2020 Winners

Case Summary

Gillette encourages every man to be “The Best A Man Can Be” and finds it imperative to inspire the next generation of men to be better than the current. India ranks 108th on the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index. This startling statistic points to the much-needed change for a gender-equal India. Showcasing role-models that have defied gender stereotyping, it brought this cultural bias into the public's consciousness, resulting in active conversations led by key opinion leaders.

Case Summary
Consumers in 2019 were flirting with what was new. Marketers were trying every formula to win this consumer. P&G on the other hand offered not just everyday products, but ones that were carriers of good. With purchase of a P&G product, a portion goes into building and supporting schools in remote areas, through P&G’s corporate program – Shiksha. Through our products, they could help provide education to kids, without going out of their routine. Consumers were shown the power of choice, and they chose for the better.

Case Summary
“As a matter of principle, the United Nations must confront hate speech at every turn.”- UN Secretary-General António Guterres 2019. The philosophy of FroebelKan, Japan’s oldest publisher of children’s books, is to make a positive contribution to society. Together with specialist educators they created a book that taught kindergarten children about the positive and negative nature of words. Unlike any book, this contained edible, three-dimensional words with the individual taste of words, demonstrating their true meaning. This groundbreaking idea was then spread across society through TV channels, newspapers and websites.

Case Summary

Singapore’s National Council on Social Services (NCSS) has a noble mission: “compassionate society, impactful sector, dignified lives.” But for Singaporeans with mental health conditions, the neighbours are far from compassionate, life’s anything but dignified, the very topic’s a cultural taboo –and advertising isn’t an obvious solution. Yet by harnessing the power of proven reframing techniques, this campaign drove significant positive shifts in Singaporeans’ empathy for and inclusion of people with mental health conditions. “Beyond The Label” created impact far beyond the campaign period and restored dignity to thousands.

Case Summary

THE RESEARCH PROJECT THAT BECAME A CAMPAIGN. In 2017, Movember created their boldest campaign yet. A single letter – yes, just one – raised $1.7m, won an Effie Gold, and saved lives. The next one was even more innovative. We took the research project for Movember’s new campaign and made it into the campaign! The results: 36% YOY growth in “mo”s and a new record $2.4m in donations - 40% up on the previous award-winner. All with a media budget of $0.00. The “Mensus” is now Movember’s most effective campaign ever.

Case Summary

In a low-involvement category rife with increasing competition and celebrity power, holding market share can be tough. Things worsen if the category isn’t growing and consumers start downgrading. This is the story of how Castrol Activ (premium 2-wheeler engine oil) elevated its functional appeal of non-stop protection to a higher-order benefit of protecting democracy. How it created difference in an indifferent category and got youngsters to action protection. In the bargain, it reiterated leadership stance and created a nudge in increasing voter turnout in the world’s largest democratic exercise.

Case Summary

This is the story of how an established insurer managed to find new value in an old brand idea – ‘Help’.

Beauty in China is a fiercely contested segment where brands use everything – from KOLs, celebrities, to fashion collaborations, to court young customers. Chando, an established skincare brand, was looking at breaking into this segment and changing the game. Chando appealed to youths by building a strong emotional connection with them at the start of their beauty journey – their first make-up experience. Instead of models in stark studios, Chando’s campaign focused on the high-stake emotional moment of the graduation photograph for students, and helped grow MOM sales by 52%.

Case Summary

The FIFA World Cup is often dominated by wealthy brands that were always part of the sponsorship panel. It was during the 2018 FIFA World Cup that Carlsberg decided to bring it back to those who have pure passion for the game – the fans, and allowed them to be a step closer and join the craze of the tournament. With that, Carlsberg emerged victorious – securing the top spot as the brand most associated with the tournament here in Malaysia and recorded 51% increase in sales during campaign period.

Case Summary

As the leader, Bisleri was creating the demand for packaged drinking water in India. However, having become generic, our competitors were enjoying the fruits of it. Result: We were growing at half the rate of the category. While trade continued to push competition for better margins, we needed to get the consumers to not only ask for Bisleri but insist on being given one. Using Talking Camels, the most unusual water expert, we questioned the intelligence of people when they asked for Bisleri but settled for anything in return.

