The Independent Agency Awards – Winners 2026

Pablo London

Anything is Possible
BBD Perfect Storm
Hijinks
Pablo London
ROAST
Salt
Sunny Side Up
The Kite Factory
VCCP
ZEAL

Anything is Possible
Hijinks

Flight Feather

Axe & Saw
Bite IT Marketing
Flight Feather
The Heard

The Heard

This was the clear top spot for us…

Campaign Summary

In 2025, LADbible uncovered a worrying truth. Research of 5,300 18–29 year-olds revealed that an entire generation’s understanding of sex and relationships was being totally shaped by porn consumption. Yet, young people were uncomfortable, under-informed and unsupported when trying to talk about it openly.

As the UK’s largest social entertainment brand, reaching nearly three-quarters of British 18–34-year-olds, LADbible recognised that silence was no longer responsible. This wasn’t a fringe issue. It was playing out daily across LADbible’s own community. From comment sections to DMs and social conversations, confusion, shame and hostility around sex were increasingly visible.

Porn can be entertaining. But when it becomes a primary source of sex education, it can distort expectations, fuel insecurity and leave young people navigating complex issues alone. Research showed many young people were worried about porn’s impact, yet lacked credible, relatable alternatives to talk about it. LADbible recognised this wasn’t just an education problem – it was an entertainment one.

The cultural context only heightened the urgency. The year leading into the campaign was shaped by rising misogyny, incel culture, backlash against adult creators, poor sex education and debate around the Online Safety Act. Public conversation was polarised: either sensationalised or avoided altogether.

With MikeWorldWide as strategic creative consumer PR partner, LADbible set out to intervene with honest conversations that were equally as captivating as the porn young people were engaging with and reframed the topic as a serious public interest issue.

The ambition wasn’t simply awareness, but confidence, participation and behaviour change at scale.

The result was For F**k’s Sake (FFS) Productions: a ‘porn studio’ but not the kind you’d expect. FFS Productions posed as a fictional porn studio, using misdirection to capture attention before subverting expectations. This drew audiences in and made conversations about sex unskippable and reframed creators and experts as credible educators.

By meeting young audiences in the spaces where they already watch, share and binge content, LADbible positioned entertainment not as the problem, but as the solution.

MikeWorldWide
For F**k’s Sake Productions – LADBible

Mike Walsh
Katrina Shaw
Lucy Whitehouse
Dr Paula Hall
Jenny Garrett
Joshua Pieters
James Philips
Amadi Tagoe

For F**k’s Sake Productions – MikeWorldWide – LADBible
25 Years of Giving – Tigerbond – JustGiving
The 20th Anniversary of Salon Privé – The Maverick Group – Salon Privé
The Maldon 50 – jellybean – Maldon Salt
Store Sommeliers – Sunny Side Up – Majestic Wine

25 Years of Giving – Tigerbond – JustGiving

We really loved the special packs…

Campaign Summary

The campaign, led by Brand Culture in collaboration with Miai as strategic integration partner, aimed to drive incremental sales and strengthen brand affinity among gamers through a high-value dual-brand promotion.

Key objectives included:

Position gaming as a core growth channel for Pringles, leveraging its scale and cultural relevance.

Reach a large, engaged EU audience (3.3B gamers; 825M streaming audience).

Drive purchase intent and brand affinity, particularly among young adult audiences: Target Gen Z (90% gaming engagement) and Millennials (83%).

Increase conversion through in-game integration, where:
53% of Gen Z are more likely to buy brands featured in-game
50% of Millennials are more likely to buy brands featured in-game

Deliver a high-performing promotional campaign, targeting industry-leading redemption volumes.

Reinforce Pringles as a snacking companion to gaming, tapping into the insight that 80% of gamers snack while playing.

Brand Culture
Pringles x Xbox – Xbox

Mel Bridgham
Ben Hubbard
Jamie Saunter
Ruth Harrison
Jenny Rastin

Cheez-It UK&I Launch – ZEAL – Cheez-It
19 Crimes Universal Monsters Halloween Activation – Savvy Marketing – Treasury Wine Estates x Universal Products
Peroni Summer Campaign – Savvy Marketing – Peroni
Heineken 459eken – Mesh Marketing – Heineken
Pringles x Xbox: Unlock In-Game Rewards with Every Can, Positioning Pringles as the Perfect Gaming Partner – Brand Culture – Pringles x Xbox

19 Crimes Universal Monsters Halloween Activation – Savvy Marketing – Treasury Wine Estates x Universal Products

With a small budget, they achieved something really great…

Campaign Summary

“Subway goes where subs can’t.”

When Subway introduced its most unexpected menu addition, the jacket potato, it faced a challenge that no amount of media spend alone could solve: shifting a nation’s entrenched perception of what Subway is. A brand synonymous with subs needed people to genuinely reconsider it, not just hear about it.

We didn’t build an audience. We found 19,000 people already in the perfect mindset and gave them a reason to see Subway differently.

Our own proprietary research showed that brand experience in ‘special event’ environments dramatically outperforms city-centre activations for brand reappraisal. Rather than fight for attention on a high street, we targeted Tough Mudder and Spartan obstacle events: high-energy environments where audiences were actively seeking fuel, open to discovery, and emotionally primed. We didn’t just sponsor the race, we became part of it, embedding ‘Spudway’ into the course itself and integrating into race-day rituals. Spudway became part of the experience itself, turning a menu addition into a meaningful moment of brand reappraisal.

The result: a +56 NPS, 85% of participants reporting increased favourability towards Subway, and, most tellingly, jacket potatoes retained on the Subway menu for 2026 and beyond.

