Effie United States Sample Cases
Entrants are encouraged to review the below case studies from past Effie Awards United States winners.
Effie does not endorse a single formula for crafting an effective entry, as different situations call for different methods of storytelling, objectives, metrics, etc. Please thoroughly review the instructions within the entry form template and all entry resources when preparing your submission.
Please also note, as part of Effie’s publication policy, entrants have the opportunity to edit their submitted cases before publication. The case version (Original or Edited) is designated on Page 1 of each PDF.
2019 GOLD - United States - Home Furnishings & Appliances
Bound By Nothing
Once regarded as a super-premium appliance pioneer, JennAir found itself vulnerable and out of touch after decades of resting on its laurels. The brand had become synonymous with “entry-level luxury”. As the competition continued to win with their same stainless-steel suites and monotonous idea of luxury, JennAir needed to reboot. “Bound by Nothing” was designed to tear down this old idea of luxury. To bring progress to a stagnant category. This platform attracted renewed attention, desire, and demand from up-and-coming affluents and design professionals, for the first time in years.
Brand:
JennAir
Client:
JennAir
Agency:
Digitas
Judge Insights:
"A massive challenge. The case was built on a new ethos and even aimed to change the culture around appliances. Results are outstanding.”
2020 GOLD - United States - Commerce & Shopper: Seasonal/Event
Created by Craftswomen
During Women’s History Month, we saw an opportunity to fight false gender perceptions around dark spirits to better support our female audience. We brought stories of Diageo’s female blenders/distillers into the spotlight to show the world that whiskey doesn’t have a gender, while finally representing and acknowledging this growing female segment. A story of authenticity and progress was told – an anomaly in the adult beverage category. We surpassed business goals and accomplished many first-time retail wins, proving that people show up for the brands that show up for them.
Brand:
Diageo Dark Spirits Portfolio
Client:
Diageo North America
Agency:
Arc Worldwide
Judge Insights:
"Great spotting of a target opportunity - women - to then link with Women's History Month. Very insightful execution which balanced celebrating women with educating consumers. The social relevance is clear from the retailer reception and social media pick up."
2020 GOLD - United States - Sustained Success - Services
The University of Farmers
After years in a downward trajectory, Farmers Insurance set out with a new brand strategy to make people smarter about insurance. But, with abysmal brand linkage, a nasty misattribution problem with State Farm, and only 2-3% share of voice in a noisy category, they’d need to do more with far less. By creating the University of Farmers, Farmers believed that intelligence could deliver a new, differentiated message. After nine years of punching above their weight, the campaign continues to connect with an audience that values smarts as much as laughs.
Brand:
Farmers Insurance
Client:
Farmers Insurance
Agency:
RPA
Judge Insights:
"The University of Farmers concept is brilliant and great evolutionary steps with the campaign were taken."
2020 SILVER - United States - Marketing Disruptors
Hulu Sellouts
Sports fans want one thing: to watch their teams play live. But they’re afraid of losing their sports if they cancel cable. So, how did Hulu transform 70 years of watching sports on cable while disrupting the sports marketing status quo? We leaned into social media fandom and reinvented athlete endorsement by having our athletes transparently admit they were selling out to Hulu for the money. And it helped drive 3x our 2019 projected subscriber goals.
Brand:
Hulu
Client:
Hulu
Agency:
Big Family Table
Judge Insights:
"Being real about endorsements was definitely fun. The breadth of executions was great as well. A really fun idea!"
2020 BRONZE - United States - Positive Change - Environmental: Non-Profit
The Most Energy Efficient Campaign Ever
California had a dirty little secret. Despite being famous publicly for their eco-progressiveness, in private, individuals didn’t do enough to make a difference. While they were aware of energy actions they could take, many didn’t act. We needed to do more than talk the talk. We needed to show Californians that their little actions add up when taken together. This led to The Most Energy Efficient Campaign Ever: the first campaign where the ads themselves saved energy. In the end, millions of actions were taken and billions of kWh saved.
Brand:
Energy Upgrade California
Client:
California Public Utilities Commission
Agency:
DDB San Francisco
Judge Insights:
"The description of the climate change mission and objectives are clear and measurable. The creative execution is excellent - the stadium activation is a show-stopper."
2019 GOLD - United States - Media Idea
Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home
After years of tactical performance campaigns, Australia’s market share in the U.S. remained stagnant – even though outbound tourism was on the rise. So in 2018 Tourism Australia pivoted their approach, hijacking the Super Bowl with a powerful lead-generation campaign masquerading as the next big Hollywood blockbuster reboot. With a carefully constructed media roll-out to authentically sell the rouse, they helped cut-through the travel marketing ‘sea of sameness’ and build an enormous qualified audience pool – eventually powering a lead generation rate 4x greater than the country’s ever seen.
Brand:
Tourism Australia
Client:
Tourism Australia
Agency:
UM Australia
Judge Insights:
"“The media idea of turning a tourism campaign into a movie trailer is unique. I especially liked the cross-channel approach of TV to a mass audience and then retargeting precise users via digital. The combination of reach and then lead gen was a good way to drive goals.”
2020 GOLD - United States - Disease Awareness & Education: Charitable/Research Funding
Closing The CPR Gender-Gap with The WoManikin
When women suffer cardiac arrest, they are much less likely than men to receive effective CPR, and so much more likely to die. We identified gender-bias within CPR manikin design as a key contributing factor, and addressed it with The WoManikin, a universal, open-source attachment to give conventionally flat-chested CPR manikins breasts. We launched in National CPR Awareness week to give the issue of female CPR presence and drive awareness. The WoManikin drove huge media pick-up, is already adopted by 52 CPR training organizations, and is likely already saving lives.
Brand:
The WoManikin
Client:
Damn Joan
Agency:
Joan Creative
Judge Insights:
“The work itself was strong and powerful. It elicited a strong emotional reaction. Ultimately, the objective of changing the law was achieved.”