Case Summary

Too many Kiwis are missing out on a huge government benefits that could boost their retirement savings by millions - the KiwiSaver Annual Government Contribution. Fisher Funds turned to a little 'magic' to educate their client base and encourage action. This campaign resulted in a whopping $11.9m of voluntary KiwiSaver contributions, all attributable to data-driven social media and email activity, targeted to Fisher Funds clients alone. In turn, an estimated $1.5m of free government money was deposited into Kiwis' KiwiSaver accounts, and Fisher Funds saw an amazing 195x ROAS.

Case Summary

Singapore has a long history of lecture-y government campaigns aimed at changing behaviour: speak better English; ride escalators properly; stop spitting in elevators, etc. For the first campaign aimed at getting Singaporeans to be more supportive of people with mental health conditions, a different approach was needed. Instead of telling people what to do, “Beyond The Label” powerfully reveals the negative impacts of the behaviour that needs changing. This drove significant positive shifts in Singaporeans’ inclusion of people with mental health conditions and created impact well beyond the campaign period.

Case Summary

In APAC, astigmatism is still not commonly known by public; or even its sufferers. It’s an eye condition that is bothering 47% of population and requires vision correction. But only 15% is currently correcting it. Given our target audiences’ attention is becoming a commodity nowadays – How do we drive the full marketing funnel in a flawless way? ACUVUE® Korea has achieved all these in our latest Awkward Astigmatism campaign. Starting from translating insight to creative development and driving the urgency for our potential target consumers to try our product in just 15 seconds.

Case Summary

Panasonic launched the revolutionary nanoeTM range of air conditioners, which removes 99% of indoor air pollutants. Despite its superior technology, nanoeTM air conditioner sales were 2.3 times slower than the standard air conditioners. The problem; Malaysians were indifferent to the invisible threat of air pollution in their homes and unwilling to pay the premium price for a nanoeTM air conditioner. With Airdibles, we shocked consumers out of their indifference by evoking disgust, forcing them to imagine eating the air pollutants. The campaign's success grew nanoeTM air conditioner sales by 128%.

Case Summary

This case is an example of how a toilet cleaner brand effectively used cultural insights about people’s relationship with toilets to bring about a shift in their usage behaviour. Rural India avoided the presence of toilets, so much so that they didn't even say its name, and thus avoided the responsibility of cleaning them properly. By forcing them to acknowledge the toilet at home and thereby forcing them to keep it clean, Harpic unlocked growth in rural India, especially in states which had high toilet penetration.

Case Summary

With free news apps and online content available in enormous quantities, newspapers like Nikkei, which use a subscription model, face an existential question - what value do they provide to digitally-native readers that is worth paying for? The answer is the same as it has always been: facts are table stakes, but the understanding they give you is gold. By moving from short-term promotional campaigns to celebrating these core values of Nikkei for a new generation, applications increased by a peak of +71%, helping to secure the future of Nikkei.

Case Summary

Singtel, a Singapore payTV provider, needed to recruit football fans to watch the 19/20 English Premier League (EPL), despite having the same coverage and prices as their closest competitor. In Singapore, it is deep expertise that defines a true fan. So Singtel decided to appeal to fans’ expertise, not by praising them, but by trolling them. By deliberately making mistakes and getting fans to post angry comments on social media, Singtel’s streaming service saw +660% in sign-ups YOY and payTV sign-ups YOY remained stable, in a declining category.

Case Summary

Many people don’t understand why women in violent relationships stay. What they probably don’t realise is that it's sometimes a different kind of love that’s keeping them trapped. The love for their pet, not their abuser. Introducing Pet Refuge: A temporary shelter for pets affected by domestic violence. The only problem? They needed NZ$250,000 to fit out their shelter and open their doors to the New Zealand public unfamiliar with them or their cause. Our solution? We helped people move beyond reason by giving Pet Refuge an emotional advantage.

Case Summary

ALDI knows how to make miracles happen at Christmas, transforming what should be our most vulnerable time of year as a discount supermarket into the most successful period for the business each year. This is the story of how we unlocked a new momentum and cultural resonance by celebrating Aussie's generosity at Christmas, despite being up against unforeseen market forces in the lead up to Christmas. The campaign was ALDI’s most effective Christmas campaign to date.

