For efforts that used shopper insights to increase awareness and trial to lead to conversion for their established products/brands.  Efforts for this award are to demonstrate the business issue behind why awareness & trial were the main components in driving conversion.  Entries in this category must also include conversion results.  

Note: New products/services and new line extensions may not enter this category. These efforts should enter New Products/Services.

Some of the most impactful shopper marketing efforts occur when a deep understanding of shoppers’ attitudes, behaviors, and needs lead to innovative category/aisle evolution – changing the category/aisle to drive engagement with the shopper. Cases will outline how the effort utilized shopper activation at shelf or shopper awareness of evolution to enhance the shopping experience and drove greater engagement, conversion and category growth. These efforts will be sustainable evolutions and not simply promotional in nature.

(formerly David vs. Goliath)
This is an award for smaller, new, or emerging brands:

• making inroads against big, established leaders
• taking on “sleeping giants”
• moving into a new product/service field beyond their current category and set of competitors to tackle a dominant leader 

Challenger brands are defined as having less than 15% of branded market share in the product/service category.

Cases will detail the business challenge, the competitive landscape, and how their business succeeded despite the odds. They will also define the competitive landscape, including the market difference between the entered brand and it’s top competitors to demonstrate why the brand was a challenger. 

This category will highlight efforts that were designed with loyalty as the driver for the effort. Cases will detail how the program effectively targeted and engaged their target by developing an ongoing relationship between the shopper and the retailer or brand, while increasing loyalty.

Shoppers are looking for ways to tackle everyday challenges, whether it’s what to prepare for dinner or how to maintain a beautiful lawn – they want all-in-one solutions. This award celebrates multi-brand/product/manufacturer solutions that came together to address exactly what their target shopper needed.  Cases in this category address the rationale behind the creation of these differentiated shopper solutions.  Brands may be from a single manufacturer or multiple manufacturers.  Shopper solutions may be developed by manufacturer(s) and/or retailers.

Shoppers are looking for ways to tackle everyday challenges, whether it’s what to prepare for dinner or how to maintain beautiful lawn – they want all-in-one solutions. This award celebrates multi-vendor solutions that came together to address exactly what their target shopper needed.  

For campaigns that ran with a central idea and executed that idea via dedicated rollouts to three or more different retail chains. Cases in this category will highlight and explain both the cohesive thread working at each retailer, and the specific customizations that were done for each retailer.  They will also outline the specific barriers and challenges in tailoring their solution to each retailer – elaborating on the nuances among the shopper segment and insights at each retailer, differences in retail environments, etc.

The most effective manufacturers and retailers are the ones that can strategically plan for and react to the events that most impact their shoppers. This category features events, platforms or programs that were created to meet the demands of the shopper that are driven by a season, holiday or cultural event.  

Cases will explain the insight into their shoppers that led to adjusting product and/or creating events/seasonally-based platforms and programs to be in-line with their needs and shopping mindset during a specific time period. Innovative shopper events, strategically created by the retailer and/or manufacturer, may enter here as well.

For campaigns that ran with a tailored, retailer-specific idea and executed that idea at a single retail chain. The work in this category will provide insights as to how an effort was effectively designed to work with the particular retailer and the shoppers of that retailer.  Cases will elaborate on the specific shopper barriers affecting their brand at that retailer and how they addressed those issues in a customized way for that particular retailer.

For campaigns that ran with a tailored, retailer-specific idea and executed that idea at a single retail chain. The work in this category will provide insights as to how an effort was effectively designed to work with the particular retailer and the shoppers of that retailer.  Cases will elaborate on the specific shopper barriers affecting their brand at that retailer and how they addressed those issues in a customized way for that particular retailer.

For campaigns that ran with a tailored, retailer-specific idea and executed that idea at a single retail chain. The work in this category will provide insights as to how an effort was effectively designed to work with the particular retailer and the shoppers of that retailer.  Cases will elaborate on the specific shopper barriers affecting their brand at that retailer and how they addressed those issues in a customized way for that particular retailer.

