campaign revitalised its brand image.

Case Summary

Historically, Census participation from New Zealand’s indigenous Māori population is low, and recent government efforts to engage Māori have not made an impact. The challenge was to achieve 10,000 completed Māori census forms in Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland) in less than five weeks to meet the June 30 deadline. Taking a Te Ao Māori approach that channelled identity and forged community connection, Whanau Ora’s ‘Rep Your Suburb’ campaign achieved 41,267 completed Māori census forms, smashing the target at a cost per completion of just NZD 8.43.

Case Summary

Coway, the number one water and air purifier brand in Malaysia, lacked credibility when they expanded into the mattress, air-conditioner and massage chair categories. Engaging consumers and driving purchase needed a sensational creative platform, so we asked consumers to share their dreams and we'll visualise them using generative AI - then turning those dreams, into data. The combined data sets revealed insights into which of our products could help each individual rest better, converting 83% of over 5,000 dream submissions to buy a Coway product totalling USD8 million in sales.

Case Summary

Late by two decades, with haphazard marketing, and battling behemoths like Naukri and Monster whose shares crossed 90%, Indeed had a fight on its hands. To grow, we needed to throw the rulebook out the window. We began with disruption in audience: in a white-collar fixated category, we spoke to SMBs: an overlooked, unyielding audience hiring (almost exclusively) from their social circles. To change behaviour, we disrupted communication, choosing humour-driven storytelling over classic stock-imagery-led B2B codes. Consequently, we drove Indeed’s biggest-ever revenue spike, increasing year-on-year share by +40%. Disruption? Indeed.

Case Summary

Why would a retailer tell customers to shop with the competition? ALDI took this risk and the reward was worth it, netting an all-time high for market share. ALDI confronted its biggest weakness: limited range. A barrier, but also a core principle of their operating model. Instead of convincing shoppers we had everything, we asked them to switch up their first shop, realise the savings on most of their groceries, then go elsewhere, if necessary. Only a brand clear on its limitations could turn this weakness into a strength.

Case Summary

Gojek couldn’t beat Grab in Singapore. Moreover, it was also plagued by the perception of being unreliable. Hence, Gojek was always relegated to being the Plan B for all Singaporeans. The brand decided to turn its weakness into strength, using its position as Singapore’s perennial plan B to establish reliability and trust - after all, a Plan B never fails! With a campaign around a hit pop song, Gojek drove reliability, usage, and consideration – winning a place in Singapore’s hearts.

Case Summary

This case is the perfect example of how an experiential installation brought to life a brand’s world so beautifully that it enabled our consumers to immerse themselves in the combination of classical music, the monsoons, and a steaming cup of Taj-Mahal-Tea. Demonstrating the power of harnessing nature in a manner that created a symphony so compelling, it succeeded in favourably reversing brand equity trends and resulted in penetration and market share growth that cemented Taj-Mahal-Tea’s popularity in the hearts and minds of our consumers in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

Case Summary

McDonald’s needed its Kiwiburger to win the ‘battle of the burgers’ during the year’s most fiercely contested trading period. To give this three-decades-old burger a new foothold in local culture, its proud heritage was embraced, rather than ignored, in a category typically fuelled by NPD novelty. The best of 1991 was back, along with the maximalist aesthetics and cutting-edge technologies from this iconic era. Nostalgia emerged as a compelling motivator for audiences of all ages, with sales exceeding the prior campaign by 150,000 burgers – a 40% uplift.

Case Summary

McDonald’s was suffering from a perpetual staff shortage and the number of Gen Z crew had decreased. In particular, the “0 Yen Smiles” was a symbol of hospitality, but was a drawback for prospective part-timers. We sought to change the perception of McDonald’s with just a song. “I won’t give you a smile.” sung by a popular artist among the Gen Z. We updated the image of McDonald’s as a place where a smile is required at all times, to a brand that embraces all kinds of smiles.

