2023 Winners

Every day, we’re bombarded with drastic actions needed to meet our climate targets, but these tactics can leave people feeling scared or overwhelmed. So, we created I Came By Train, a more manageable way to make an impact. If we all switched just one car or plane journey to a train journey, every year, we could collectively save millions of tonnes of CO2. To launch I Came By Train in a way that reflected this one easy change, we created an RnB love letter to mother nature called Better Days; an original track and music video starring the smooth, silky sounds of 90s legend, Craig David.

The judges said: "A solid strategy based on human truth: purpose-driven and with a point of view. The creative is emotive and relatable."

There are endless websites, books, reviews, videos about good pubs, and there are thousands of sites about the most eco-friendly products, companies, holidays...

But what there isn’t, is an easy to use, simple place to find the good, environmentally conscious pubs near you. It’s just not something we think about, and there was no way of finding one even if we did! So, inspired by the Good Pub Guide, we created The Green Pub Guide—a modern-day version, celebrating venues that, like HEINEKEN SmartDipsense, are striving to reduce their carbon footprint, minimise waste and be kinder to the planet.

The judges said: "This campaign took an established pub activity and reimagined it for a more mindful audience."

This campaign shows the power of creativity to stand up for mental health and the future of young girls and women in record speed. By enlisting partner influencers to inspire a grassroots movement of influencers and average TikTok users, we helped Dove take a bold stand against harmful social media beauty trends. And now, one of the largest influencer talent agencies in the world, Gleam, publicly joined Dove in condemning TikTok’s Bold Glamour filter. It has even updated its own agency influencer editing policies to create a safer, more ‘beautiful’ world.

The judges said: "This was a stunning and simple creative idea that was totally on brand and came from a deep understanding of the audience."

ASICS is a champion of mental wellness through movement. But in 2022, exercise was becoming overly focused on getting the perfect body. The ‘before and after’ exercise transformation photos we see across social media and adverts are a symptom of this. While they’re meant to send a positive message, ASICS' research showed that they were alienating people from exercise and damaging mental health. So ASICS stood against this issue. Working with influencers and celebrities to share ‘before and after photos’ that celebrated the mental – not physical – #DramaticTransformation from a small amount of exercise. From social media and gyms to lifestyle media and primetime news, the integrated campaign created huge conversation, changing attitudes and delivered commercial effectiveness for ASICS across a range of metrics.

The judges said: "What an amazing campaign, with a clear insight and a brilliant creative idea that everyone could relate to."

We needed to make suicide and suicide prevention a national conversation again. We created an exhibition on London’s South Bank of 50 smiling faces which, initially, had no reference to CALM. On launch day we revealed – live on This Morning – that each was the last photo of someone who later took their own lives. There were over 800 pieces of coverage delivering over 1 billion Opportunities to See through editorial coverage alone. The activity reached over 90% of the UK population and 60% of people asked understood the message to be that “the signs of suicide aren’t always obvious”.

The judges said: "A truly excellent campaign with clear strategic approach and powerful creative that had genuine impact."

2022 marked the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ debut single Love Me Do. It was written at 20 Forthlin Road, a terraced council house where the world changed forever. The National Trust, which now cares for Forthlin, wants its story to inspire new creativity. So, we took Love Me Do back to where it was born, with a front-room concert featuring rising, working-class acts who covered the song and recorded their own music. Over 12,000 people tuned- in, heartland audiences applauded an idea that “made the place come alive” and awareness the Trust cares for working-class history increased 85%.

The judges said: "Strong campaign that demonstrates a very different side to the National Trust."

The campaign delivered significant earned and social media exposure for Starling in one of its broadest reaching PR campaigns ever. While the campaign played a small part in building positive PR for women’s football, there’s no doubt the gap between men's and women’s football is narrowing. The campaign is a strong example of how corporate sponsors can play their part in helping a cause—in this case boosting the popularity of the women’s game and increasing engagement, whilst seeing significant brand benefits too.

The judges said: "Great strategy and genuinely ground breaking, yet simple, creativity—the best kind. Great performance statistics as well."

Dove has a long history of empowering women to embrace their natural beauty and, in doing so, prioritise the self-esteem that comes from loving yourself, just as you are. But how can you love yourself as you are when individuals, schools, public institutions and places of work are still able to openly and legally discriminate against you because of how you choose to wear your hair? In fact, Dove research has found that Black children experience race-based hair discrimination from as early as five years old. Those with afro or textured hair can too often attract unwanted touch, unwelcome remarks, and suffer from fetishisation and microagressions, all the way through to outright racist school and company policies. Dove is therefore on a mission to end race-based hair discrimination and enable women everywhere to embrace their natural beauty. Our brief: shine a light on this little understood, rarely written about problem, and campaign for its long overdue end.