Brands that connect and establish relationships with their audience’s key influencers are the ones to learn from. When this powerful micro target spreads positive influence over a brand’s potential buyers, success is achieved. This category is for cases that targeted influencers who have an exponential effect on the brand’s audience - one to many vs. one to one influencers. This category spotlights efforts that took on the challenge to properly identify the ultimate influencers and turn them into brand enthusiasts.
 
However the connection occurred, tell your story on how you managed to get a brand or product’s most important influencer to spread the word. Entrants must clearly define both the Influencer group and the Influenced group and the significance of both groups.  Judges will downscore your case if this is not clear.

This category is for efforts produced by government, academic, or non-profit organizations to bring awareness/education to specific health conditions.  Efforts targeted to either healthcare professionals, patients and/or consumers are eligible for this award.  

Note: Disease Awareness & Education efforts may not be entered into Positive Change categories.

Brand/Client efforts designed to educate and/or promote health awareness.  Efforts targeted to either healthcare professionals, patients and/or consumers are eligible for this award. 

Marketing communications efforts for products that are sold without a prescription that address a specific health condition. Efforts targeted to either healthcare professionals, patients and/or consumers. Note: Only products that address a specific health condition should enter this category – there are separate categories for Personal Care and Beauty efforts.

 

Efforts for prescription required drugs that are directed to patients and/or consumers.  Note: Entrants must detail any regulatory challenges that impacted the effort.

Marketing communications efforts that were developed for devices that address a specific health condition that requires a  prescription for surgical placement, use or purchase. Efforts targeted to either healthcare professionals and/or patients are eligible to enter this category.    Note: Entrants must detail any regulatory challenges that impacted the effort.

Efforts for prescription required drugs and other healthcare products that are directed to healthcare professionals.  Note: Entrants must detail any regulatory challenges that impaced the effort.
 

Marketing communications efforts that were developed for hospitals, HMOs, health insurance companies, referral services, dental and medical care services, pharmacies or chronic care facilities.  Efforts targeted to either healthcare professionals, patients and/or consumers are eligible for this award.

This category is considered a Product/Service category - entrants may only submit an effort into one product/service category (includes Health & main NA categories).

Data-driven media is the application of data and technology to identify and match the right audiences to the right message at the right moments.
 
Submissions are expected to:

• Use data to understand the audience
• Utilize personalized/custom-tailored creative messages 

These efforts should prove how they optimized media to business or brand KPIs and ROI based on the value of a custom audience. The best examples of data-driven recognize the interplay and application of automation, applied technology, and human and artificial intelligence to deliver to a precise audience and achieve the best results.  To enter, your case must detail the role that data had within the media strategy in achieving the brand and business goals.

This category focuses on efforts based on partnerships between a brand and a media owner/platform to create and activate original media content beyond traditional advertising. 
 
The winners of this award will represent those advertisers and media partners that knew exactly where and how to connect with their audience via the assets and creativity of a media company.
 
These partnerships demonstrate the innovative consumer connections that media companies can develop for advertisers via integrated communication channels centered on creative and strategic content. Each activation channel is critical to delivering the overall effectiveness and impact of the campaign and shows the value media companies can deliver.

This is about outstanding effectiveness as a result of media-led ideas. The line between what constitutes a creative idea and a media idea is blurring. There are occasions when the media idea drove the entire effort. Of course, media cannot exist without the content, but this award is intended to recognize those cases that were led by the media thinking – where the integration of media and message led to success. The award honors media-led ideas that are powerful enough to become the genesis of the communications program itself, to the extent that the program would not have been successful without the strategic media idea.

Changing the rules to maximize impact.

This award will showcase those who had the insight and creativity to change the way a particular media channel is consumed or to create a new channel. The award will go to those who reached out of the conventional approach to grab their audience and effectively engage with them.

Whether the effort was one execution or multiple, and/or used one engagement channel or multiple – the work must represent new and creative usage of the media channels we know and love, or have not yet met. 

Changing the rules to maximize impact.

