2021 Effie UK Awards Expands Categories to Represent New Challenges Faced by Marketers

Entry for the 2021 Effie UK Awards, which recognise the most effective marketing campaigns of the past year, is now open, with the addition of new digital marketing categories, more industry sectors and a special prize for the best activity created in response to the momentous events of 2020.

The new digital categories are Performance Marketing, Community Management and Social Media, which is open to campaigns that begin with a social idea and use social channels (including influencers) as the primary touchpoint. Joining the line-up of industry sectors are Gaming & E-Sports, Delivery Services and Education & Training, reflecting the growing importance of these areas in our lives. 

Juliet Haygarth, Managing Director at Effie UK said: “The Effie Awards stay relevant by adapting to reflect the real brand challenges faced by marketers and the changing environment in which they operate. With so much digital transformation in the past 12 months, it made sense to take a fresh look at how we recognise these campaigns, always thinking about which measures really demonstrate effectiveness.”

The special award is called Rising to the Challenge of 2020, and is open to brands that created positive change in response to some of the seismic shifts we experienced in 2020, including the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, and of course, Covid-19. Entries can relate to specific campaigns, marketing programmes which diversified, or even entire business activities.

Karina Wilsher, Partner and Global CEO at Anomaly said: “Last year was tough, with a global pandemic as well as extraordinary political and social pressure, so we wanted to recognize the resilient marketers, agencies and the platforms they work with who stepped up. This new award champions those that effectively addressed societal and cultural change, celebrating work that benefits society with measurable results. “

Key dates in this year’s Effie Awards UK programme are:

● Competition opens: 10 March

● Entry workshops: 7 & 28 April

● First deadline: 7 May

● Speed mentoring: 20 May

● Final deadline 18 June

The winners are announced at a ceremony in London in October 2021. All Gold and Grand Effie winners will be eligible to go on to compete in the Global Best of the Best Effie Awards where they will be in with a chance of scooping the Iridium Effie – a new prize recognising the single most effective marketing effort worldwide.