Marketers Can Change the World: Effie Worldwide, in Collaboration with the World Economic Forum, Announce Inaugural Positive Change Effie Award Winners

European, North American Brands Awarded for Shifting Consumer Behavior Toward More Sustainable Choices

NEW YORK (June 4, 2015)— Intermarché and Chipotle Mexican Grill were the top winners of the inaugural Positive Change Effie Awards, presented at the Effie Awards Gala in New York.  The Positive Change Effie Award honors brands that shift consumer behavior towards environmentally sustainable choices.* The award is a collaboration between the World Economic Forum and Effie Worldwide.  In the inaugural year, there were two categories – Positive Change Europe and North America.

Out of the five Positive Change Effie Award winners, there were two Gold trophies awarded, one for the European Single Market category and one for North America:

•    Intermarché and Marcel won Gold for “Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables” in France, which positively repositioned imperfect fruits and vegetables to reduce food waste.

•    Chipotle Mexican Grill and CAA Marketing won Gold for “The Scarecrow” for the United States, which generated a conversation about the state of processed food and its effect on our world.

North American Positive Change Effie Award winners include:

•    Kimberly-Clark and TRISECT won a Bronze Positive Change Effie for Scott Naturals Tube-Free’s “Toss the Tube” launch, aiming to eliminate the substantial amount of toilet paper tubes that are thrown away each year.  

•    Greenpeace and The VIA Agency won a Bronze Positive Change Effie for “Clean Our Cloud,” a campaign that raised the issue of how the decisions we make as consumers are having a negative impact on the environment.

European Positive Change Effie winner:

•    Unilever UK and DLKWLOWE won a Bronze Positive Change Effie for “Small Cans, Big Impact” for Unilever Compressed Deodorants (Sure, Dove, Vaseline), which made the category more sustainable by developing compressed cans using 50% less propellant, 28% less aluminum packaging and resulting in a 25% lower carbon footprint per can, potentially saving 1,670 tons of carbon in its first year

Keith Weed, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Unilever, served as Global Chairman of this year’s Positive Change Effie program, selecting and leading juries of esteemed marketers from across North America and Europe.  Jury members included executives from The Coca-Cola Company, Edelman, JWT Canada, Mars, Nike, Ogilvy & Mather, Patagonia, R/GA and Seventh Generation.

“The power of brands to engage citizens to raise awareness and incite action for sustainability cannot be underestimated,” said Keith Weed, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Unilever, and Chairman of the Positive Change Effie Jury. “The Positive Change Effie award, with its focus on how brands can make a positive environmental difference, is therefore a critical recognition of the work that marketers are already doing in this space.”

“Recognizing the inaugural winners of the Positive Change Effie Award is a truly important milestone in our collaboration with Effie,” said Sarita Nayyar, Managing Director, World Economic Forum USA.  “This award was catalyzed by many of the World Economic Forum’s partner companies with the vision of motivating marketers to incorporate sustainability strategies in their brand messaging. It is inspiring to see that becoming a reality.”

“Effective marketers have the power to change the world and the Positive Change Effies are the call to action,” said Neal Davies, CEO and President of Effie Worldwide.  “The inaugural Positive Change Effie winners will serve as inspiration to shift behavior and create action towards sustainability.”

The full winner's list for the 2015 Positive Change Effie Awards, as well as a complete list of jurors, can be found here.

Entries into the 2015 Positive Change Effie competition needed to run in the marketplace between September 1, 2012 and October 31, 2014 in Europe or North America. 

About Effie Worldwide 
Effie Worldwide is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization championing the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness. Effie Worldwide spotlights marketing ideas that work and encourages thoughtful dialogue around the drivers of marketing effectiveness. The Effie network works with some of the top research and media organizations worldwide to bring its audience relevant insights into effective marketing strategy. The Effie Awards are known by advertisers and agencies globally as the pre‐eminent award in the industry, and recognize any and all forms of marketing communication that contribute to a brand's success. Since 1968, winning an Effie has become a global symbol of achievement. Today, Effie celebrates effectiveness worldwide with over 40 global, regional and national programs across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East/North Africa and North America. Effie initiatives include the Effie Effectiveness Index, ranking the most effective companies and brands globally and the Effie Case Database. For more details, visit www.effie.org. Follow @effieawards on Twitter for updates on Effie information, programs and news.

About The World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation in the spirit of global citizenship. It engages with business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is independent, impartial and not tied to any interests. It cooperates closely with all leading international organizations (www.weforum.org).

*Sustainability in the context of the Positive Change Effie Award is as defined by the Brundtland Commission: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). Our common future. Oxford University Press, 1987, p. 43.