This award will showcase those who had the insight and creativity to change the way a particular media channel is consumed. The award will go to those who reached out of the conventional approach to grab their audience and effectively engage with them.

Whether the effort was one execution or multiple, and/or used one engagement channel or multiple – the work must represent new and creative usage of the media channels we know and love.

All entries must specifically address what was innovative and the results achieved.  Write the entry to address the category situation and provide clear articulation of how the media was used innovatively.

Recognizing non-profit organizations and associations  with marketing programs that have measurably shifted audience (B2B or B2C) behavior toward more environmentally sustainable choices, grown demand for more sustainable products and services, and/or measurably drove positive impact for their cause by incorporating environmentally-conscious messaging into their marketing communications.
 
*A special entry form is required for the Positive Change: Environmental categories.

Effective marketing communications that incorporate sustainable strategies can make a positive difference for brands and for the environment. 
 

Recognizing brands that are making the world a better place by using the power of their communications platforms for "good."  This category celebrates for-profit brand efforts that effectively combined business goals with a social cause (health, education, community, family, etc) and successfully related that cause back to the company's overall brand strategy, resulting in positive business and social impact.  


Note: Efforts focused on environmental sustainability issues should enter the Positive Change - Environmental category.  Questions? Contact us at positivechange@effie.org. 

Note: Efforts focused on disease awareness & education should enter either Disease Awareness & Education: Advocacy or Pharma/Corporate.    Questions?  Contact health@effie.org. 

Note: Efforts focused on environmental sustainability issues should enter into the Positive Change - Environmental category.  Questions? Contact us at positivechange@effie.org. 

Note: Efforts focused on disease awareness & education should enter either Disease Awareness & Education: Advocacy or Pharma/Corporate.  Questions?  Contact health@effie.org. 

This category is for efforts that effectively reached their audience through the creation of original branded content that is not advertising.  The award honors branded content led ideas that are the heart of the communications program.  Entrants must detail the content created, how it related back to the overall brand and business goals, how it was distributed to, and shared by, the audience, and the results it achieved for the brand and business. Branded content may be produced and distributed by either publishers or independently.

• Judges will expect to understand why branded content was chosen as a tactic.

This category is not for efforts that focused on TV, radio or print ads to connect with an audience. It is meant to showcase how you can create a brand experience beyond traditional advertising. Work that truly brought a brand or product to life and interacted with a specific audience to achieve desired objectives should be entered. You may have re-invented the product demo, re-imagined the pop-up store, or led a “brick and mortar” retail overhaul; you could have created a new game, an alternate or virtual reality experience or interactive/immersive film experience that effectively showcases a new product or brand personality – it could have been anything. As long as you can prove it truly came alive and worked. The winners of this award will show how advertisers are reaching out to their audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.

This category is not for efforts that focused on TV, radio or print ads to connect with an audience. It is meant to showcase how you can create a brand experience beyond traditional advertising. Work that truly brought a brand or product to life and interacted with a specific audience to achieve desired objectives should be entered. You may have re-invented the product demo, re-imagined the pop-up store, or led a “brick and mortar” retail overhaul; you could have created a new game, an alternate or virtual reality experience or interactive/immersive film experience that effectively showcases a new product or brand personality – it could have been anything. As long as you can prove it truly came alive and worked. The winners of this award will show how advertisers are reaching out to their audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.

This category is not for efforts that focused on TV, radio or print ads to connect with an audience. It is meant to showcase how you can create a brand experience beyond traditional advertising. Work that truly brought a brand or product to life and interacted with a specific audience to achieve desired objectives should be entered. You may have re-invented the product demo, re-imagined the pop-up store, or led a “brick and mortar” retail overhaul; you could have created a new game, an alternate or virtual reality experience or interactive/immersive film experience that effectively showcases a new product or brand personality – it could have been anything. As long as you can prove it truly came alive and worked. The winners of this award will show how advertisers are reaching out to their audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.

This category honors marketers who are creating a product, or more likely a 'service’, in response to the marketing or business challenge faced that is NOT being sold, but is part of the marketing program itself; the intention being to reflect and reinforce the central beliefs of the brand by providing utility to consumers.