Case Summary

McDonald’s needed its Kiwiburger to win the ‘battle of the burgers’ during the year’s most fiercely contested trading period. To give this three-decades-old burger a new foothold in local culture, its proud heritage was embraced, rather than ignored, in a category typically fuelled by NPD novelty. The best of 1991 was back, along with the maximalist aesthetics and cutting-edge technologies from this iconic era. Nostalgia emerged as a compelling motivator for audiences of all ages, with sales exceeding the prior campaign by 150,000 burgers – a 40% uplift.

Case Summary

AT AN AGE TO FOCUS ON YOUR BOOKS, WERE YOU EVER TESTED ON YOUR LOOKS? 80% of adolescent girls face beauty-based judgement that diminishes their self-esteem. #StopTheBeautyTest was a movement against this beauty test, which inspired people through a network of allies and took action for change. It strengthened Dove’s relationship with its audience, elevating its perception as a brand affecting positive change by uplifting women’s self-esteem and championing diversity and inclusivity in beauty. With a 97% audience endorsement, the campaign improved brand affinity by 12% and consideration by 10%.

Case Summary

“A CALL FOR HELP” - Bangkok Post plead for skin donations. This call not only ignited a race against time to aid burn victims but also set ablaze Vaseline’s core mission ‘SKIN HEALING’. Beyond rescuing an invisible cohort, it fortified the brand against the threat of diminishing Brand Power and Differentiation. The result? Explosive +11.1% sales value, +30bps brand power growth, and most importantly, 30,017 new skin donors. This narrative isn’t just about brand upliftment; it’s an epic saga of Vaseline creating ‘meaningful differentiation’ for itself and for the world.

Case Summary

People want loans. Many don’t have documents. Other institutions shut their doors on them. Piramal launches loans, given without documents. We had to advertise. So, what’s difficult? This is a unique case. Not about getting customers. But of attracting the right kind. Read on to see how we developed a spanking brand platform for a greenhorn finance company. How an unclaimed human virtue, difficult to explain in English, became a bedrock of communications that grew disbursals by 95%, branch-productivity by 36%, profitability by 125% and lowered default rates by 14%.

Case Summary

The “Taste of Korea” by McDonald’s was strategically focused on securing a sustainable supply of quality ingredients while revitalising local agriculture, specifically through the introduction of Jindo Green Onion Cream Croquette Burger. This initiative not only aimed to enhance McDonald’s brand image and ensure a steady ingredient supply but was also to support the local economy of Jindo by showcasing its premium green onions. The campaign effectively increased sales, boosted demand for Jindo green onions, and demonstrated a tangible impact on both the brand’s sustainability efforts and the revitalisation of local farms.

Case Summary

AT AN AGE TO FOCUS ON YOUR BOOKS, WERE YOU EVER TESTED ON YOUR LOOKS? 80% of adolescent girls face beauty-based judgement that diminishes their self-esteem. #StopTheBeautyTest was a movement against this beauty test, which inspired people through a network of allies and took action for change. It strengthened Dove’s relationship with its audience, elevating its perception as a brand affecting positive change by uplifting women’s self-esteem and championing diversity and inclusivity in beauty. With a 97% audience endorsement, the campaign improved brand affinity by 12% and consideration by 10%.

Case Summary

The National Government has yet to address this discrimination, but the Quezon City Government has found a way to make the law become our ally with the Right to Care card. This card takes something that is already accepted by law in the Philippines – a Special Power of Attorney, usually used to protect financial transactions. They repurposed this legal document into portable proof to grant LGBTQ couples medical decision-making rights for each other.

Case Summary

KFC Fried Night Footy is a masterclass in driving growth by building dominant saliency on Category Entry Points (CEPs). While sports sponsorship makes inherent sense to drive brand exposure, it’s hyper-cluttered. Furthermore, pizza has always dominated as the sports-watching takeout of choice. So, KFC captured a cultural moment that changed sponsorship from an exercise in association to genuine commercial capitalisation!