Circle Agency
Spudway – Subway

Ella Bell
Neil Hooper

Spudway – Circle Agency – Subway
Nuii – Choose Your Next Adventure – ZEAL – Nuii
Young Hearts Run Free: How Tinder got daters outside and sweating – Cream – Tinder
giffgaff, The Huggable Poster: When a Billboard Became a Hug – Pablo London – GiffGaff
KitKat x Formula 1: The Break Zone Pit Stop – Altavia UK – KitKat
Cheez-It UK&I Launch – ZEAL – Cheez-It
New Balance London Run House – Exposure – New Balance
Rubicon Big Flavour Behaviour at Boomtown – RPM – Rubicon

Felt really fresh, relevant…

Campaign Summary

In a highly competitive delivery market dominated by promotions and paid advertising, Uber Eats needed to move beyond functional messaging and become culturally relevant to UK audiences aged 18 to 34.

Uber Eats partnered with GBM Group to support its “When You’ve Done Enough” campaign and position the brand more firmly at the heart of UK culture. GBM acted as an extension of the internal marketing team, creating content for Uber Eats’ owned channels while using its flagship Great British Memes community to support amplification and extend reach.

Across a year-long partnership, GBM produced over 40 static assets and 40 videos for Instagram and TikTok. The campaign deliberately bypassed paid media, instead building scale through culturally fluent, platform-native content and community infrastructure.

Creative execution reduced overt branding in favour of formats audiences already engage with. Repeatable devices, including the Uber Eats bag as a recurring social “mascot” and driver-led storytelling, translated the campaign platform into relatable, everyday moments.

The result was a sustained organic social campaign that helped Uber Eats move from participating in culture to maintaining a consistent presence within it.

GBM Group
Zero Spend, 32 Million Impressions – Uber Eats

George Bacon
Faye Martin
Joey Shaw
Erica Figueiredo
Ryan Kangethe
Aldrick Degla
Elizabeth Catterall
Joe Groves
Maciej Sienkiewicz

(Mr.) Worldwide Adapters – iSiteTV – Currys
Zero Spend, 32 Million Impressions: How Uber Eats Scaled Social Without Paid Media – GBM Group – Uber Eats
Takis – Can’t Hide Your Intensity – Digital Natives – Takis
The Launch of Canva Africa – PlusNarrative and Grid Worldwide – Canva Africa

(Mr.) Worldwide Adapters – iSiteTV – Currys

..full end-to-end solution to a clear problem they found.

Campaign Summary

The problem

The construction industry makes up 8% of the UK workforce, but represents 44% of occupational melanoma deaths. An industry obsessed with health and safety was ignoring a killer hiding in plain sight. In the UK, there is no regulatory requirement to provide construction workers with skin protection products. And the problem was getting worse. Melanoma cases tripled in the last 30 years, making it the 5th most common cancer in the UK. Against the backdrop of those devastating statistics, we knew that 86% of melanoma cases are preventable. So if we could drive awareness and get construction workers to take preventative action, we could wipe out almost half of occupational melanoma cases.

Our solution

We created UV-U-SEE. A highly visible skin safety system, built for outdoor workers. Finally making an invisible killer impossible to ignore. At its heart, the Higher-Vis Vest. A first of its kind, we took the universal symbol of health and safety and gave it an upgrade with our UV-U-SEE technology. We pioneered a specially formulated silicone logo that changes colour in reaction to rising UV levels, warning the wearer to apply skin protection or seek shade. To complement this, we partnered with LifeJacket, a leading skin protection SPF product in the UK, to supply top grade SPF in UV-U-SEE dispensers so construction companies could access a holistic system; the warning of our logo matched with the preventative solution in the SPF.

Pablo London
UV-U-SEE

Adam Reincke
Gustavo Bonzanini
Ray Shaughnessy
Dan Norris
Chris Turner
Hannah Penn
Sofia Velazquez Pimentel
Tom Moxham
Rodrigo Castellari
Amelia Rose
Paris Starr

UV-U-SEE – Pablo London – UV-U-SEE
Be Ready: Harnessing Social Media, AI, and Data to Drive Fertility Awareness and Empowerment – Foundry3 – Gedeon Richter
Young Hearts Run Free: How Tinder redefined the dating sector – Cream – Tinder
Already Doin’ It – Cirkle – Chemist4U
AJ Bell – Pablo London – AJ Bell
Off Peak with Tim Peake – Mediaplus UK – E.ON Next
‘The Commentators’ – Migrante – Ram

Crafted realised this was a blueprint for other businesses and other sectors…

Campaign Summary

We surpassed enquiry targets by 71%, and saved 20% on ad spend, all while keeping CPA 63% below target. The key to success? Getting the best out of Google’s AI, by applying experience and knowledge built up from a wide variety of sectors.

This is how we transformed paid advertising for FTSE-100 home builder Persimmon.

The new homes market is incredibly competitive; economic volatility, mortgage interest rates surpassing 5%, and shifting buyer behaviour have made it harder than ever for housebuilders to maintain strong sales pipelines. At the same time, digital-savvy buyers expect relevant, personalised information at every stage of their search journey.

Persimmon Homes, a leading UK housebuilder, faced exactly this challenge. Despite significant investment, their search campaigns were inefficient, outdated, and in danger of losing stakeholder confidence altogether. Within weeks of our new approach, the account evolved into an example of modern-day search advertising, driven by data and led by AI best practice.

We built a new, scalable digital framework that not only drove immediate results but also redefined Persimmon’s view of Google Ads as a strategic growth engine. The team delivered a new account structure that was more manageable and powered by deeper (and accurate) data signals driven by the latest suite of AI platform tools.

This is performance marketing at its most sophisticated. Audience signals, data-layers, automation, all perfectly tuned across over 260 developments in 27 regions.

