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Effie Worldwide has revealed the winners of its 2024 Global Best of the Best Awards, with Eos and New York-based Mischief @ No Fixed Address taking home the coveted Iridium Effie for the most effective marketing campaign in the world.
The Iridium-winning work, the "Evolution of smooth" brand campaign, redefined the shaving category by embracing honest, raw messaging around body hair for a new generation of young women.
It topped a field of 58 Global Grand Contenders, all of whom had already triumphed with Gold or Grand Effies in local or regional competitions during 2023. Effie entries represent a broad range of brands, from the world’s most famous to new challengers.
The Iridium jury, chaired by Andrea Diquez, global chief executive of GUT, praised the campaign for its cultural impact, standout creative and commercial effectiveness.
“In a world that can be very conservative, it was a pretty bold idea and a pretty bold marketing program,” she said. “It disrupted a category that had been very, very boring in the past and the results were spectacular.”
Iridium judge Tanja Grubner, global innovation, brand and communications director at Essity, pointed to the campaign’s “tremendous impact” on the business. “It was one of the most successful brands stretches from a lip balm brand into shaving. They enlarged the category, they grew share, they dominated conversations, and they changed how women have been talking and how brands have been advertising in that space,” she said. “We're applauding them because many, many other brands have followed suit by speaking with consumer language.”
Twelve campaigns won Global Grand Effies across 12 categories, with winners hailing from eight markets and a strong showing from North America and Latin America. They were selected by an international panel of senior marketers.
2024 Global Grand Effie winners:
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Audience: Intuit QuickBooks "Think Ote" by Alma DDB with Access Brand Communications, Collectively, Critical Mass and Initiative.
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Brand Content & Entertainment – Products: Skittles "Apologize the Rainbow" by DDB Chicago with Mediacom, Weber Shandwick US, The Mars Agency and Picrow.
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Brand Content & Entertainment – Services: Fundación Casa Ronald McDonald Ecuador "The journey" by Paradais DDB with La Canguilera Studio, Air Music Agency and Gran Idea.
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Consumer Goods & Telecom: WhatsApp "WhatsApp: the privacy gesture" by AlmapBBDO
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Digital: Cheez-It "Aged by audio" by Leo Burnett Chicago and Starcom with Pandora Media, Weber Shandwick US and Pilot44 Labs.
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Government, Institutional & Recruitment: Fire and Emergency New Zealand "You’re cooked" by Motion Sickness with MBM Wellington and Kantar Public.
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Marketing Innovation / Business Solutions: WeCapital "Data Tienda" by DDB Mexico.
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Retail: IKEA "Trapped in the 90s" by McCann Worldgroup Spain with iProspect.
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Sustained Success – Product: Hertog Jan "How Hertog Jan became the #1 beer brand in the Netherlands" by The Valley BV with Osborne Pike, Hagens, Dentsu Creative and Publicis Groupe NL.
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Sustained Success – Services: Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation and Hospitals United for Sick Kids "A new sause of revenue for children in hospital" by CHEP network.
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Timely Opportunity: Volkswagen Brazil "VW 70 years in Brazil" by AlmapBBDO.
- Youth: Eos "Evolution of smooth" by Mischief @ No Fixed Address.
Traci Alford, global chief executive of Effie Worldwide, said Eos and Mischief’s Iridium-winning campaign exemplifies what the awards were designed to celebrate.
“Mischief and Eos didn’t just challenge category conventions – they sparked cultural relevance, built deep emotional connection and drove exceptional results.”
Winning the Iridium Effie is “an extraordinary achievement,” she said. “It represents the best of the best in marketing effectiveness on a global stage. We are proud to honor work that is both brave and brilliantly effective.”
The Global Best of the Best Effies are supported by Effie’s international partner network, operating across 130 markets, with this year’s awards backed by TikTok and ipsos.
The full list of winners can be downloaded, here and the list of 2024 Global Grand Contenders is available here. Case studies can be accessed via the Effie Case Library.
And look out for analysis and learnings from the Iridium and other winning campaigns in Campaign in the coming weeks.
The Work: 2024 Global Grand Effie Winners
Audience
"Think Ote"
Agency | Alma DDB
Client | Intuit QuickBooks
Brand | QuickBooks
Contributing companies | Access Brand Communications, Collectively, Critical Mass, Initiative
Market | United States
Hispanic small business owners have long underplayed their growth potential. QuickBooks’ campaign reframed the mindset by targeting businesses with diminutive names – “mercaditos”, “cafecitos” – to show that sounding small doesn’t mean thinking small. The result: a near doubling in Latino adoption of QuickBooks.