Case Summary

After a decade in the Philippines’ saturated milk tea market, CoCo Tea found its sales going bland. Drowning under a deluge of competition, how could CoCo Tea command attention and get lips sipping again? By diving deep into stress, that’s how. With a short video, CoCo Tea offered a haggard workforce a refreshing way to vent. As a result, CoCo Tea saw an 11,100% increase in online conversations, lifting sales by 49.21% after the campaign compared to the same period last year. Who knew anxiety could be so tasty?

Case Summary

The Shanghai Auto Show is like China’s MET gala show - everyone wants to be the centre of attention. Instead of going mega-big on big ad buys, Audi went micro-small by creating a .03-second video highlighting its 0.03 fast torque distribution, challenging viewers to spot it on social media. This ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ approach got sell-out queues and leads for Audi at the Show.

Case Summary

This campaign is dedicated to highlighting and correcting the bias that makes sportswomen’s achievements invisible in the place we all go to find them: the internet. Many of the world’s biggest sporting records are held by women. However, when asked ‘who has scored the most goals in international football?’, search engines incorrectly favour sportsmen. ‘Correct the Internet’ is an initiative that created a firestorm around this issue, uniting the women’s sporting community, supercharging Team Heroine’s profile, and influencing search giants to change how they report on women’s sports.

Case Summary

SPRITE BROKE SOCIAL MEDIA BY TURNING A POPULAR MEME INTO A NATIONAL SELLOUT PRODUCT THAT SPOKE TO THE MOOD OF THE NATION In a sea of new competitors and innovations, Sprite – one of China’s oldest sodas – created a social sensation by turning a symbol of extravagance – indulging in a 1982 Lafite – into the meme-worthy ‘1982 Sprite’ IRL, an irreverent statement of flattening growth in today’s China. This campaign went viral, helping Sprite grow its share of 13-29 weekly drinkers by 10% to grow value share during summer.

Case Summary

Close to being bankrupt, Royal Enfield struggled to survive in a growing category fixated on style and functionality. So, we reframed the category through the concept of ‘Pure Motorcycling’ - by shifting gears to a community- centric approach, fortified through digital and experiential activations. In a decade, our market share soared from 0.5% to 8.08%, and the community grew from 0 to 8M, dominating the 350+cc bike subcategory with a 90% share. With a 28.4% compound annual growth rate, we evolved into a global brand crafting iconic motorcycles and fostering a worldwide community of passionate riders.

Case Summary

Subway’s ascent from obscurity to cultural icon began 8 years ago. By integrating Subway into 68 Korean dramas to date, we showcased its appeal as a satisfying and warm meal option, making Subway a staple in the lives of South Koreans. This resulted in a remarkable 98% surge in brand awareness, quadrupled consideration, and unprecedented expansion in store count. Notably, we attained a 36% average annual sales growth, solidifying Subway’s position in the market and surpassing its initial 25 years of progress.

Case Summary

L&P is New Zealand’s (unofficial) National Drink. Light, lemony, and deeply nostalgic. But being a symbol of traditional Kiwi culture doesn’t get you very far when the audience you need to win over is the notoriously hard-to-reach Gen Z. To find cultural credibility with this generation, L&P added brand acts to their brand ads. Specifically, a pair of over-designed swim shorts. Reclaiming the brand’s place in pop culture and galvanising youth to grow value and win back share of throat.

Case Summary

Byron Sharp might have coined the term “meaningless distinctiveness”, but for the launch of OOHA in Thailand— we owned it. In a category best described as carbonated flavoured water, an unexpected flavour combination was a challenger to the lemon status quo. But to get picked up from a crowded shelf we looked beyond differentiation. With a name like a reaction and an attitude about to burst up like shaken soda, we made everything OOHA. We managed to steal shares from a competitor that owned more than half of the market.