Crafted
Powering new home purchases – Persimmon Homes

Matthew Hamilton-Dale
Charlotte Gordon
Bradley Sheldrick
Jacob Heger
Laura Emeny
Amber Brant
Ben Dales
Phil Rowland
Abigail Flower
Nyma Malik
Candice Emery
Megan Bishop
Christina Evatt

Persimmon Homes – Powering new home purchases – Crafted – Persimmon Homes

Measuring the invisible middle of the funnel – JAA – Triumph Motorcycles

Campaign Summary

Channelling Irish warmth and hospitality as an antidote to the faceless corporate beige of premium airport lounges.

Dublin Airport Travel Services set out to turn a dated, disjointed set of pre-travel products into a premium brand. Lounges, VIP terminal, fast track, parking, and a club existed – but without a unifying identity, they failed to connect with corporate travellers.

These travellers are willing to pay for comfort and status, but the market was saturated with generic airline clubs and global operators. On just €25K, the challenge was to create a distinctive brand that could rival global players while reflecting Dublin’s unique sense of place.

The answer: Irish hospitality. Framed by ‘Our door is always open’ the rebrand fused warmth and sophistication into a premium, personal experience. A Georgian door, iconic to Dublin, became the creative anchor, symbolising exclusivity and welcome, extended through a graphic system and luxury inspired monograms to unify the portfolio.

The result is a confident and evocative brand. One that feels less ‘utility’ and more ‘exclusivity’, drawing on the world of private member’s clubs to elevate the travel experience while deepening emotional connection.

Launched in May 2025, the impact since refresh has been immediate:

New memberships were up +20.2% year-on-year
Average customer order value surged +170% since rebrand.
Retention rose +20.1% year on year.

Dynamo Creative Consultancy

Brand Refresh – Dublin Airport Travel Services

Sheena Flynn
Claire Foley
Emily Turner
Sean Timbs
Rebecca Egan
Conor Wynne

Control or Speed – Ardmore – Department for Infrastructure

We Find Our Edge At The Edge Of What’s Possible – BBD Perfect Storm – Mishcon de Reya

Brand Refresh of Dublin Airport Travel Services – Dynamo Creative Consultancy – Dublin Airport Travel Services

Wimbledon Arrivals Campaign – Space – Wimbledon

The agency had done their homework…

Campaign Summary

LET’S START WITH THE REALITY.

As Scotland continues to recover from a world-changing pandemic and a prolonged Cost of Living crisis, the country is facing a mental health emergency.

The proportion of people reporting a mental health condition has more than doubled since 2011. Among young people, this figure has increased six-fold. the largest rise across all health conditions.

BUT THE CRISIS ISN’T EVENLY FELT.

Mental health outcomes are significantly worse for:

• People living in areas of higher deprivation and those on lower incomes, particularly under Cost of Living pressures

• Minority ethnic communities, who experience poorer outcomes and face additional barriers to accessing support

• Men, who remain less likely to seek help or talk openly about their mental health.

 

Media can do more than raise awareness. It can help people take a step towards support.

By meeting people where they were – often overwhelmed or switched off – the campaign helped them recognise what they were feeling and find support when they were ready.

Rather than shouting louder, Mind to Mind showed up differently. Media was planned around real human behaviour, making action feel possible.

The result wasn’t just strong recognition, but a clear shift in readiness to act – especially among audiences where the need was greatest.

Republic of Media

Closing Scotland’s Mental Health Action Gap – Scottish Government

Aiguste Mockute

Jason’s Sourdough: An Every Day Obsession – Alchemy Media – Jasons Sourdough

Nuii – Choose Your Next Adventure – ZEAL – Nuii

Putting Rangemaster back at the heart of the home – The Specialist Works – Rangemaster

Closing Scotland’s Mental Health Action Gap – Republic of Media – Scottish Government

Precision growth through data-led media for David Lloyd Clubs – The Kite Factory – David Lloyd Club

Answering the Mountain’s Call: How Precision-targeted brand supercharged growth for Heidi – Flight Feather – Heidi

Answering the Mountain’s Call: How Precision-targeted brand supercharged growth for Heidi – Flight Feather – Heidi

They were the clear standout winner…

Campaign Summary

Cygnus
Blend out. Never blend in. – Craft House Coffee

Jamie Rayner
Ben Lupton
Mat Kramer
Marcus Swift
Toby Bryan
Matt Hickling
Laura Mills
Roxanne Eaton
Helena Thannhauser
Laura Tucker
Rob Millward
Rhiannon Campbell
Courtney Seymour
Alex Bodley
Jay Paterson
Cathy Bellone
Dan McGrath
Sophie Bayliss

eBay Open 2025 – AVANTGARDE Marketing Ltd – Ebay

We Find Our Edge At The Edge Of What’s Possible – BBD Perfect Storm – Mishcon de Reya

Fit For Success, Abnormal – Bite IT Marketing – Abnormal AI

Craft House Coffee – Blend out. Never blend in. – Cygnus – Craft House Coffee

Powered by AI, Governed by Human Ingenuity – ROAST – WEX

Acron Aviation – Innovating for Safer Skies – The Think Tank – Acron Aviation

Brian-Proofing the Industry: How Autodesk Reframed Digital Project Delivery for the AECO World – Torpedo – Autodesk DPD

It brought a real challenger mindset…

Campaign Summary

Meet Humfree. A brand that didn’t exist a year ago, now setting new wheels in motion in one of the dustiest corners of British retail.

Our innovative client landed a visionary brief. Build a direct-to-consumer specialist in portable mobility scooters from a blank page, and launch it loud enough to be heard over a category that’s been talking in its sleep for years. No showroom to lean on. No high-street footprint. One shot. Online and on screen. To land an identity, a proposition and a customer base in a single, coordinated launch.

The market we walked into? Beige enough to send everyone to sleep! Identikit brands. Tired tropes. A whole category talking down to its audience instead of with it. Meanwhile the audience itself? Vibrant, opinionated, full of beans, and very much not done.

So, we built a brand for the people the category had forgotten.

Two stages. One mission.