Case Summary

The Kaikõura earthquake put KiwiRail’s Coastal Pacific out of action for two years. But as nature destroys, it also creates. By pairing quotes from original articles about the destruction with stunning images of new landmarks, we turned a news disaster into a new destination. As a result, trains ran at 94% capacity throughout the re-launch season, passenger numbers increased 12.8% and revenue 20.2%. This contributed to a $5M boost in Kaikōura’s economy. The same words that brought Kaikōura to its knees, helped it get back on its feet.

Case Summary

This is a story about Snickers becoming a "virtual" connection tool by gamifying their creative platform. In our campaign, the cute idols from the famous game, transform into horrifying figures. Together, the audience then transforms them back to themselves, by offering the idols Snickers on Twitter. “Not being sharable” for use as a connection-tool, has been Snickers’ obstacle in gaining the younger generation following. Although this holds true, by becoming a "virtual" connection-tool, it brought back Snickers into the lives of today’s teens and increased sales.

Case Summary

This is the story of how Marriott Bonvoy sponsored an event and told people not to go. Against local competitors and title sponsor budgets, Bonvoy faced an uphill battle. Launching at HK’s showpiece sporting event, the HK Rugby Sevens, we used our sponsorship for an event that most Hong Kongers hated, to create awareness in HK at large and get people enrolled. We were uniquely positioned as a travel company to get people out of town. Doing so achieved a 33% increase in program enrolments compared to the last year.

Case Summary

With free news apps and online content available in enormous quantities, newspapers like Nikkei, which use a subscription model, face an existential question - what value do they provide to digitally-native readers that is worth paying for? The answer is the same as it has always been: facts are table stakes, but the understanding they give you is gold. By moving from short-term promotional campaigns to celebrating these core values of Nikkei for a new generation, applications increased by a peak of +71%, helping to secure the future of Nikkei.

Case Summary

Speight’s Dance not only transformed one of New Zealand’s most iconic beer brands, it redefined modern mateship for New Zealanders. As one of the most significant pieces of communication for Speight’s in over two decades, it catapulted the brand back into cultural conversations and turned around drinkers turning away from mainstream beer. The impact of its epic storytelling was immediate and seismic, creating a chain reaction across Speight’s that step-changed perceptions, behaviour and drove unprecedented growth of a brand that many had said was dead and buried.

Case Summary

Beauty in China is a fiercely contested segment where brands use everything – from KOLs, celebrities, to fashion collaborations, to court young customers. Chando, an established skincare brand, was looking at breaking into this segment and changing the game. Chando appealed to youths by building a strong emotional connection with them at the start of their beauty journey – their first make-up experience. Instead of models in stark studios, Chando’s campaign focused on the high-stake emotional moment of the graduation photograph for students, and helped grow MOM sales by 52%.

Case Summary

Durex is only a small player in the Indian market with 6% market share. To grow, Durex could easily have followed the success formula of seductive advertising. Instead, Durex chose to Right a Wrong. For decades female sexuality has been stifled in India. This has resulted in a fundamental inequality– ORGASM INEQUALITY! Data revealed that 70% women did not orgasm during sex! We used our Mutual Climax condoms platform to raise the curtains and finally give female sexuality the voice it never had. The growth spike earned was holistic.

Case Summary

There are ~1-million mechanics in India and they influence >70% of lubricant sales. Winning with mechanics is thus a key growth driver. This segment of the value chain is transactional in nature, having derived a relationship through a stockist and having limited livelihood opportunities. Mechanics are downtrodden & forgotten heroes who do not consider their profession worthy of respect. This is Castrol India’s story of making a significant difference to lives of 280,000+ mechanics and deliver profitable business-growth. The story of an organisation choosing to recognising mechanics talent and celebrating their profession.

Case Summary

Married couples in India have been repeatedly chased to control family size. But 65% of pregnancy in India happened in the first year of marriage itself. We discovered that the newlyweds did not want kids in their first year. In arranged marriages, they barely knew each to discuss contraception. This lack of spousal communication made them vulnerable to social pressure to immediately bear a child. We sculptured a unique interactive radio platform where the newly married couples could befriend each other and make the right choices to plan their family.

