Effie Worldwide and the World Economic Forum are pleased to announce the addition of an Asia Pacific (APAC) category to the 2016 Positive Change Effie Awards competition.
The Positive Change Effie Awards recognises and celebrates the most effective marketing programs that have measurably shifted audience behaviour toward more environmentally sustainable choices, and/or grown demand for more sustainable products and services by incorporating sustainability as a part of their marketing communications.
The APAC category will be run by Effie Worldwide’s regional partners, the Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations (C4As) and Tenasia Group. The C4As and Tenasia Group currently run the highly-regarded APAC Effie Awards, and will add the Positive Change award to their roster this year.
Neal Davies, Effie Worldwide’s President & CEO noted, “There is nothing we do that is as important as the Positive Change Effies. This specific competition exists to set a standard of expectation on our industry to step up and meet the challenges we face on a global level. The fact is that, when it comes to environmental sustainability, the majority of investment is on the supply side. The Positive Change Effies exist to encourage the industry to address the demand side of the equation to the benefit of brands and the environment.”
Davies added, “This is a global conversation and we are very pleased that, with the ongoing support of the C4As, Tenasia Group and the World Economic Forum, we are able to launch the APAC Positive Change Effie category this year.”
Sarita Nayyar, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum USA noted, “In the inaugural year of the Positive Change Effie award we have seen the potential for impact by companies on changing consumer behaviour, through sustainability-focused marketing programs. For the second year of this award, the World Economic Forum’s collaboration with Effie will engage more businesses by launching the award in Asia Pacific. This would bring tremendous value to a key emerging consumer market.”
To launch the 2016 competition, the Effies teamed up with the Miami Ad School and have been working with a dedicated and talented team of students to create the 2016 Call for Entries marketing campaign.
Miami Ad School donated the talents of their Account Planning Bootcamp to pitch creative concepts to representatives of Effie Worldwide over the summer at its New York City campus. Through a series of hand drawn sketches and a clever play on words that draws connections between our business and natural worlds, the winning team’s concept shows that those who win a Positive Change Effie Award for their effective marketing communications efforts are also driving a measurable, positive change for our planet. The students’ work will run as a digital campaign across eligible regions to promote the 2016 competition. The Miami Ad School team includes: Christian Gilbertsen and Eli Libman (Account Planners); Mikaela Larsson and Leonardo Matarazzo (Art Directors); Nicholas Howe and Allison Reuben (Copywriters).
The idea for Positive Change Effie emerged from the Engaging Tomorrow’s Consumer project at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos in 2013. The competition launched last year in North America and Europe, awarding trophies to Chipotle Mexican Grill & CAA Marketing, Intermarché & Marcel, Greenpeace & The VIA Agency, Unilever & DLKWLOWE, and Kimberly-Clark & TRISECT, following a rigorous two rounds of judging.
All Positive Change Effie finalists and winners will receive points in the Effie Effectiveness Index – the most comprehensive global ranking of marketing effectiveness, based on analysis of data from all Effie Awards competitions worldwide.
Efforts that ran in Asia Pacific, Europe or North America between August 1, 2014 and October 31, 2015 are eligible to enter the 2016 competition. Entry deadlines run from December 15, 2015 – January 28, 2016. Visit effie.org/positive-change for full details.