Brand Content & Entertainment – Products
"Apologize the Rainbow"
Agency | DDB Chicago
Client | Mars Wrigley North America
Brand | Skittles
Contributing companies | Mediacom Group, Weber Shandwick, The Mars Agency, Picrow
Market | United States
Skittles reignited passion for its core product by publicly apologizing for a past flavor switch that fans never forgave — the removal of lime. The theatrical apology brought back lime and helped drive a significant sales lift, reaching the brand’s highest-ever core sales.
Brand Content & Entertainment – Services
"The journey"
Agency | Paradais DDB
Client | Fundación Casa Ronald McDonald Ecuador
Brand | Ronald McDonald House Charities Foundation Ecuador
Contributing companies | La Canguilera Studio, Air Music Agency, Gran Idea
Market | Ecuador
A powerful short film brought attention to the true barrier to childhood cancer survival in Ecuador: distance and poverty. The campaign raised $180,000 in two months – more than had been raised in the previous four years – and reframed how the country views access to care.
Consumer Goods & Telecom
"WhatsApp: the privacy gesture"
Agency | AlmapBBDO
Client | Meta
Brand | WhatsApp
Market | Brazil
After a controversial privacy update, WhatsApp rebuilt trust by entering Brazilian culture through the language of football. Sponsoring a ubiquitous on-pitch gesture helped translate complex encryption into human benefit — reinforcing leadership, use and user confidence.
Digital
"Aged by audio"
Agencies | Leo Burnett Chicago + Starcom Media
Client | Kellanova
Brand | Cheez-It
Contributing companies | Pandora Media, Weber Shandwick, Pilot44 Labs
Market | United States
Cheez-It sonically aged its crackers to hip-hop for six months — then launched them not as snacks but as music drops. This unlikely blend of food science and streaming culture sold out in 12 days, tripled web traffic and quadrupled engagement with its “real cheese” message.
Government, Institutional & Recruitment
"You’re cooked"
Agency | Motion Sickness
Client/Brand | Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Contributing companies | MBM Wellington, Verian Group (formerly Kantar Public)
Market | New Zealand
To reach disengaged audiences, Fire and Emergency New Zealand embraced a surprising truth: many house fires start with drunk cooking. “You’re Cooked” broke taboos and delivered tangible change in behavior — reducing fire risks and saving lives.
Marketing Innovation / Business Solutions
"Data Tienda"
Agency | DDB Mexico S.A. DE C.V.
Client/Brand | WeCapital
Market | Mexico
With no formal credit scores, many low-income Mexican women were denied access to banking. WeCapital digitized the analogue lending records from corner shops to build real credit profiles. The result: 10,300 scores created, 2,300 loans granted, and a 150% jump in applications.
Retail
"Trapped in the 90s"
Agency | McCann Worldgroup Spain
Client/Brand | IKEA
Contributing company | iProspect
Market | Spain
To celebrate 25 years in Spain, IKEA took Gen Z customers on a reality-TV journey back to the 1990s — reminding them how far home life (and furniture) has come. The nostalgic twist spotlighted innovation and renewed appreciation for a familiar brand.
Sustained Success – Products
"How Hertog Jan became the #1 beer brand in the Netherlands"
Agency | The Valley BV
Client | AB InBev
Brand | Hertog Jan
Contributing companies | Osborne Pike, Hagens PR, Dentsu Creative, Publicis Groupe BENELUX / Amsterdam
Market | Netherlands
By consistently investing in specialty beers and credible storytelling, Hertog Jan gradually nudged past Heineken to become the Netherlands’ top beer brand. The strategy appealed to both enthusiasts and mainstream drinkers, turning the country gold.
Sustained Success – Services
"A new sause of revenue for children in hospital"
Agency | CHEP Network
Client/Brand | Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation
Market | Australia
When donations slowed, SCHF launched a new revenue stream with “Mum’s Sause” — a supermarket pasta sauce created to fight children’s homesickness. Four years on, the campaign still generates more than $1m a year with no further investment.
Timely Opportunity
"VW 70 years in Brazil"
Agency | AlmapBBDO
Client/Brand | Volkswagen
Market | Brazil
To mark its 70th anniversary in Brazil, Volkswagen reunited musical legend Elis Regina and her daughter Maria Rita using AI — launching the electric Kombi in an emotionally resonant tribute. It became the brand’s most engaging organic content ever.
Youth
"Evolution of smooth"
Agency | Mischief @ No Fixed Address
Client | Eos Products
Brand | Eos
Market | United States
Eos disrupted the dated, dainty world of women’s shaving by getting real — talking hair, bodies and bathroom routines with frankness, humor and honesty. The campaign sparked a cultural moment and helped expand the brand far beyond lip balm.
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