London, 19th May 2016 – Winners of the 2016 Effie UK programme were revealed tonight at the inaugural Effie Awards Ceremony in London. Since 1968, the Effie Awards have honoured marketing ideas that work, and now celebrate marketing effectiveness in more than 40 markets globally. The 2016 competition marks the arrival of Effies in the UK.

All 2016 UK finalists were celebrated at BAFTA in London, with 11 of them taking away hardware. MullenLowe Group was named the Agency Network of the Year, earning awards for all three of their shortlisted campaigns: a Silver for The Electoral Commission (with MEC UK) and both a Silver and a Gold for The MicroLoan Foundation.

Other top honours earning Gold went to Three, Wieden+Kennedy and Mindshare’s “Sorry for the #holidayspam”; John Lewis and adam&eveDDB’s "Monty the Penguin" and NSPCC, Leo Burnett and OMD’s “How the NSPCC changed the law”. Additional winning brands included Kenco, Currys PC World, McVitie’s, Sixt Rent a Car, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

“UK entries were rigorously evaluated by industry leaders over two rounds of judging. The finalists and winners truly deserve their accolades, because to be recognised as a finalist or a winner in the UK, a market-leader in effectiveness, is a huge achievement. All these teams should be extremely proud of their accomplishments” commented Alistair Macrow, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of McDonald’s UK, and the Jury Chair for the 2016
Effie Awards UK competition. 

“We are thrilled with how the UK ad industry has embraced the Effies. Our inaugural programme has been well received and, with the support of our very active IAA UK Chapter, we look forward to cementing the Effie Awards as champions of effectiveness in the UK.” stated Felix Tataru, IAA Chairman and World President-Elect, under whose leadership the International Advertising Association organises Effies in the UK.

The evening also saw the recognition for the 2016 Global Effie finalists and winners. Top Global winners were TBWA\Media Arts Lab and OMD for Apple’s “iPhone World Gallery” (Gold), TBWA\Chiat\Day and Starcom for Airbnb’s “Never a Stranger” campaign (Silver) and Grey NY and Procter & Gamble for Febreze/Ambi Pur’s “The World Goes Noseblind” campaign (Bronze).

John O’Keefe, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer at London-based WPP accepted a special recognition on behalf of the company for being ranked the #1 Most Effective Holding Company globally for the past five years in the Effie Effectiveness Index.

In presenting the accolade, Effie Worldwide President and CEO Neal Davies said “The UK is a leading voice in the quest for effectiveness on a global stage and that’s exemplified by London-based WPP topping the Index for the fifth time. To be awarded Most Effective Holding Company is a pinnacle in itself: to do it five years running sends a clear message to the worldwide business community about creating ideas that work.”

All of the 2016 UK and Global Effie finalists and winners will receive points towards their ranking in the Effie Index. For a full list of this year's winners and more information, visit effieuk.org and globaleffie.org.


For more information about Effie UK, contact:
Michael Lee                                                    Mateja Simic
Managing Director, IAA Effie UK                  Programme Manager
michael.lee@iaaglobal.org                          mateja.simic@iaaglobal.org
Telephone: +1 646 722 2612                          Telephone: 07553 121 217
www.iaaglobal.org                                        www.effieuk.org


Effie UK
Around the world since 1968, the Effie Awards are known by advertisers and agencies globally as the pre-eminent effectiveness award in the industry, and recognise any and all forms of marketing communication that contribute to a brand's success. In the UK, the Effies were launched in 2015.

Effies are devoted to championing and improving the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness. We aim to spotlight marketing ideas that work and encourage thoughtful dialogue around the drivers of marketing effectiveness, while serving as an educational resource for the industry.

All Effie Awards UK finalists and winners will be included in the annual Effie Effectiveness Index rankings. The Effie Index (effieindex.com) identifies and ranks the marketing communications industry’s most effective agencies, marketers, and brands by analysing finalist and winner data from
all Effie Awards competitions worldwide. For more details, visit www.effieuk.org and follow the Effies on Twitter and Facebook. For more details on the Global Effie Awards, visit globaleffie.org.

International Advertising Association
The International Advertising Association (IAA), headquartered in New York, was founded in 1938 to champion responsible marketing. The IAA, with members in over 40 countries, is a one-of-a-kind global partnership comprising advertisers, media, advertising and public relations agencies, media
companies, and academics. The IAA is a platform for industry issues and is dedicated to protecting and advancing freedom of commercial speech, responsible advertising, consumer choice, and the education of marketing professionals. For more information please visit www.iaaglobal.org.