Leo Australia has won the Grand Effie at this year’s Australian Effie Awards, with Suncorp for its entry, From Recovery to Resilience: How Suncorp Rewrote Insurance Rules and Revitalised Its Business. The judges commented that it was “a showcase of effectiveness that all marketers should aspire to”, the result of a long-term and multi-dimensional commitment to reframing insurance category norms through campaigns such as One House to Save Many, Resilience Road and If Your Home Could Talk. “It was a cleverly delivered, disruptive, and fun execution that overcame significant challenges, resulting in fantastic, well-proven, and impressive ROI, increased market share, and consideration gains,” the judges added.
Leo Australia CEO, Clare Pickens, commented, “What an incredible night! The Effies hold a special place for us at Leo because we believe our creative work should drive real business impact – and continue to do so over time. Winning the Grand Effie for long-term effectiveness with our Suncorp partners is a tremendous honour. It reflects the talent and dedication of so many across our team. And it speaks directly to our ambition to create ideas that go beyond campaigns – shaping culture, building brands, and delivering lasting value for our clients.”
BMF won Effective Agency of the Year with 1 gold and 4 silvers for ALDI Australia, as well as 1 silver for the Attorney-General’s Department. The judges commented, “This was an excellent, clearly structured submission. We appreciate how a fearful subject was skillfully turned into a positive conversation, leading to great work and solid evidence of impact.”
Effective Advertiser of the Year went to ALDI, for BMF’s entry Proving That Going Extra Needn’t Cost Extra, How ALDI Pushed the Boat out to Bring Aussies in at Christmas.
Both BMF and ALDI won the same top awards last year.
Overall, 6 Gold Effies were awarded, plus 21 Silver and 28 Bronze awards, and 5 Special Awards. 24 agencies and 26 clients were recognised for their effectiveness.
Clemenger BBDO won 2 Golds for Lifeblood Blood Supply: How a Media First Elevated Blood Donation Into a National News Story, Saving Up to 28,848 Lives, for Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, The judges commenting that it was said it was “a well-integrated and effective campaign which delivered impressive results across all metrics, saving more lives.”
VML Australia won 2 golds, one for How ADF Careers Drove Effectiveness and Efficiency, for Defence Force Recruiting, and the other for KitKat Break Chair, for Nestlé, which the judges called an outstanding, innovative, and highly effective campaign built on the strength of its thought and planning.
The Best State Campaign was awarded to Simple for its campaign, Umm…ergency, for SA Health.
The Colin Wilson-Brown Award, honouring the Effie Chairman, was presented to Saatchi & Saatchi Australia for The Ultimate Comeback: How a Seasoned Champion Reclaimed the Crown, for Toyota Australia.
Tony Hale, CEO, Advertising Council Australia, stated, “The Effies have always been about celebrating marketing that truly delivers. This year, we saw an increased number of winners, reflecting a growing focus across the industry on work that moves the needle, challenges conventions, and demonstrates the value of creative impact. Congratulations to all who were recognised for their outstanding achievements.”
Gold winners:
