After months of rigorous judging sessions, spirited debate, and tough calls, it all came down to one pivotal day in Johannesburg. On September 16, a panel of South Africa’s most respected marketing leaders gathered behind closed doors to determine the country’s most effective marketing campaign of the year — the 2025 Grand Effie winner.
The Grand Effie represents the pinnacle of marketing effectiveness — awarded to a single campaign that exemplifies exceptional strategic thinking, creative brilliance, and results that drive meaningful impact.
This year’s Grand Effie Jury brought together an impressive lineup of diverse voices, each bringing unique perspectives and expertise to the table:
- Refilwe Maluleke (Jury Co-Chair) – Executive Head of Marketing, Discovery Health
- Ahmed Tilly (Jury Co-Chair) – Creative Consultant, Number 10 – A Creative Consultancy
- Elizabeth Mokwena – Executive Marketing Director, Unilever
- Fran Luckin – Chief Creative Officer, VML South Africa
- Grant MacPherson – Chief Marketing Officer, KFC
- Kagiso Musi – Group Managing Director, Meta Media
- Laurent Marty – Strategic Planning Director, Joe Public
- Neo Makhele – Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy South Africa
- Suhana Gordhan – Chief Creative Officer, Love Song
- Steph van Niekerk – Executive Creative Director, TBWA\South Africa
- Nthabiseng Matshekga – Executive Head: Integrated Marketing & Experience, Nedbank
- Vaughan Croeser – Vice President: Marketing, SAB ABInBev
- Thabang Skwambane – Chief Executive Officer, Nahana Communications Group
In this episode, jurors Refilwe, Ahmed, Thabang, Fran, Nthabiseng, Suhana, Kagiso, Grant, and Elizabeth take us inside the judges’ room to reveal what set TBWA\Hunt Lascaris and City Lodge Hotels’ “Save Our Stay (SOS)” apart from the competition – and why it ultimately earned the coveted title of 2025 Grand Effie Winner.
About the winner: City Lodge Hotels – Save Our Stay (SOS)
To win in South Africa’s crowded holiday accommodation market, City Lodge Hotels launched “Save Our Summer. Save Our Stay.” – a cheeky, content-led campaign spotlighting real travel frustrations and offering City Lodge as the trusted solution. Seven influencers delivered humour-led content that drove 2.1 million impressions, 11.5K engagements, and R1.9M in earned media value, with 256 direct booking clicks. Amplified by 85 pieces of positive PR coverage across tier-one outlets, generating R3.6M in media value and a reach of 118.5 million, the campaign redefined trust and reliability in local travel.
About the Effie Awards South Africa:
Effie Awards South Africa is hosted by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) and sponsored by Nedbank, SAB, Vodacom, Unilever, SPAR, GIB Insurance, Investec, with in-kind support from Lobengula Advertising and media partner Modern Marketing. Ipsos is our Global Insights Partner.
لمزيد من المعلومات، قم بزيارة www.effieawards.co.za or www.acasa.co.za.