Stage one: Design Humfree from the ground up. Name. World. Voice. Personality. The works.

Stage two: Launch it with a TV campaign that would punch a hole through the prime-time noise and plant a flag in the ground from day one.

What follows is the story of a challenger built to change a conversation. A champion of possibility, not a marker of decline. A brand for people still grabbing life by the scruff of the neck, and very much intent on hanging onto it.

Humfree: where portability meets possibility.

Ideas + Outcomes
Humfree

Emma Hodgkinson
Katie Beltrami
Kim Harris
James Smith
Darren Cornwall

Humfree – Ideas + Outcomes – Humfree

Engineering Demand: How We Turned Cultural Buzz into Sustained Commerce for Dr. Barbara Sturm – Millena Limited – Dr. Barbara Sturm

Swaledale Butchers – Outranking Retail Giants Through Tactical SEO – SALT.agency – Swaledale Butchers

Peroni Summer Campaign – Savvy Marketing – Peroni

Store Sommeliers – Sunny Side Up – Majestic Wine

Strengthen your Pension – Third City – Strengthen your Pension

Strength Through Kindness – Vega & Propaganda – Cloud Nine

Cheez-It UK&I Launch – ZEAL – Cheez-It UK

This was a unanimous decision..

Campaign Summary

Foundation is a cloud-based experience platform designed to transform how organisations present, explore and interact with content across physical and digital environments.

Built in response to a growing demand for more immersive, flexible and data-driven engagement, Foundation replaces traditional, linear presentation tools with a dynamic, non-linear system that connects content, spaces and people in real time.

Developed by Engage Works and deployed across global brands including EY, Accenture and TCS, the platform powers high-value environments such as innovation centres, marketing suites and experience spaces. It enables teams to curate content centrally, present it fluidly, and immerse audiences through interactive technologies including large-format displays, object recognition and extended reality.

In a market where presentations are often static and disconnected from physical space, Foundation introduces a unified ecosystem that brings together storytelling, collaboration and spatial computing. The result is a more intuitive, engaging and effective way to communicate complex ideas and drive decision-making.

Engage Works
Foundation

Vanessa Whiteside-Oram

Foundation – Engage Works – Foundation

Club Peroni Campaign – Savvy Marketing – Peroni

We really loved this campaign…

Campaign Summary

Jason’s is a modern-day David in a bread aisle dominated by industrial Goliaths. In a category long defined by heavily processed loaves from centenarian brands with vast marketing budgets*, Jason Geary set out to challenge the status quo with a simple belief:  the nation deserved better bread. His commitment to crafting authentic sourdough at scale, using only four natural ingredients, was the brand’s superpower.

The brand launched in 2020 with a single SKU in M&S, followed by Waitrose.  Early media testing proved the potential. A modest 2021 TV pilot doubled prompted awareness and built 90% familiarity among exposed audiences, signalling the appetite for real sourdough and the scale of disruption possible.

By mid-2025, whilst impressive growth positioned Jason’s as the 4th largest Bread brand, they ranked #7 in the bakery category for prompted awareness.  A new factory opened, doubling capacity. The range expanded to 15 SKUs & national distribution accelerated, enabling a bold, all‑in ATL assault.

Cut through against bigger budgets was essential. A strategic partnership with C4 doubled the TV budget through match-funding, enabling category domination & SOV>SOM. A high impact launch in Bake-off’s Bread Week was supported with 30’s & 10’s in high-attention programming. Wider ATL touchpoints amplified TV to scale reach. Media delivery was anchored in Jason’s authenticity and obsessive craft, to build fame, emotional connection and rapid mental availability.

The results were extraordinary, surpassing expectations. Jason’s rose to No.3 in the category. Tracking highlighted significant uplifts across awareness, consideration and purchase. Post campaign RSV grew +29%, rising to +46% by Feb’26.   Sonder’s research for C4 hailed the campaign as “a masterclass in distinctiveness”, some of the best results they’d ever witnessed.

Alchemy Media
An Every Day Obsession – Jason’s

Bridget Moore
Katie Rush
Georgia Mawer
El Long
Robyn Owens
Amy Cresswell

Jason’s Sourdough: An Every Day Obsession – Alchemy Media – Jason’s

Cheez-It UK&I Launch – ZEAL – Cheez-It

Dr Pepper, Doctor’s Orders – Pablo London – Dr Pepper

Putting the Fizz Back Into Magners – Republic of Media – Magners

Poretti – Pablo London – Poretti

Wilkinson Sword Blade Masters – Pablo London – Wilkinson Sword

Bed Head – Ban the Bland – Cream – Bed Head

Dr Pepper, Doctor’s Orders – Pablo London – Dr Pepper

..delivered a real truth about their staff as experts in the world of wine.

Campaign Summary

Majestic Wine is the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer with more than 200 stores online and thousands of skus. In 2024 it had its largest ever Christmas sales period, but comms thinking and creative had been fragmented across channels. For Christmas 2025 the brand tasked all agencies with developing a single integrated idea which could be delivered across channels.

Sunny Side Up
Store Sommeliers – Majestic Wine

Nick Woods
Zoe Ward-Waring
Antonia Paget
Imogen Holmes

Store Sommeliers – Sunny Side Up – Majestic Wine

Catch-A-Matcha – Circle Agency – Costa Coffee

Club Card – PrettyGreen – Tesco

Inspire Someone This Christmas – Dynamo – EASON

Their quirky, imaginative, other-worldly campaign…

Campaign Summary

Carlsberg Britvic’s “Welcome to the Lake” campaign for Poretti is a UK brand platform launched in April 2025. It encourages drinkers to “look beyond the expected” and embrace a more original, stylish, and extraordinary way of living. The idea draws inspiration from founder Angelo Poretti’s story in which he travelled across Europe in the 1870s and explored unconventional brewing techniques to take back to his hometown in Valganna, Italy.