Entrants must detail the product/service created in response to the challenge, explain its role and objectives, how it was communicated to the audience, and obviously, the results it achieved.

Examples:  Free access to power at airports from a tech company, a training app for a sports brand, new/unique online or offline content or services that compliment the brand, hosting a community that provides shared wisdom and relief to anxious parents from a 'mothers' brand.' 

Note:  Judges will expect to understand the ongoing utility to consumers of the product/service created and how it helped enhance the success of the brand.

Effie Tip:  A useful background read is the  article below, which whilst every word within it is not endorsed by Effie, is a very helpful overview: http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/resources/BU_extracts.pdf

Note: This category was initially introduced as the 2014 Yearly Topical Category.

This category is for marketing efforts from businesses targeting other businesses. Business-to-business efforts for any type of product or service, from any marketplace segment, are eligible to enter.

(formerly Single Impact Engagement)
This category is looking for those brands that had the insight to know how and when to “throw a stone into a pond” and maximize the ripple effect from that initial throw.

The cases entered into this category will show how to put a brand or product in an intensely bright spotlight to create immediate and measurable impact.

Winners will represent those who had the insight and creativity to craft those unexpected and unconventional moments for a brand. The best examples will see live experiences, moments, stunts, and tactics, online & off line, perhaps amplified through PR, social media, digital engagement, or even the use of content created in the moment to fuel paid campaigns.

This category spotlights those effective strategic efforts that were able to generate real desired results as a direct outcome from a single significant moment of activity.

Effie Tip: Review past winners in this category: http://www.effie.org/case_studies/by_category/85

(formerly Single Impact Engagement)
This category is looking for those brands that had the insight to know how and when to “throw a stone into a pond” and maximize the ripple effect from that initial throw.

The cases entered into this category will show how to put a brand or service in an intensely bright spotlight to create immediate and measurable impact.

Winners will represent those who had the insight and creativity to craft those unexpected and unconventional moments for a brand. The best examples will see live experiences, moments, stunts, and tactics, online & off line, perhaps amplified through PR, social media, digital engagement, or even the use of content created in the moment to fuel paid campaigns.

This category spotlights those effective strategic efforts that were able to generate real desired results as a direct outcome from a single significant moment of activity.

Effie Tip: Review past winners in this category: http://www.effie.org/case_studies/by_category/85
 

This category is for communications that promote corporations, not exclusively their products. Includes sponsorships, image & identity. In addition to presenting metrics related to the reputation, entrants are encouraged to also address how these metrics relate to the business of the brand and why they are important.
 

This is an award for smaller, new, or emerging brands: 

• making inroads against big, established leaders
• taking on “sleeping giants” 
• moving into a new product/service field beyond their current category and set of competitors to tackle a dominant leader

Entrants must detail the business challenge, the competitive landscape, and how their business succeeded despite the odds. You are required to define your competitive landscape, including the market difference between the David and Goliath to demonstrate why your brand was a David.

Judges will deduct from your case if you do not sufficiently prove that your brand is a David in the situation. 

Note: Winners (at any award level) in the 2015 competition in this category are not eligible to enter this category in 2016.

This category is about managing effective, engaged communities.  Entrants will be brands that are creating content, experiences, platforms, news, etc. that get their communities to grow, engage, share, act or amplify messaging in a way that directly relates to the brand’s goals.  Entrants will need to state clearly how they managed the community, how they defined effectiveness around the community, what they specifically achieved, and why the engaged community was significant for the development of the brand/business.

Any effort whose success was dependent on effectively connecting with a specific cultural group, e.g.  African-American, Asian, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, etc.   If the entry had multiple audiences, it is necessary to demonstrate results for the specific audience detailed in the entry.

Identify any elements in the creative work or strategy that are specifically directed to this community and any relevant cultural differences, dynamics and/or nuances, traditions, values, linguistic characteristics, and their significance with respect to your submission. Judges may not be familiar with your particular segment, so this is your opportunity to showcase the details that they may miss.

