The 2024 Effie Awards South Africa Gala, held on the 24th of October at The Tryst in Woodmead, Johannesburg, celebrated outstanding marketing effectiveness. Agencies, brands, and their clients were recognised for campaigns that delivered measurable impact. Hosted by celebrated South African comedian and television personality Mpho Popps, the evening was a celebration of creativity, strategic excellence, and the results that truly matter in an increasingly fragmented marketing landscape.
Addressing Guests, Gillian Rightford, Executive Director at the ACA
A key highlight of the evening was the announcement of the prestigious Grand Effie – the top award recognising the most effective campaign of the year. The Effie Grand Jury adjudicated Halo and Pineapple’s “100% Pure Results: How Challenger Brand Pineapple Disrupted the Insurance Industry” campaign to be the most effective campaign of 2024, highlighting the campaign’s remarkable business impact.
Grand Effie Winner: Halo, for Pineapple, in the Challenger Brand Solution / Commerce & Shopper Effies
Effectiveness: The New Gold Standard
In today’s marketing landscape, effectiveness is the ultimate measure of success. Campaigns that win Effie Awards demonstrate that they’ve delivered real, tangible results—whether through increased sales, brand growth, consumer engagement, or shifts in market share. Winning an Effie is about more than just creative execution; it is about campaigns that make a measurable difference in business performance.
Effectiveness is no longer a nice-to-have—it is the future of our industry. The campaigns celebrated tonight have not only demonstrated creativity but also proven their impact on the bottom line. Winning an Effie is a mark of true success, recognising that these campaigns achieved what they set out to do: drive results that matter. Congratulations to all our winners, whose work inspires the industry to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Effectiveness is the currency for success.”–Gillian Rightford, Executive Director at the ACA
Amed Tilly , Jury Co-Chair, challenged clients to be brave, bold and supportive of their agencies. Agencies have the ability to deliver outstanding, creatively effective work, but it’s the clients that are the ultimate gatekeepers for great work.
IMAGE: Amed Tilly, Co-Chair of Judge Jury
Creativity is the answer to business challenges. The 2024 Effie award winners created campaigns that were surprising, evocative, contagious, and smart, yet simple. Most importantly, all the winners produced incredible results because they ventured outside the comfort zone. Creativity works better—it’s an indisputable fact. Kudos to the clients who made this work happen.”-Amed Tilly
Refilwe Maluleke, Jury Co-Chair, noted the unique value of the Effie Awards:
“The Effies exist to highlight and celebrate work that not only delivers creatively, but demonstrably drives success in whatever way your organization measures it. This year’s entries have shown incredible creativity and impressive business results. The strongest case studies not only showcased great work but also demonstrated what they had to overcome to achieve their results. It was a privilege to engage with such an excellent set of cases.”– Refilwe Maluleke
Here’s a list of all the winner’s that took away awards on the night:
Grand Effie Awards
-Grand Effie Winner: Halo, for Pineapple, in the Challenger Brand Solution / Commerce & Shopper Effies [100% Pure Results: How Challenger Brand Pineapple Disrupted the Insurance Industry]
Gold Effie Awards
-Winner: Halo, for Capital Legacy, in the Finance Category [Where There’s A Will, There’s Results: How Changing How We Spoke About Death Helped Capital Legacy Draft More Wills Than Ever Before]
-Winner: Ogilvy, SAB (AB InBev), in the Social Good – Brands / Positive Change Category [Bread of the Nation]
-Winners: Ogilvy, SAB (AB InBev), Carling Black Label, in the Experiential Marketing: Live & Digital Category [Carling Cup 2023 – Fak’UGesi (Bring The Energy)]
Silver Effie Awards
-Winner: Retroviral, SAB (AB InBev), Castle Lager, Beverages – Alcohol Category [The GranBoks]
-Silver Winner: Ogilvy, SAB (AB InBev), Castle Lager, Beverages – Alcohol Category [Bread of the Nation]
-Silver Winner: Ogilvy, KFC South Africa, Marketing Disruptors Category [How KFC disrupted the breakfast category and changed it forever!]
-Silver Winner: Ogilvy, KFC South Africa, Restaurants Category [How KFC took on the breakfast category, changed its fortune and the category forever!]
-Silver Winner: Joe Public, SAB (AB InBev), Brutal Fruit Spritzer, Experiential Marketing: Live & Digital Category [SheBeen: South Africa’s First-Ever Women-Only Bar]
-Silver Winner: Joe Public, SAB (AB InBev), Brutal Fruit Spritzer, Timely Opportunity Category [SheBeen: South Africa’s First-Ever Women-Only Bar]
Bronze Effie Awards
-Bronze Winner: 99cents, Shoprite Group of Companies, Checkers, Retail Category [Checkers Xtra Savings Plus – Mission Impossible Made Possible]
-Bronze Winner: Ogilvy, PEP, Timely Opportunity Category [PEP Changing Station]
-Bronze Winner: Ogilvy, KFC South Africa, Social Media Category [Made in Culture: How KFC debuted the Uncle Waffles burger]
-Bronze Winner: Ogilvy, Mondelez International SA, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Engaged Community Category [When Mzansi’s Generosity was lost, Cadbury put generosity back on the Map for Every South African]
-Bronze Winner: Ogilvy, KFC South Africa, KFC, Influencer Marketing Category [When two icons meet: KFC x Uncle Waffles presents a burger made in culture]
-Bronze Winner: Joe Public, SAB (AB InBev), Brutal Fruit Spritzer, Seasonal Marketing – Products, Services Category [SheBeen: South Africa’s First-Ever Women-Only Bar]
-Bronze Winner: Joe Public, SAB (AB InBev), Brutal Fruit Spritzer, Social Good – Brands / Positive Change Category [SheBeen: South Africa’s First-Ever Women-Only Bar]
-Bronze Winner: Joe Public, Chicken Licken, Restaurants Category [Chicken Licken Easy Bucks®️]
-Bronze Winner: Ogilvy, SAB (AB InBev), Castle Lager, Marketing Innovation Solutions Category [Bread of the Nation]
Sharleen James, ACA Chairperson, expressed her gratitude:
A huge thank you to the Effie South Africa committee for their tireless work in making this year’s awards a success. The Effie Awards are an essential platform for recognising the power of marketing effectiveness and its contribution to business growth. As the ACA, we are proud to support this programme, which showcases the best of our industry’s creativity and strategic thinking, elevating South Africa’s marketing and advertising standards on a global scale.”
Looking Ahead: Co-Chairs for 2025
During the gala, it was confirmed that the 2024 Jury Co-Chairs, Refilwe Maluleke, Executive Head of Marketing at Discovery Health, and Ahmed Tilly, Creative Advisor at Number 10 – A Creative Consultancy, have agreed to continue in their roles as Co-Chairs for the 2025 Effie Awards programme. Their leadership has been instrumental in guiding the judging process, ensuring the highest standards of adjudication.
The Effie Awards South Africa is hosted by the ACA and proudly sponsored by Nedbank, PepsiCo, SAB, SABC, Unilever, GIB Insurance, and Investec.
For more information, visit the Effie South Africa website at www.effieawards.co.za or www.acasa.co.za.
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