The judges said: "This campaign has tapped into a small but mighty insight that I hadn’t heard being talked about before in the media. Love the simplicity and beauty of this work and changing the law is monumental."

Creating roomsets in IKEA stores that depicted the real living conditions of those in temporary accommodation had a profound impact. There were 324 pieces of editorial coverage, the IKEA policy pages set up for the campaign received 11,300 visitors and there were over 3.5m impressions and over 32,000 engagements on LinkedIn alone. Post-campaign research found perceptions that IKEA is “committed to doing good” rose 20% and the proportion of people feeling IKEA is “a values-led business” increased 12%.

The judges said: "Brilliant, unexpected partnership which worked for both brands."

A picture is worth a thousand words, so picture this: John Constable’s famous painting of a wooden cart in Suffolk modified to show a barren, scorched earth landscape; Sir John Everett Millais' depiction of Ophelia floating down a river now filled with rubbish, sewage and plastic bags; or L.S. Lowry’s iconic ‘Coming Home from the Mill’ reconfigured to show a single worker returning home… ok you probably get the idea. By digitally reworking iconic artworks to depict societal problems in 2022, we inspired a Gen Z audience to take action and enter Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow competition—a global initiative that challenges people to come up with technology-based solutions to pressing social and environmental issues. 

The judges said: "Striking and effective campaign. Immediate cut through by adapting such classics with modern-day socio-economic issues."

Taylor Herring helped easyJet holidays launch a 28-day ‘Escape the UK’ package, that was cheaper than the cost of living at home. Its rigorously stat-checked campaign saw the creation of a genuine holiday package which sold out within 48 hours. It delivered widespread coverage, a much-needed talking point that wasn’t all doom and gloom, and an uplift to its client’s commercial website visits.

The judges said: "This campaign was particularly impressive because it captured the mood of the nation in a playful yet sensitive way."

Wiggle is an online retailer for anyone who loves the great outdoors: runners, cyclists, swimmers, triathletes (obviously) and even hikers. They aren’t JD Sports or Sports Direct. They aren’t even owned by Mike Ashley. In fact, they started out in 1995 as a little shop in Portsmouth and they’ve just steadily grown and grown to become a highly specialised £400m business. Wiggle is for people in the know. Those who might be *slightly* geeky about their fitness pastime (translation: talk about literally nothing else). But what Wiggle is definitely not is a closed shop exclusively for ultra marathon runners. It’s a brand that recognises everyone is unique, everyone is exercising with different objectives, and that everyone deserves to be able to achieve their fitness goals. Our ongoing retained brief: celebrate the athlete in everyone and help them get their Wiggle on, whatever their ability. 

The judges said: "This campaign was brilliantly executed and delivered against a backdrop of hate. Inclusive, supportive and considered creative."

With thousands of Ukrainian children arriving in the UK, they were faced with unfamiliar surroundings. We brought some of Ukraine’s favourite animation characters into CBeebies popular pre-school animation Hey Duggee to help make the young arrivals feel as welcome as possible. An original song called Hey Duggee: The Welcome Badge, hosts a two-way language lesson, which encourages friendship and acceptance across different cultures in a very catchy song. It has been viewed millions of times across multiple platforms, including: CBeebies, BBC iPlayer, Hey Duggee social channels and earned media.

The judges said: "Love it. Warm, welcoming, relevant and genuinely useful!"

2022 marked the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ debut single Love Me Do. It was written at 20 Forthlin Road, a terraced council house where the world changed forever. The National Trust, which now cares for Forthlin, wants its story to inspire new creativity. So, we took Love Me Do back to where it was born, with a front-room concert featuring rising, working-class acts who covered the song and recorded their own music. Over 12,000 people tuned- in, heartland audiences applauded an idea that “made the place come alive” and awareness the Trust cares for working-class history increased 85%.

The judges said: "Strong campaign that demonstrates a very different side to the National Trust."

Ask AI to portray ‘healthy exercise’ and you get images of people with minimal body fat, chiselled jaws, and muscles – some even with 12-pack abs. Unrealistic standards that AI has learnt from us. To combat this, ASICS partnered with AI expert, Omar Karim, to create the first AI training program, creating bespoke code and AI prompts to educate AI systems on the true power of exercise. The campaign generated over 200 pieces of coverage, from Sky News business and Richard Ayoade’s discussion on “Have I Got News For You,” creating a national discussion on what healthy exercise really looks like.

