Effie South Africa And Ipsos Release 2024 Effie Trends And Insights Report

Gillian Rightford, ACA CEO and Effie South Africa lead, says, "The value of this report lies not only in its strategic insight but in its timing. As we enter the 2025 Effie Awards South Africa season, these findings provide both inspiration and practical direction for creating work that works. At the heart of every Effie Award lies a simple yet profound truth: Real marketing effectiveness matters. Our continued partnership with Ipsos allows us to ground effectiveness in evidence — and that's what the Effies are all about."

Focusing on Effie's core judging pillars with additional insights into creative content, the report provides a clear view of the strategic shifts, creative decisions and executional excellence that characterised last year's most effective ad campaigns. The research from Ipsos in distilling learnings from the winners provides a roadmap for future success, helping brands and agencies sharpen their focus on what truly moves the needle. 

According to Effie South Africa and Ipos, key findings from the report include:

• creativity is the ultimate differentiator
• distinctive, memorable advertising is more effective than simply increasing media spend
• emotional connection drives success
• ads that resonate on a deeper level, whether through storytelling, tension, or social responsibility, build stronger brand loyalty and influence consumer choice
• brand purpose fuels growth
• businesses that align with social good and solve real problems grow faster and earn greater consumer trust
• celebrity endorsements need strategic fit, and 
• simply featuring a famous face isn't enough; the connection between the celebrity, the brand and the message must feel authentic to be effective.

Quantin Montello, Creative Excellence Lead at Ipsos SA, says, "This year's Effie winners reaffirm the global truth we've long observed: creativity and empathy are the true drivers of marketing effectiveness. Campaigns that challenge norms and engage audiences meaningfully are delivering disproportionate results."

Individuals are encouraged to download the full 2024 Effie Ipsos Trends Report here.

The 2025 Effie Awards South Africa says the awards entry period opens on Thursday, 3 April, with final entries due by Wednesday, 28 May. The eligibility window includes campaigns that ran between Thursday, 1 February 2024 and Friday, 31 January 2025.

The 2025 Effie Awards are hosted by the ACA, and sponsored by Nedbank, SAB, Unilever, GIB Insurance, with in-kind sponsorship by Lobengula Advertising, adds the awards.

Effie South Africa concludes that it is also calling for judges to be part of this year's adjudication panels. Senior marketing or agency professionals are encouraged to apply here.

For more information, visit www.effieawards.co.za. You can also follow Effie South Africa on Facebook, X or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of contributor