The campaign was designed to cut through in ‘the sea of sameness’ we coined the world of beer advertising. Where competitors lean on sun-drenched clichés, we drew from the cool elegance of Italian noir cinema, inviting consumers to discover characters that embody a different attitude to life.

Built as a fully integrated campaign, this approach spanned every touchpoint – from TV and cinema to OOH, social, in-store activations, and experiential.

Pablo London
Poretti

Paul Davies
John Clements
Munnawar Chishty
Samuel Johnson
Joanna McNeill
Dan Watts
David Shirley
Charlie Gee
Mark Sng
Peter Moulton
Charlotte Johnson
Phoebe Snelson-Chiffers
Tom Moxham
Charlotte Lipsius
Paris Starr
Ben Mascari
Kelly Watts
Jeff Low
Toby Courlander
Shawn Lacy
Rupert-Reynolds-MacLean
Hanna Bayatti
Emily Atterton
Daniel Linnik-Zhuravliov
João Padua
Miha Knific
Lesley Beastall
Selina Wong
Saam Hodivala
Kirsty Oldfield
Ben Cronin
Christian Baker Steele
Jack Harris
Sophie Harrison
Ellie Joseph
Zuzanna Drozdz
Hannibal Lang at BaconX
Dylan Don
Robert Rabensteiner
Karyn Rachtman
Ben Leeves

Sendmybag.com – Ardmore – SendMyBag

Spotify Listening Lounge Launch – Axe + Saw – Spotify

Spudway – Circle Agency – Subway

Craft House Coffee – Blend out. Never blend in. – Cygnus – Craft House Coffee

Triumph Motorcycles – True Originals Never Settle – Drummond Central – Triumph Motorcycles

Poretti – Pablo London – Poretti

Craft House Coffee – Blend out. Never blend in. – Cygnus – Craft House Coffee

The creativity really stood out to us…

Campaign Summary

Britain is one of the world’s most culturally influential nations, yet global research revealed a strategic paradox: while famous, the destination risked feeling overly familiar to international travellers. Many potential visitors believed they already knew what Britain offered, reducing the urgency to visit.

At the same time Britain had become a global centre for film and television production. From Harry Potter and James Bond to Bridgerton and House of the Dragon, many of the world’s most beloved stories are filmed across the country.

This coincided with an uplift in set-jetting – visiting destinations first discovered through film and television – which was influencing millions of travellers globally.

VisitBritain recognised the opportunity to turn Britain’s cultural storytelling power into tourism growth.

The Starring GREAT Britain campaign positioned the country itself as the real star behind the world’s favourite films and TV shows.

The strategy was based on a simple belief: unlike Hollywood studios, Britain itself is one giant set and that behind every great British production is an even greater British destination to discover.

The campaign invited travellers to “Visit the Real Star” by stepping into the real locations behind the stories they loved.

To bring the idea to life, VisitBritain treated the tourism campaign like a global film launch.

At its centre was a cinematic hero film directed by Academy Award-winning director Tom Hooper, revealing the real British locations behind iconic productions.

In a world-first collaboration, major studios including Netflix, HBO, Warner Bros and Disney contributed more than £10.8 million of film and television IP to the campaign for free.

The campaign combined cinematic creativity with an integrated ecosystem designed to move audiences from inspiration to travel.

Digital video and social media delivered storytelling at scale, creators and influencers brought destinations to life through personal travel stories, and travel partners including Expedia and British Airways converted inspiration into bookable trips.

Local activations across priority markets ensured the campaign resonated globally while remaining culturally relevant.

In the United States an interactive mural on Sunset Boulevard invited passers-by to explore filming locations across Britain. In Australia immersive outdoor cinema experiences showcased British films, while in the Gulf region large-scale digital screens reached high-spending travellers.

The campaign successfully reframed Britain’s image to being perceived as exciting, unique, and filled with surprising experiences and we converted this into tangible commercial results.

With £11 million in media investment, Starring GREAT Britain generated:

214,264 incremental visitors

£217 million incremental visitor spend

20:1 return on investment

Making it VisitBritain’s best-performing campaign since the pandemic.

By turning the world’s most beloved stories into invitations to travel, the campaign proved that one of Britain’s greatest exports – its storytelling – can power one of its most valuable imports: visitors.

Pablo London
VisitBritain

Robin Johnson
Emma Wilkinson
Karen O’Sullivan
Max Levine
Franziska Kristen
Jennifer Huntley
Harriet Knight
Eve Bui
Lily Gray
Rosie Mullins
Dan Watts
Chris Bovill
Chris Turner
Oliver Edridge
Tom Moxham
Amber Robinson
Amanda Nixon
Tom Hooper
Fergus Brown
Lucy Kelly
Molly Pope
Nick Sutherland-Dodd
Emily Meyjes
Alex Barber
Humphrey Milles
Nicola Des Fresnes
Rebecca Rich
Russell Icke
Thomas Hill
Ella Sedgwick
Kamen Markov
Guy Lubin
Benjamin Lilley
Darran Nicholson
Tim Osborne
Humberto Reynaga
Melvin Pillai
Jake Saunders
Ellie Tinker
Simone Bourne
Benjamin Jones
Peter Raeburn
Luke Fabia
Jay James
Sam Ashwell
Mike Bovill
Olivia Ray
Phoebe Roberts
Charlie Hawksworth
Paul Dawes
Juliano Oliveira
Natasha Johar
Matthew Ennis
Amy Thorne
John Allison
David Shirley
Charlie Gee
Matt Leach
Jess Oudot
Madeline Barrick
Shuli Rajendran
Scott Winter
Dava Roopchand
Bunty Partridge
Phillip Gordon Ball
Scott Little
Jakub Adamcik
John Mourounas
Maddie Stephenson
Roberta Corfu
Rebecca Moody

