Kantar, the world’s leading data-driven insights and consulting company, today reveals the results of its Creative Effectiveness Awards, recognizing the most impactful ads of last year, as judged by consumers.
Throughout 2021, Kantar’s Link creative testing platform was used to evaluate more than 13,000 TV, digital, print and outdoor ads in 75 markets. The awards celebrate those which were most impactful in building brands, driving sales and increasing long-term equity. As well as recognising the best creative work of the year, the awards showcase the“creative sparks” – the common themes which set apart the most effective ads, and underline some of the key market trends influencing advertising in2021.
Nigerian star Davido uses emotion to bring Martell’s brand story to life and engage audiences
“The ad brings to life Martell’s brand purpose – standing out from the crowd by redefining convention – and celebrates those who pave their own path for the benefit of many. That’s the foundation of our global platform, Be the Standout Swift. This advert was specifically created for the Nigerian market; it is deeply anchored in local culture, featuring Davido, a local talent whose own ethos ‘we rise by lifting others’ mirrors our brand purpose of a Standout Swift. Our goal was to generate awareness and create an emotional attachment to our brand, by expressing what we stand for. We have had fantastic results, including a significant shift in spontaneous awareness of the brand and increased share of online conversation.”CommentsRichard Black, Global Marketing Director, Martell.
An accelerated shift to digital
Advertisers increased their advertising and media investments in 2021, as lockdown restrictions in many markets started to ease. There was further investment in digital platforms, with digital ad spend growing by 30.5%, compared with 19.2% overall, and more media channels became digitalised.
“These dynamic trends create significant opportunities for new types of creative expression in advertising, both online and offline. Channel fragmentation means a greater need to understand ad effectiveness than ever. The integration of Behavioural Science techniques, better automation, and faster, more granular insights mean creative testing should be part of every team’s development cycle.” commented Jane Ostler, EVP, Creative and Media Solutions, Kantar. “And of course, the universal principles still hold true; when you combine clear marketing objectives with brilliantly executed creative, we see effectiveness in action.”
Revealed: The most creative and effective ads of 2021
This year’s winning ads come from a diverse range of brands, categories, and markets, each using a range of different tactics to guarantee consumer impact:
Read Part B Here