The judges said: "Fantastic use of new AI technology to highlight issues within the fitness industry. Striking imagery which really grabs your attention!"

The crashing of waves on a Cornish beach, the sound of bees buzzing around a Suffolk country garden, hedgehogs snuffling in a Midlands hedgerow... In a bid to help the nation rest easy and consider Premier Inn for their next countryside break, we launched the world’s first ‘country’ music radio station. Quite literally capturing the soothing sounds of the British countryside 24-hours a day. Hosted by ex-JLS musician turned farmer, JB Gill, the campaign smashed coverage and thousands tuned-in to chill out with the UK's most restful countryside classics, all contributing to a 24% increase in bookings year on year.

The judges said: "Great campaign and it is clear how the objectives led to strategy, the creative and fantastic results."

Dove has a long history of empowering women to embrace their natural beauty and, in doing so, prioritise the self-esteem that comes from loving yourself, just as you are. But how can you love yourself as you are when individuals, schools, public institutions and places of work are still able to openly and legally discriminate against you because of how you choose to wear your hair? In fact, Dove research has found that Black children experience race-based hair discrimination from as early as five years old. Those with afro or textured hair can too often attract unwanted touch, unwelcome remarks, and suffer from fetishisation and microagressions, all the way through to outright racist school and company policies. Dove is therefore on a mission to end race-based hair discrimination and enable women everywhere to embrace their natural beauty. Our brief: shine a light on this little understood, rarely written about problem, and campaign for its long overdue end.

The judges said: "Fantastic campaign reminiscent of those changing Dove campaigns from the early days, and what incredible results."

The Women’s Aid insight that instances of violence in existing domestic abuse relationships rise during major sporting events is not new. It’s a story that’s been heard before and one that’s been told before - through numerous successful and impactful campaigns. But that doesn’t mean it’s a story we should stop telling. If anything, it’s crucial that Women’s Aid only continues to build on the momentum around this narrative, and use innovative means to propel it further, and into new territories.

The creative execution ensured a known narrative was expressed in a new way. The media relations operation expertly repurposed data, successfully challenging media to revisit a topic they had ‘covered before’. The integrated channel strategy ensured that this wasn’t just a campaign that was seen but optimised to encourage action and support. Old insight; same ambitions, but new creative, integration and approach ensured new heights were reached.

The judges said: "A really jarring and meaningful campaign."

Dove has a long history of empowering women to embrace their natural beauty and, in doing so, prioritise the self-esteem that comes from loving yourself, just as you are. But how can you love yourself as you are when individuals, schools, public institutions and places of work are still able to openly and legally discriminate against you because of how you choose to wear your hair? In fact, Dove research has found that Black children experience race-based hair discrimination from as early as five years old. Those with afro or textured hair can too often attract unwanted touch, unwelcome remarks, and suffer from fetishisation and microagressions, all the way through to outright racist school and company policies. Dove is therefore on a mission to end race-based hair discrimination and enable women everywhere to embrace their natural beauty. Our brief: shine a light on this little understood, rarely written about problem, and campaign for its long overdue end.

The judges said: "Big results in terms of a real change in Government policy. Excellent work."

Sam Teale Productions is an award winning video production company based in West Yorkshire. We strive to create magical video content. Since the inception of the company, we have created a yearly Christmas advert; we create a film based in our local area which includes an important topic. In December 2022, we created our latest Christmas advert called “The Go Kart”. The film follows a father and son navigating the cost of living crisis. The film was seen by over 40 million people across 120 countries. It was featured in multiple media outlets and was named 'better than John Lewis.'

The judges said: "This ad stands out against all the overly commercialised Christmas ads, which can make people feel inadequate."

The Women’s Aid insight that instances of violence in existing domestic abuse relationships rise during major sporting events is not new. It’s a story that’s been heard before and one that’s been told before - through numerous successful and impactful campaigns. But that doesn’t mean it’s a story we should stop telling. If anything, it’s crucial that Women’s Aid only continues to build on the momentum around this narrative, and use innovative means to propel it further, and into new territories.

The creative execution ensured a known narrative was expressed in a new way. The media relations operation expertly repurposed data, successfully challenging media to revisit a topic they had ‘covered before’. The integrated channel strategy ensured that this wasn’t just a campaign that was seen but optimised to encourage action and support. Old insight; same ambitions, but new creative, integration and approach ensured new heights were reached.

The judges said: "So simple. So powerful. It uncovered a truth no one was thinking about during World Cup season."