VisitBritain – Pablo London – VisitBritain

Vinted’s US Launch – Axe + Saw – Vinted

Artistry In Oak: Re-defining Exclusivity – Republic of Media – Gordon & MacPhail

Guinness Smooth ‘Make it Yours’ – Hey Human – Guinness

Engineering Demand: How We Turned Cultural Buzz into Sustained Commerce for Dr. Barbara Sturm – Millena – Dr. Barbara Sturm

bet365 x UEFA Champions League – 2025/26 Partnership Campaign – Drummond Central – Bet365

Acron Aviation – Innovating for Safer Skies – The Think Tank – Acron Aviation

Artistry In Oak: Re-defining Exclusivity – Republic of Media – Gordon & MacPhail

It was an exceptional campaign…

Campaign Summary

The problem

The construction industry makes up 8% of the UK workforce, but represents 44% of occupational melanoma deaths. An industry obsessed with health and safety was ignoring a killer hiding in plain sight. In the UK, there is no regulatory requirement to provide construction workers with skin protection products. And the problem was getting worse. Melanoma cases tripled in the last 30 years, making it the 5th most common cancer in the UK. Against the backdrop of those devastating statistics, we knew that 86% of melanoma cases are preventable. So if we could drive awareness and get construction workers to take preventative action, we could wipe out almost half of occupational melanoma cases.

Our solution

We created UV-U-SEE. A highly visible skin safety system, built for outdoor workers. Finally making an invisible killer impossible to ignore. At its heart, the Higher-Vis Vest. A first of its kind, we took the universal symbol of health and safety and gave it an upgrade with our UV-U-SEE technology. We pioneered a specially formulated silicone logo that changes colour in reaction to rising UV levels, warning the wearer to apply skin protection or seek shade. To complement this, we partnered with LifeJacket, a leading skin protection SPF product in the UK, to supply top grade SPF in UV-U-SEE dispensers so construction companies could access a holistic system; the warning of our logo matched with the preventative solution in the SPF.

Pablo London
UV-U-SEE

Adam Reincke
Gustavo Bonzanini
Ray Shaughnessy
Dan Norris
Chris Turner
Hannah Penn
Sofia Velazquez Pimentel
Tom Moxham
Rodrigo Castellari
Amelia Rose
Paris Starr

Women’s Aid – Hear Them or Grieve Them – Hijinks – Women’s Aid

UV-U-SEE – Pablo London – UV-U-SEE

Life-saving moment campaign – Crafted – MSF UK

Making Hunger Visible – The Maverick Group – The Felix Project

NHS Somerset – HPV (16–25 cohort) – Teapot Creative Ltd – NHS Somerset

DKMS Aunties Campaign – Blood Cancer Awareness Month 2025 – GottaBe! – DKMS

In Kind Direct Not A Choice – Aduro Communications – In Kind Direct

Women’s Aid – Hear Them or Grieve Them – Hijinks – Women’s Aid

They pulled off an amazing execution…

Campaign Summary

Britain is one of the world’s most culturally influential nations, yet global research revealed a strategic paradox: while famous, the destination risked feeling overly familiar to international travellers. Many potential visitors believed they already knew what Britain offered, reducing the urgency to visit.

At the same time Britain had become a global centre for film and television production. From Harry Potter and James Bond to Bridgerton and House of the Dragon, many of the world’s most beloved stories are filmed across the country.

This coincided with an uplift in set-jetting – visiting destinations first discovered through film and television – which was influencing millions of travellers globally.

VisitBritain recognised the opportunity to turn Britain’s cultural storytelling power into tourism growth.

The Starring GREAT Britain campaign positioned the country itself as the real star behind the world’s favourite films and TV shows.

The strategy was based on a simple belief: unlike Hollywood studios, Britain itself is one giant set and that behind every great British production is an even greater British destination to discover.

The campaign invited travellers to “Visit the Real Star” by stepping into the real locations behind the stories they loved.

To bring the idea to life, VisitBritain treated the tourism campaign like a global film launch.

At its centre was a cinematic hero film directed by Academy Award-winning director Tom Hooper, revealing the real British locations behind iconic productions.

In a world-first collaboration, major studios including Netflix, HBO, Warner Bros and Disney contributed more than £10.8 million of film and television IP to the campaign for free.

The campaign combined cinematic creativity with an integrated ecosystem designed to move audiences from inspiration to travel.

Digital video and social media delivered storytelling at scale, creators and influencers brought destinations to life through personal travel stories, and travel partners including Expedia and British Airways converted inspiration into bookable trips.

Local activations across priority markets ensured the campaign resonated globally while remaining culturally relevant.

In the United States an interactive mural on Sunset Boulevard invited passers-by to explore filming locations across Britain. In Australia immersive outdoor cinema experiences showcased British films, while in the Gulf region large-scale digital screens reached high-spending travellers.

The campaign successfully reframed Britain’s image to being perceived as exciting, unique, and filled with surprising experiences and we converted this into tangible commercial results.

With £11 million in media investment, Starring GREAT Britain generated:

214,264 incremental visitors

£217 million incremental visitor spend

20:1 return on investment

Making it VisitBritain’s best-performing campaign since the pandemic.

By turning the world’s most beloved stories into invitations to travel, the campaign proved that one of Britain’s greatest exports – its storytelling – can power one of its most valuable imports: visitors.

