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APG Creative Strategy Awards 2021
We are delighted to announce the winners for the 2021 APG Creative Strategy Awards in association with Google.
2021 has been a tough year in so many ways. But contrary to expectation, planners and strategists wrote as many case histories as before the pandemic. And maybe it was a function of being in planning crisis mode, but the quality and originality of the thinking was higher than ever.
As a result we shortlisted more cases than ever before, 34 in total, including a clutch of brilliant Long Term thinking cases. We’re proud to announce all the winners here. And all the winning cases are available for APG members to read on Think Tank today.
Stephen King Strategy Agency of the Year
The Stephen King Strategy Agency of the Year Award is given to the agency with the best overall performance, calculated from points for each award earned.
For 2021, the prize was awarded to:
adam&eveDDB
Gold
Childline
Under the skin – connecting Childline to a new generation
Planned by:
Kit Altin and Sam Dempsey
Agency:
The Gate London
Guinness
The Guinness for when you’re not drinking Guinness – how we rebranded tap water to tackle responsible drinking
Planned by:
Lisa Stoney, David Edwards, Craig Mawdsley and Alison Falconer
Agency:
AMV BBDO
Libresse/Bodyform
#wombstories
Planned by:
Margaux Revol and Bea Farmelo
Agency:
AMV BBDO
Starbucks
From a name on a cup to a powerful act of recognition – how Starbucks reignited itself as a symbol of progress
Planned by:
Raj Thambirajah and Eli Vasiliou
Agency:
Iris London
Formula E
Turning defence into attack – how Formula E built a new fanbase by embracing its biggest weakness
Planned by:
Peter Wilson and Matt Rebeiro
Agency:
Iris London
KFC UK & Ireland
The Godfather of Fried Chicken
Planned by:
Tatiana Jezierski, Neasa McGuinness, Jack Farrelly and Chris Gallery
Agency:
Mother London
McDonald’s Canada
Friends Wanted – the one where Ross and Rachel helped planning reimagine recruitment
Planned by:
Max Keane, Emily Lewis Keane and Cat Wiles
Agency:
Cossette
Silver
Beagle Street Life Insurance
Seeing the light because of the dark
Planned by:
Andrew Gibson
Agency:
Creature
eve Sleep
'Switch Off'
Planned by:
Andrew Gibson
Agency:
Creature
KFC Global
KFC: ‘It’s _______ _____ Good’
Planned by:
Tatiana Jezierski, Neasa McGuinness, Jack Farrelly, Pippa Morris and Chris Gallery
Agency:
Mother London
O2
The ultimate test of character – how strategy shaped a robot who could do it all
Planned by:
Gemma Smyth and Alex Scott-Malden
Agency:
VCCP London
Taylors Coffee
The power of obvious – Taylors Coffee Bags; why didn’t we think of them before?
Planned by:
Loz Horner
Agency:
Lucky Generals
Cadbury Twirl Orange
Don’t sell, pre-sell
Planned by:
Luke Alexander-Grose and Oliver Waterstone
Agency:
VCCP London
IAMS
IAMS NOSEiD – how planning can broaden its role to find new relevance
Planned by:
Kit Owens, Nick Hirst and Rafael Guper
Agency:
adam&eveDDB
Lurpak
When life gives you lemons, make lemon meringue pie – how Lurpak showed the world the power of good food
Planned by:
Rory Foster and Huw Devine
Agency:
Wieden+Kennedy London
Quorn
Rethinking planning for the coming storm – how planners can help the planet, one brand at a time
Planned by:
Siân Iles and Will Grundy
Agency:
adam&eveDDB
The British Army
How we helped the next generation find confidence that lasts in the British Army
Planned by:
Rhonwen Lally
Agency:
Karmarama, part of Accenture Interactive
Bronze
Castello
From good to grate – how we transformed a cheese brand by transforming how it talks about taste
Planned by:
Leoni Simon and Jack Farrelly
Agency:
Mother London
IKEA
Bursting the Christmas bauble (AKA the first Christmas campaign for IKEA)
Planned by:
Scarlett Spence and Imogen Carter
Agency:
Mother London
Lombard Odier
Ostriches and Eagles – creating new IP for a new age of investment
Planned by:
John Scott
Agency:
VMLY&R
The Central Office of Public Interest
addresspollution.org – hijacking private property for the public good
Planned by:
Talitha Turbin and Emma Stafford
Agency:
AMV BBDO
GambleAware
How we outed and paused mindless betting
Planned by:
Sophie Lean and Carole Raeber
Agency:
M&C Saatchi London
Lion Cereal – Cereal Partners Worldwide
Smells like teen spirit – how Lion Cereal turned teenage anger into brand affection
Planned by:
Danielle Bedin, Melanie Eckersley and Jack Farrelly
Agency:
Mother London
Paddy Power
Save Our Shirt – How Paddy Power saved fans’ football shirts from betting sponsors
Planned by:
Christine Asbury (VCCP Blue) and Henry Nash (Octagon)
Agency:
VCCP Blue
APG Long Term Thinking Category
This is for a campaign that has run for 5 years or more and is still running. It awards the strategic thinking that has successfully and actively guided the brand or business over that time.