We needed to make suicide and suicide prevention a national conversation again. We created an exhibition on London’s South Bank of 50 smiling faces which, initially, had no reference to CALM. On launch day we revealed – live on This Morning – that each was the last photo of someone who later took their own lives. There were over 800 pieces of coverage delivering over 1 billion Opportunities to See through editorial coverage alone. The activity reached over 90% of the UK population and 60% of people asked understood the message to be that “The signs of suicide aren’t always obvious”.

The judges said: "Really powerful and tastefully done. Shows what great strategy and creative can do to move people and become part of the cultural conversation."

We needed to make suicide and suicide prevention a national conversation again. We created an exhibition on London’s South Bank of 50 smiling faces which, initially, had no reference to CALM. On launch day we revealed – live on This Morning – that each was the last photo of someone who later took their own lives. There were over 800 pieces of coverage delivering over 1 billion Opportunities to See through editorial coverage alone. The activity reached over 90% of the UK population and 60% of people asked understood the message to be that “The signs of suicide aren’t always obvious”.

The judges said: "Fantastic piece of work - insightful, moving, human... Very smartly executed to move the national conversation around suicide forward."

Creating roomsets in IKEA stores that depicted the real living conditions of those in temporary accommodation had a profound impact. There were 324 pieces of editorial coverage, the IKEA policy pages set up for the campaign received 11,300 visitors and there were over 3.5m impressions and over 32,000 engagements on LinkedIn alone. Post-campaign research found perceptions that IKEA is “committed to doing good” rose 20% and the proportion of people feeling IKEA is “a values-led business” increased 12%.

The judges said: "A powerful campaign with enviable PR results, but crucially - fantastic objective orientated results."

#Merky FC: a partnership between adidas and Stormzy’s #Merky Foundation will see real change in representation off the pitch in the football industry. The campaign achieved over 200 pieces of editorial coverage, including 30 pieces across national broadcast, print and online titles. As a result, there were over 35,000 visits to the #Merky FC website in the first week of the campaign. There have been over 2,000 applications for the roles. Almost half (46%) of the campaign’s Black and mixed heritage audiences were aware of the launch.

The judges said: "The best choice of influencer to deliver against objectives."

Paddy Power tasked us with making a PR splash in the run up to first-ever ‘Christmas World Cup’. The seasonal context of the event was unusual, so we landed on the idea of releasing a Christmas album – a crossover between caroling and terrace chants. Then the client set us the ludicrous challenge of trying to land a Top 10 album. Enter former England striker Peter Crouch and opera star Paul Potts. The unlikely duo, flanked by a full 40-piece orchestra and choir, would join forces to create a classical album like no other.

The judges said: "Incredibly clever and expertly executed."

Wiggle is an online retailer for anyone who loves the great outdoors: runners, cyclists, swimmers, triathletes (obviously) and even hikers. They aren’t JD Sports or Sports Direct. They aren’t even owned by Mike Ashley. In fact, they started out in 1995 as a little shop in Portsmouth and they’ve just steadily grown and grown to become a highly specialised £400m business. Wiggle is for people in the know. Those that might be *slightly* geeky about their fitness pastime (translation: talk about literally nothing else). But what Wiggle is definitely not is a closed shop exclusively for ultra marathon runners. It’s a brand that recognises everyone is unique, everyone is exercising with different objectives, and that everyone deserves to be able to achieve their fitness goals. Our ongoing retained brief: celebrate the athlete in everyone and help them get their Wiggle on, whatever their ability.

The judge said: "Reacting to hatred in such a tongue in cheek way was smart. Loved the product design. A brave piece of work from all angles."

ASICS is a champion of mental wellness through movement. But in 2022, exercise was becoming overly focused on getting the perfect body. The ‘Before and after’ exercise transformation photos we see across social media and adverts are a symptom of this. While they’re meant to send a positive message, ASICS research showed that they were alienating people from exercise and damaging mental health. So ASICS stood against this issue. Working with influencers and celebrities to share ‘before and after photos’ that celebrated the mental – not physical - #DramaticTransformation from a small amount of exercise. From social media and gyms to lifestyle media and primetime news, the integrated campaign created huge conversation, changing attitudes and delivered commercial effectiveness for ASICS across a range of metrics.

The judges said: "This was an important campaign which sparked a global conversation and had influencers at its heart."

