As part of her IPA President's agenda to celebrate the contribution creativity makes to business success, the economy and UK culture, BBH CEO Karen Martin has introduced a new Creative Award as part of the prestigious IPA Effectiveness Awards. The new award will recognise the vital role of creativity in driving business success and celebrate the people behind the work that delivers tangible results.
Below, we showcase some of the highly creative campaigns which have been recognised by the IPA Effectiveness Awards for generating sustained success for brands.
Top ten of highly creative campaigns that won IPA Effectiveness Awards
Guinness (IPA Gold 2024, 2020, 2018 & 2016)
A multiple winner of both creative and effectiveness awards for its Made of More advertising, Guinness also invested in emotionally charged brand advertising to 'win the first pint' back after the pub closures caused by COVID. Since then, it has repeatedly found new creative routes to get more people to consume its brand in more occasions. For the first time its long history, Guinness has become the UK's best selling pint.
Guinness Case Studies:
- Effectiveness in black and white: How Guinness supercharged growth in GB and Ireland (2024) AMV BBDO
- Guinness Made of More 2012-2019: Consistency x creativity (2020) AMV BBDO
- Guinness: Made of More, 2012 – 2018 (2018) AMV BBDO
- Guinness: An effectiveness story made of more (2016) AMVBBDO
McDonald's (IPA Gold 2022 & 2012, IPA Silver 2024)
McDonald's 'Raise the Arches' advertising was voted the public's favourite from the 2023 Cannes Film Lions winners, and has formed part of a successful strategy to grow love for the brand which has increased its profitability, as set out in its IPA Effectiveness Award-winning 2024 case.
McDonald's Case Studies:
- McDonald's After Covid: Breaking Rules And Stealing Hearts (2024) Leo Burnett
- McDonald's: How We Got Customers Lovin It And Kept Them Lovin It, No Matter What (2022) Leo Burnett
- McDonald's: Getting Britain lovin' it once again (2012) Leo Burnett
Specsavers (IPA Gold 2024 & 2014)
Unexpectedly playing off its long-running successful 'Should've gone to..' advertising line, the 'I Don't Go' campaign revitalised growth in the business by finding new audiences and winning over the brand's sceptics.
Specsavers Case Studies:
- Specsavers: I Don't Go (2024) MG OMD and Specsavers Creative
- Should’ve Gone to Specsavers (2014) MG OMD
Cadbury (IPA Silver 2024 & IPA Grand Prix 2022)
From its There's a glass and a half in everyone storytelling celebrating simple moments of generosity to its recurring Secret Santa activation, Cadbury has developed highly effective ways to combine creative brand building and mass participation.
Cadbury Case Studies:
SickKids (IPA Gold 2022 & IPA Silver 2020)
Canadian non-profit SickKids was recognised by the IPA Effectiveness Awards judges in 2020 and again in 2022 for its bold approach to its creative.
SickKids Case Studies:
- Delivering Transformational Growth SickKids VS The Greatest Challenges in Child Health (2024) Cossette
- SickKids vs. Conventional fundraising (2024) Cossette
Aldi (IPA Gold 2022, IPA Bronze 2020, IPA Silver 2018)
Whilst most UK Christmas advertisers eschew consistency in favour of annual novelty, Aldi has single-mindedly invested in making its Kevin the Carrot character famous. As explained its most recent IPA-winning case, Aldi's creative approach has managed to redress the brand's historic season loss of customers to rivals and driven penetration growth into each New Year.
Aldi Case Studies:
- Aldi: UK Kevin versus John How a humble carrot usurped a national treasure to win the UKs Christmas Ad crown (2022) McCann Manchester and UM Manchester
- Aldi 2010-2019: How taking an alternative path took Aldi from shame to pride (2020) McCann Manchester and Gain Theory
- Kevin the Carrot 2016 and 2017: How Aldi UK won Christmas with the help of humble carrot (2018) McCann Manchester
John Lewis (IPA Gold 2020 & Grand Prix 2016)
The brand that became almost synonymous with Christmas advertising through a decade of creative and highly effective seasonal campaigns.
John Lewis Case Studies:
- John Lewis: The gift that keeps on giving - John Lewis Christmas advertising, 2012 - 2015 (2016) adam&eveDDB and MG OMD
- John Lewis: An amazing decade (2020) adam&eveDDB and MG OMD
Audi (IPA Gold 2020 & IPA Grand Prix 2018)
Through more than four decades of effective Vorsprung durch Technik advertising, Audi has invested in creativity to 'supercharge' the premium nature of its brand and translate this into commercial success.
Audi Case Studies:
- Beauty and brains: How we supercharged the Audi premium 2015-2018 (2018) BBH
- Audi: The value of Vorsprung durch Technik over four decades (2020) BBH
Nationwide (IPA Silver 2018)
To stand out from other financial services brands, Nationwide developed a distinctive advertising voice that used poetry in ways that resonated emotionally with audiences. The result was an increase in new customers and account openings.
Nationwide Case Studies:
L’Oréal True Match (IPA Gold & Best Use of Social Media, 2018)
True Match saw an opportunity to win consumers who felt excluded from the category because of their skin tone, or the industry’s ideas of beauty and functional messaging. With one of the first mass campaigns built around influencers, the brand communicated it was suitable for every kind of face, for every shade. Its value share position jumped from fifth to first.
L’Oréal Case Studies:
Last updated 05 December 2025