Creative Effectiveness: What Makes Work That Works?

Creative effectiveness is the industry’s ultimate proof that a campaign truly works — the Holy Grail for agencies. This year’s IPA Creative Effectiveness Awards shortlist brings together 20 campaigns representing more than £1bn in combined marketing communications spend.

The work spans brands including Admiral, AJ Bell, Andrex, Alzheimer’s Society, Capita [the British Army], Confused.com, Currys, easyJet, Gousto, Great Western Railway, Jaffa Cakes, Lurpak, Madrî Excepcional, Nationwide, NHS Blood and Transplant, Škoda, SMARTY mobile, Specsavers, Vitality and Volkswagen.

Karen Martin, CEO of BBH London & Dublin and IPA President, puts it simply: “We know that great work works. For the first time, we’ve created a prize that recognises effectiveness driven by creativity — creativity as the path to, and engine of, solving business problems.”

But in an industry that is experience rapid changes from AI to the Creator Economy, what does an effective creative idea look like? Creative leaders share their views.

Dan Watts, chief creative officer of Pablo

What makes an effective creative idea? Well the clue is in the question. An idea. Something that makes audiences think differently, makes them want to act and most importantly gets remembered. Being funny isn't mandatory... but it often helps. Even in the era of the Creator Economy, for me that is try for anything and has been true since the cavemen were drawing on walls! 

Chaka Sobhani, global CCO for TBWA Worldwide

With creators, new formats and endless ways to communicate, what does “effective” really mean now?

I’d hand this to the strategists for the smartest answer, but the simple way I see it is: effectiveness isn’t just views or likes. It’s how something is shared. We talk about “earns” a lot, and I like that word — because you genuinely have to earn attention. In a world completely flooded with content, the real question is: what lifts your idea above the parapet and makes people want to pass it on?

For me, effectiveness is about work that travels through communities — friendship groups, fandoms, national conversations, even global culture. That’s the stuff I get served, the stuff I get interested in. And I actively try to break my own algorithm so I’m not only seeing what I already like.

It’s a bit like what Caitlin Moran said about writing: it’s easy to speak to people who already agree with you; it’s more important to reach those who don’t. That’s what I’m interested in — understanding human psychology and showing up authentically in ways people actually want to engage with and share.

Mark Elwood, incoming CCO of AMV BBDO

An effective creative idea in modern advertising is one that endures. That’s central to the IPA’s definition of effectiveness: work that lasts, evolves and continues to deliver results over years — sometimes decades. Longevity doesn’t mean repeating the same execution but building a consistent creative vehicle. That might be a distinctive brand character, a recognisable way of shooting, or a tonal world that stays coherent even as individual ads change. When people instantly recognise the brand — and even look forward to “another one of those ads” — the work becomes more effective by default.

Confused.com is a good example. The campaign follows a clear formula: the feeling of lightness you get when you finally book your insurance. It flexes within that structure, but the emotional payoff is always the same — that moment of relief after doing something annoying, confusing and slightly stressful. That consistency makes the idea memorable and repeatable.

Lurpak is another. It has created a signature way of shooting food: close‑up, visceral, raw, full of steam, chopping, mixing and heat. It positions butter as a premium ingredient that elevates whatever you’re cooking — whether it’s a pie or a fried egg. You know instantly when you’re watching a Lurpak ad because the sensory world is so distinctive. It’s a shortcut to taste.

That same logic applies when creators or influencers are involved. If they genuinely love food and home cooking, they can interpret the Lurpak brief in their own way — whether that’s their version of a fish pie or a recipe passed down through generations — as long as they stay true to the core idea: it’s your masterpiece, made with care. But if Gordon Ramsay suddenly appeared, it would feel off‑brief because it breaks the world the brand has built.

The same goes for Confused.com. If creators show the feeling of lightness in their own style — what they do after booking their insurance, how that moment frees them — they’re still delivering the strategy. Fame or follower count doesn’t matter; staying on brief does.

Ultimately, effective creative work comes back to strategy. The IPA framework is clear: the strongest ideas are those that remain true to the brief while being flexible enough to evolve. Consistency of meaning, not repetition of execution, is what makes creative ideas powerful — and what allows them to build long-term effectiveness

Andrew Long, chief creative officer, Leo UK

For me, effectiveness starts with conversation. The best ideas give people a reason to talk about a brand in the real world. That conversation builds cultural relevance, and cultural relevance builds commercial success.

The jury for the President’s Prize for Creative Effectiveness is:

Felipe Serradourada Guimarães, Panel Chair and Chief Creative Officer, BBH London & Dublin

Toby Allen, Partner & Chief Creative Officer, Anomaly

Ana Balarin, Chief Creative Officer, W+K London

Richard Brim, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Ace of Hearts

Jules Chalkley, Chief Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy

Mark Elwood, Incoming Chief Creative Officer, AMV BBDO

Nick Hulley, Chief Creative Officer

Andrew Long, Chief Creative Officer, Leo UK

Nadja Lossgott, Chief Creative Officer

Trevor Robinson, Executive Creative Director & Founder, Quiet Storm

Shelley Smoler, Chief Creative Officer, Lucky Generals