in association with
Gold
John Lewis & Partners
A decade of learning lessons about planning
Planned by:
Martin Beverley, Will Grundy, Les Binet and Clare Peters
Agency:
adam&eveDDB
McDonald's
15 years of McPlanning – the Secret Sauce behind the rebuilding of the McDonald’s brand in Britain
Planned by:
Tom Sussman, Joe Beveridge, Josh Bullmore and Mike Treharne
Agency:
Leo Burnett London
Marmite
25 Years of Love, Hate and planning
Planned by:
Will Grundy and Martin Beverley
Agency:
adam&eveDDB
SickKids Foundation
SickKids vs conventional fundraising
Planned by:
Cat Wiles, Denika Angelone and Emily Lewis Keane
Agency:
Cossette
Silver
McDonald’s Canada
From American import to ‘As Canadian as possible under the circumstances’
Planned by:
Max Keane, Emily Lewis Keane and Cat Wiles
Agency:
Cossette
Warburtons
Family, flour, fame
Planned by:
Simon Butcher and Liz Baines
Agency:
Engine
Bronze
Audi
Four rings. Four decades. Four NOs – 40 years of Audi UK’s creative strategy
Planned by:
Emily Rule and Will Lion
Agency:
BBH London
When The Fun Stops, Stop
When The Fun Stops, Stop
Planned by:
Ollie Gilmore
Agency:
The Corner London
Baileys
From dusty liqueur to vibrant treat – how shifting categories transformed Baileys’ fortunes and guaranteed its future
Planned by:
Jack Carrington, Hannah Mackenzie and Katie Mackay-Sinclair
Agency:
Mother London
Special Prizes and Sponsors
Pinterest Prize for Inspired Creative Thinking
Bodyform/Libresse | Margaux Revol and Bea Farmelo | AMV BBDO
Denise Williams Prize for Best Performance in Front of the Judges
O2 | Alex Scott-Malden | VCCP London
Nursery Prize for Best Contribution to Brand Growth
Cadbury Dairy Milk | Sophie Kerbegian and Oliver Waterstone | VCCP London
Davies+McKerr Prize for Best Insight
McDonald’s Canada – Friends Wanted | Max Keane, Emily Lewis Keane and Cat Wiles | Cossette
Strategy Book Prize for Best Written Paper
Marmite | Will Grundy and Martin Beverley | adam&eveDDB
Prize for Best Strategic Response to the Challenge of Climate Change
Quorn | Siân Iles and Will Grundy | adam&eveDDB
Prize for Best Strategic Response to Covid-19
KFC Global | Tatiana Jezierski, Neasa McGuinness, Jack Farrelly, Pippa Morris & Chris Gallery | Mother London
Prize for Best Media Thinking
eve Sleep | Andrew Gibson | Creature
Prize for Best Example of Diversity & Inclusion
Starbucks | Raj Thambirajah and Eli Vasiliou | Iris London
Prize for Best Application of Broad Thinking
Formula E | Peter Wilson and Matt Rebeiro | Iris London
Photo Gallery
More about the APG Creative Strategy Awards 2021
What is Great Creative Strategy?
In an era when Ben Schott of Bloomberg bemoaned the ubiquity of identikit “blands” that were pervasive amongst new tech brands, and the global ad industry ended up making the same ad, frame by frame, in response to Covid-19, it’s never been more important to champion the very best in creative strategy.
Great creative strategy takes brands and businesses and organisations to the polar opposite of the aforementioned examples. Firstly it is truly original, which means that when the dominant convention is to stick closely to the familiar well-trodden path, creative strategy forges new ones. Secondly, it confers on its businesses, an unfair competitive advantage. A brand that is able, through its sheer strength of appeal and distinctiveness to charge a price premium, to gain audiences that others have spent decades struggling to attract, to have a path to sustainable, long-term growth.
Thirdly, it results in creative output that reminds us all, that whilst optimization and conversion are essential hygiene factors, the rich emotional power of original ideas, and the many wonderful forms that creativity can take today, is still unique in its power to transform.