Any communications effort used to introduce a new product or service that is not a line extension. Brand new products or new products in a new category are eligible. 

Effie defines line extension as:

• Any variation of an existing product that shares the same brand name and is in the same category as the existing product and shares the same characteristics as the parent but offers new benefit (flavor, size, package, type, etc.) 
• A derivative product that adds or modifies features without significantly changing the price
• Products that bear the same brand name and offer the consumer varied options (e.g. Diet version of drink) 

Your entry must be written to address how your product and service was new and the situation you faced as a result of it being new. For example, what specifically was new? Why did the newness matter? Write the entry to address the category situation (new product/service introductions) similar to what you would do when writing your entry to address a category situation like sustained success, etc.

This is an award for rebirth campaigns. To enter your brand must have experienced a downturn of several years and a period of at least six months of upturn sales. Entrants must detail the business challenge, the situation of the brand, the competitive landscape and how the effort succeeded.

Note: Your entry must address the previous marketing investment and strategy as part of the entry context. Also, provide detail on the length of the renaissance.

Seasons, holidays and events allow marketers the opportunity to build strategic communications based on the time-based interests of their target audience.  This category will honor those efforts that effectively capitalized on a season, holiday or cultural event to drive results for their business. 

Cases eligible for this category must represent the only communications efforts for this brand (brand defined as listed in the “brand” question of the Effie entry form) during the time period that the effort entered ran.
 
To be eligible, an entry may not be for a line extension.  Effie defines line extension as: a variation of an existing product with the same brand name and same category but with a new characteristic, a derivative of the product or service that offers modified features without significantly changing price; a product bearing the same name and offering a varied option (e.g. new flavor, diet version, etc.).
 
Value of donated and non-traditional media as well as activation costs must be included.
 
Budget eligibility is as follows:

• Local Efforts: $1 million or less
• Regional Efforts: $2 million or less
• National Efforts: $5 million or less

Cases eligible for this category must represent the only communications efforts for this brand (brand defined as listed in the “brand” question of the Effie entry form) during the time period that the effort entered ran.
 
To be eligible, an entry may not be for a line extension.  Effie defines line extension as: a variation of an existing product with the same brand name and same category but with a new characteristic, a derivative of the product or service that offers modified features without significantly changing price; a product bearing the same name and offering a varied option (e.g. new flavor, diet version, etc.).
 
Value of donated and non-traditional media as well as activation costs must be included.
 
Budget eligibility is as follows:

• Local Efforts: $1 million or less
• Regional Efforts: $2 million or less
• National Efforts: $5 million or less

Products communications efforts that have experienced sustained success for more than 3 years are eligible for entry. At a minimum, the case results must date back to August 31, 2015 and you must include the current year’s results. Entries submitted for competition must have a common objective in both strategy and creative executions; with a continuation of core executional elements (Ex. spokesperson, song, theme, tagline, etc.) that demonstrates effectiveness over time. To enter you must be able to provide data about the case in its first year, an interim year and the most current year. The current year’s results must be included.

Note: There is a special entry form and different creative requirements for the Sustained Success Award.

Service communications efforts that have experienced sustained success for more than 3 years are eligible for entry. At a minimum, the case results must date back to August 31, 2015 and you must include the current year’s results. Entries submitted for competition must have a common objective in both strategy and creative executions; with a continuation of core executional elements (Ex. spokesperson, song, theme, tagline, etc.) that demonstrates effectiveness over time. To enter you must be able to provide data about the case in its first year, an interim year and the most current year. The current year’s results must be included.

Note: There is a special entry form and different creative requirements for the Sustained Success Award.

This category will honor those efforts that successfully communicate to teens or young adults.
 
Your entry should be written in a way that identifies how the case was created and specifically directed to this audience and how it succeeded.
 
Identify any elements in the creative work or strategy that are specifically directed to the youth market and any relevant dynamics and/or nuances, trends, values, linguistic characteristics, and their significance with respect to your submission. Judges may not be familiar with this particular youth audience, so this is your opportunity to showcase the details that they may miss.