Pablo London
VisitBritain

Robin Johnson
Emma Wilkinson
Karen O’Sullivan
Max Levine
Franziska Kristen
Jennifer Huntley
Harriet Knight
Eve Bui
Lily Gray
Rosie Mullins
Dan Watts
Chris Bovill
Chris Turner
Oliver Edridge
Tom Moxham
Amber Robinson
Amanda Nixon
Tom Hooper
Fergus Brown
Lucy Kelly
Molly Pope
Nick Sutherland-Dodd
Emily Meyjes
Alex Barber
Humphrey Milles
Nicola Des Fresnes
Rebecca Rich
Russell Icke
Thomas Hill
Ella Sedgwick
Kamen Markov
Guy Lubin
Benjamin Lilley
Darran Nicholson
Tim Osborne
Humberto Reynaga
Melvin Pillai
Jake Saunders
Ellie Tinker
Simone Bourne
Benjamin Jones
Peter Raeburn
Luke Fabia
Jay James
Sam Ashwell
Mike Bovill
Olivia Ray
Phoebe Roberts
Charlie Hawksworth
Paul Dawes
Juliano Oliveira
Natasha Johar
Matthew Ennis
Amy Thorne
John Allison
David Shirley
Charlie Gee
Matt Leach
Jess Oudot
Madeline Barrick
Shuli Rajendran
Scott Winter
Dava Roopchand
Bunty Partridge
Phillip Gordon Ball
Scott Little
Jakub Adamcik
John Mourounas
Maddie Stephenson
Roberta Corfu
Rebecca Moody

VisitBritain – Pablo London – Visit Britain

Why Do Ordinary? – Accord Marketing – Oliver’s Travels

Dream Destination – Catalyst Creative – TUI

Disney+ Alien: Earth Tour – Experience12 – Disney+

All Change: Rebranding Rail for a Post-Commuter World – Anything is Possible – West Midlands Trains (WMT)

From Invisible to Unmissable: Reframing Pennsylvania for Irish Travellers Through Cultural Immersion – Ardmore Advertising – Pennsylvania

Dream Destination – Catalyst Creative – TUI

The way that it was executed was flawless…

Campaign Summary

In 2025, LADbible uncovered a worrying social truth: porn had become Gen Z’s primary sex educator. Yet, young people were uncomfortable, under-informed and unsupported when trying to talk about it openly.

As the UK’s largest social entertainment brand, reaching nearly three-quarters of British 18–34-year-olds, LADbiblerecognised that silence was no longer responsible. This wasn’t a fringe issue. It was playing out daily across LADbible’s own community. From comment sections to DMs and social conversations, confusion, shame and hostility around sex were increasingly visible.

Porn can be entertaining. But when it becomes a primary source of sex education, it can distort expectations, fuel insecurityand leave young people navigating complex issues alone. Research showed many young people were worried about porn’s impact, yet lacked credible, relatable alternatives to talk about it. LADbible recognised this wasn’t just an education problem – it was an entertainment one. And no brand was fulfilling the corporate purpose of creating content to counter it.

The cultural context only heightened the urgency. The year leading into the campaign was shaped by rising misogyny, incel culture, backlash against adult creators, poor sex education and debate around the Online Safety Act. Public conversation was polarised: either sensationalised or avoided altogether.

With MikeWorldWide as strategic creative consumer PR partner, LADbible set out to intervene with honest conversations that were equally as captivating as the porn young people were engaging with, and to reframe the topic as a serious public interest issue.

The ambition wasn’t simply awareness, but confidence, participation and behaviour change at scale.

The result was For F**k’s Sake (FFS) Productions: a ‘porn studio’ but not the kind you’d expect. FFS Productions posed as a fictional porn studio, using misdirection to capture attention before subverting expectations. This drew audiences in, made conversations about sex unskippable and reframed creators and experts as credible educators.

By meeting young audiences in the spaces where they already watch, share and binge content, LADbible positioned entertainment not as the problem, but as the solution.

MikeWorldWide
For F**k’s Sake Productions – LADBible

Mike Walsh
Katrina Shaw
Lucy Whitehouse
Dr Paula Hall
Jenny Garrett
Joshua Pieters
James Philips
Amadi Tagoe

For F**k’s Sake Productions – MikeWorldWide – LADBible

STRUT SAFE: STRUT STOP – The Heard – Strut Safe

Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority: ‘The Future of Work is Parent-Friendly’ – Action Global Communications – Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority

Empower Cafe at Cannes Lions 2025 – Propeller Group – WACL

25 Years of Giving – Tigerbond – JustGiving

JWI X Gillette: Fathers Day Is Closer Than You Think [UAE & GCC] – JWI – Gillette

APS’ impact programme puts people at the heart of everything they do…

Campaign Summary

At APS, ‘purpose’ is not a campaign, a committee, or a strapline in our tender decks. It is how we choose to grow as a company.

As an employee-owned business, we believe commercial success and social impact enable and strengthen each other.

This belief has shaped a culture where our people are trusted to improve the communities around them, support one another, and use their skills to create opportunities beyond the boundaries of our business.

Over the last year, we recognised that while our culture and commitment to purpose was strong, our impact story was fragmented. Volunteering, employability support, wellbeing and community partnerships all existed, but often as distinct initiatives.

The creation of our ‘Impact Programme’ has changed all of that.

Built around our brand promise to ‘Make More Possible’, our Impact Programme brings together community action, environmental responsibility and employee wellbeing into one measurable framework.

More importantly, it gives our people permission to contribute in ways that feel personal to them, as well as purposeful and lasting.

The Impact Programme has seen us move beyond traditional CSR activities, and towards meaningful participation. Employees are not simply offered volunteering days; they are helping people back into employment, supporting communities facing deprivation, restoring local environments and shaping a more inclusive workplace at APS.

The impact we’ve seen is both tangible and measurable, but it is also human. Sometimes that can get lost in companywide purpose-led initiatives – and we’ve never wanted that.

In 2025 alone, our APS colleagues have delivered more than 650 volunteering hours, assisted more than 35 community organisations, created 30 work placements and supported 20 apprenticeships.

Through partnerships with organisations including Ingeus and the DWP Restart Scheme, our teams are supporting individuals facing significant barriers to work with practical employability skills, confidence-building, and one-to-one support.