This campaign shows the power of creativity to stand up for mental health, to stand up for the future of young girls and women in record speed. By enlisting partner influencers to inspire a grassroots movement of influencers and average TikTok users, we helped Dove take a bold stand against harmful social media beauty trends. And now, one of the largest influencer talent agencies in the world, Gleam, publicly joined Dove in condemning TikTok’s Bold Glamour filter. It has even updated its own agency influencer editing policies to create a safer, more ‘beautiful’ world.

The judges said: "Brave, powerful campaign with a real impact."

The beauty industry pedals a bunch of idealistic and unrealistic definitions of beauty, gender and race. We’re obviously not surprised at the influence the beauty industry has. But it is seriously hard to believe how glacial the pace of inclusion is. Razors ‘for her’ that’ll cost you an extra pound because they’re pink still exist. As do manly brushed metal Mandalorian ones ‘for him’ that look like they were created by George Lucas’s prop department. Even the simple act of hair removal has been glorified in (male-made) advertising, with pretty pin-ups perched daintily on the edges of baths as they tend to their smooth, impossibly long, smudge-free legs. It’s for this very reason our client, the brilliant, bold, nonbinary beauty brand, Estrid, has been on a mission to revolutionise the beauty sector, starting with razors. 

The judges said: "Loved the creative idea. It works well to connect the past beauty standards to the present in a way that's uplifting, showing that we have changed as people and so have beauty standards."

Autocorrect failures perpetuate misidentification and exclusion, especially for those with diverse names. The national 'Autocorrected Pay Gap' campaign boldly exposes subconscious bias through real examples on billboards across the UK, emphasising: if your name autocorrects, your pay might too. This powerful statement from People Like Us demands government action to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting. By amplifying this message, we strive for inclusivity and fairness, urging society to confront the impact of pay disparities on individuals' identities and economic opportunities. We wanted to challenge the status quo and foster a more equitable future.

The judges said: "Like how it tackles two topics within the same creative, AI auto correct discrimination along with paygap. With one of the objectives being to change legislation, they managed to get the campaign in front of the right people."

The campaign was picked up by 20+ publications with a PR reach 49 million, winning ‘Ad of the Week,’ and supported with a fashion film with title track ‘Boys Boys Boys’ from trans musician, Baby Brown. We encouraged the community to shout about the work by sharing footage across its own channels, snapping the OOH in its cities and commenting its support on Both& channels.

The judges said: "Really liked the reframing of the community."

Building agencies definitely isn’t easy right now. However, it feels like there’s something in the water over on Redchurch Street. The hires, the wins, the insane growth have all simultaneously come together to create some strange perfect storm to mean that, right now in 2023, we’re making the best campaigns of our agency’s short history. 

The judges said: "Another impressive year for The Romans creatively."

Hope&Glory’s purpose is simple (if ambitious): to be The Most Admired UK PR Agency. We want to be a great place to work that also creates great work – outstanding client results without being a sweatshop; remarkably happy teams without being a country club. We have a team that seeks to create work that earns attention: delivering impactful consumer brand campaigns. That has always been our raison d’etre and there was no letting up in 2022. In so doing we have won a crop of 35 new clients, we have remarkable team retention and we’ve continued to grow. More than anything we have delivered not just creative but also impactful work – from raising awareness of suicide with CALM to addressing diversity in football, creating “temporary accommodation roomsets in IKEA” to creating a National Databank. The past year has been challenging, the team has risen to the occasion every time.

The judges said: "There are some great examples of class cut-through work here that worked for client, brief and consumer. Also, impressive numbers and client wins."

Building agencies definitely isn’t easy right now. However, it feels like there’s something in the water over on Redchurch Street. The hires, the wins, the insane growth have all simultaneously come together to create some strange perfect storm to mean that, right now in 2023, we’re making the best campaigns of our agency’s short history.

The judges said: "The Romans continue to do excellent, industry-challenging work."

Building agencies definitely isn’t easy right now. However, it feels like there’s something in the water over on Redchurch Street. The hires, the wins, the insane growth have all simultaneously come together to create some strange perfect storm to mean that, right now in 2023, we’re making the best campaigns of our agency’s short history.

The judges said: "Impressive growth backed by a clear recruitment strategy and creative focus."

Talent and professional polish beyond his years. Entrepreneurial and can-do. Working with an agency start up whilst founding his own social enterprise. Digital-first creative-thinker as demonstrated in the breadth of assets created for this Fringe campaign, with the craft demonstrated in this hero programme cover sitting at the core

The judges said: "Smart, simple ideas with a polished approach, Richard has also demonstrated an entrepreneurial talent that led him to creating an agency start-up as well as a social enterprise. A well-deserved winner of an award designed to recognise talent and achievement beyond the nominee's years."