Case Summary

As the world’s most popular eSports event, League of Legends draws interest from brands around the world, looking to tap into its valuable IP. As one of its 16 sponsors, KFC needed to find a way to deliver ROI, despite not being the key event sponsor. To do this, KFC identified and delivered on gamers needs – the ability to predict match winners in real time – ensuring that KFC delivered 70 minutes of brand exposure as the focal point of our target audience, for 1/5 of the investment.

Case Summary

Low-carb beers offer a distinct functional benefit – lower carbs. But while other New Zealand beer brands were making a song and dance about how few carbs their beers had, DB Export Gold went and made an actual song to launch their new low-carb beer. A love song to be exact. Not only did the beer become the number one NPD beer launch of 2019, the campaign turned the act of drinking a beer into a selfless gesture of love.

Case Summary

The McDelivery Pin is a pop-up, giant structure linked to the McDelivery App. Searchable via online maps, it allows rider and customer to easily find each other in wide, crowded areas like cemeteries during “Undas” (The Day of the Dead) in the Philippines. So when customers can’t go to a store, McDonald’s will drop by near them.

Case Summary

DB Export Gold Extra Low Carb is the latest addition to New Zealand’s already crowded low-carb beer market. While other brands were busy shouting about how few carbs they have at each other, we turned the act of drinking our beer into a selfless act of romantic love - you get a tastier beer, and your partner gets a tastier you. To celebrate this, we composed an earnest romantic ballad about all the romantic things one can do for their partner…while holding a beer.

Case Summary

In less than 3 weeks of the campaign, given low brand favourability, fierce e-commerce competition and a limited campaign budget, JD Central’s Targeted Gift campaign has proven that the effective integration of insightful data, social media innovation and intrigue creativity have ignited a new way of e-commerce communication. The campaign drove up sales by +17%, enhanced brand favourability and generated over 19.4 Million Baht of Earned Media.

Case Summary

Beauty in China is a fiercely contested segment where brands use everything – from KOLs, celebrities, to fashion collaborations, to court young customers. Chando, an established skincare brand, was looking at breaking into this segment and changing the game. Chando appealed to youths by building a strong emotional connection with them at the start of their beauty journey – their first make-up experience. Instead of models in stark studios, Chando’s campaign focused on the high-stake emotional moment of the graduation photograph for students, and helped grow MOM sales by 52%.

Case Summary

How do you convince dairy milk lovers to trial a sustainable alternative? When Swedish oat-milk brand Oatly launched in Hong Kong, dairy consumption was increasing, and there was low awareness of plant-based milk, but Oatly had limited marketing budget. Discovering there was no word for plant-milk in Chinese, our bold solution was to create a new word for the category. A Swedish brand adding to the venerated Chinese language provoked attention and debate about sustainable choices and drove trial: in less than 1 quarter Oatly sales increased 40%.

Case Summary

“THE HAIRY TALE” – A STORY OF CELEBRATING THE DIFFERENCE. Pantene leveraged the power of cultural conversations to help the next generations of Japanese parents and children brave to be different. Harnessing the power of a simple insight, and an unprecedented influencer strategy in the brand’s history, the brand created not only national but also global conversations around the importance and beauty of being different. The work was featured 208 Japanese and 569 international media, earning 4.5 billion media impressions.

Case Summary

As part of KFC’s sponsorship of the National Rugby League (NRL) competition, we created ‘KFC Viewer Verdict’; a real-time fan-version of the video referee, built into our KFC App. Viewer Verdict was an innovative way to engage fans, gather data, and even increase sales. We acquired 33,716 new KFC App users, and on average those particular fans spent 2.47 times more, and purchased 2.55 times more.

Case Summary

READING THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE. Do you feel okay reading this? Perhaps short of breath, or fatigued? A dull pain in your shoulder? Like scores of New Zealander’s every day, you might be having a fatal heart attack and not even know it. Since 2015, we have effectively been showing people the real signs of a heart attack. Instead of lecturing people, we’ve been setting them a simple challenge called The Heart Attack Act. Over 4 years, we’ve seen a 12% increase in heart-related ambulance calls during campaign periods.