Internally, our commitment to people has been equally deliberate. From flexible working and wellbeing support to funded learning, progression pathways and inclusive hiring commitments, we continue to build a workplace where people can thrive.

We genuinely believe this entry merits a Purpose Award because our Impact Programme demonstrates what happens when purpose is embedded into how a business operates, measures success, and shows up for its people and communities every day.

APS Group
Make More Possible

James Lawton-Hill
Laura Kay
Sarah Nelson

December19
Piqniq
APS Group
Salt
ROAST

Piqniq

It was the standout entry…

Campaign Summary

Cadbury has always been built on generosity. Over 100 years ago, it changed how people enjoyed chocolate by dividing bars into chunks to make sharing easier. In 2025, Cadbury brought that idea back in a modern way, reminding people that Dairy Milk has always been made to share.

A Dairy Milk bar contains 36 chunks, so instead of simply encouraging sharing, we showed this through the packaging itself. Limited edition packs were redesigned to divide the bars into different proportions, rewarding the most generous people in our lives with the biggest share. Each pack was inspired by everyday groups such as families, flatmates, colleagues, and house shares. The new packs offered a simple, playful way to recognise those little acts of everyday generosity.

The response to the launch was immediate. People shared photos of the bars across social media without any prompting, and some even created their own versions, showing how they would divide the chocolate amongst their own friends or family.

The campaign spread far beyond the UK, with designs shared across Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. It soon trended globally, supported by major news coverage. Other British brands, including Waitrose and F1 Silverstone, also joined in with their own playful interpretations.

At the time of writing, over 16.5 million bars have been sold, delivering an 11.5% increase in value sales. By reimagining a familiar product, Cadbury brought its spirit of generosity back into focus, showing that even a small extra piece of chocolate can be a meaningful way to say thank you.

VCCP
Made to Share – Cadbury

Cory Eisentraut
Robyn Bowman
Louise Ormerod
Robbie Palmer
Holly Reynolds
Becky Savoury
Callum Simpson
Isobel Dry
Lauren Ogilvie
Oliver Gibson

We Find Our Edge At The Edge Of What’s Possible – BBD Perfect Storm – Mishcon de Reya

Everyone Hates Contact Centres – Department of Creativity – Cirrus

Meantime – The London Bunk Holiday – The Ninety-Niners – Meantime

Made to Share – VCCP – Cadbury

It was a really strong entry..

Campaign Summary

In one of the most competitive and saturated summer beer markets in recent years, Peroni Nastro Azzurro set out to do more than simply participate – it aimed to stand out through a distinctive and premium-led promotion designed to bring the essence of Italian summer to life for UK and Republic of Ireland consumers. Anchored in a bold, premium on-pack transformation and activated across millions of packs and thousands of on-trade outlets, the promotion seamlessly connected on-trade and off-trade environments through a consistent and engaging consumer journey.

At the heart of the campaign was a series of five aspirational Italian travel experiences. Each month, consumers had the chance to win a luxury trip to a different iconic destination; ensuring the campaign remained fresh, dynamic and culturally relevant throughout the entire summer period. This staggered prize mechanic created sustained engagement and repeat participation, rather than a single promotional spike.

To broaden appeal and maximise perceived value, the campaign was supported by compelling secondary rewards. Through a strategic partnership with Secret Escapes, consumers received £50/€50 off hotel bookings, making the campaign instantly rewarding for a wide audience. Additionally, a partnership with premium luggage brand Antler introduced hundreds of high-quality travel accessories as prizes, reinforcing the campaign’s travel proposition and premium positioning.

The mechanic itself was simple yet highly engaging: consumers purchased a promotional pack or pint, scanned a QR code and played an interactive game where they dropped a pin on a map to land as close as possible to that month’s destination. This gamified experience combined accessibility with entertainment, encouraging repeat play and deeper brand interaction.

Savvy
Peroni

Catherine Shuttleworth
Vicky Wilkinson
Grace Christopher
Molly Doxey
Alex Dale
Grant Furniss

Meantime – The London Bunk Holiday – The Ninety-Niners – Meantime

Robinsons ‘Win Your Summer Wheels’ – Hey Human – Robinsons

Priority from O2: Blue Mondays – tms – O2

Catch-A-Matcha Tour for Costa Coffee – Circle Agency – Costa Coffee

Peroni Summer Campaign – Savvy Marketing – Peroni

Rustlers BNI On-pack & Experiential – Savvy Marketing – Rustlers

Robinsons ‘Win Your Summer Wheels’ – Hey Human – Robinsons

They stood out to us because of the proven impact that their initiatives had and also their incredible business results..

Pablo London
Harriett Knight & Hannah Penn

Alice Buttling – AJ – Attinger Jack

Alex Crawley – A*live

Clare Arndell – Join the Dots

Coraline Millena – Millena

Fiona Wylie – Brand Champions

Hannah Penn and Harriet Knight – Pablo London

Julia Linehan – The Digital Voice™

Pamela Uddin – re:act

Rachel Allison – Axe + Saw

Rachel Allison – Axe + Saw

We felt that this was the best example of 3 agencies collaborating together…

Flight Feather
Mr B and Friends & FutureKings

Alasdair Burns
Edd Bowsher
Liam McNamee
Rosie Pick
Marcus Blunt
Sarah Cramer
Sarah O’Connell
Nathan Crosby
Hannah Reed
Ben Mott

The agency and client linked arm in arm to deliver amazing results…

Bite IT Marketing
Fit For Success – Abnormal

With a £10k budget, delivered in four weeks, this campaign delivered huge behavioural change…

Teapot Creative
NHS Somerset – HPV (16–25 cohort)

They took a bold step…

The Heard
STRUT SAFE: STRUT STOP

Rachel deserved this for the way she has lead the agency…

Rachel Allison
Axe + Saw – MAD//Fest Female Leaders Club