Exclusive ArabAd: The Real Rewards of Awards

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Looking at participation levels, this growing supply meets a real demand, and agencies are increasing awards budgets to cover fees, entry production and of course gala dinners. However, contrary to what cynics might think, this is not a frivolous expense. Awarded campaigns are good for business.

There has been compelling research, notably by Peter Field and Les Binet, on the link between award-winning status and positive business outcomes. In a landmark study for the respected Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) in the UK, they found that creatively awarded campaigns are 11x more efficient at driving market share growth. Highly creative campaigns (those winning prestigious and credible awards like the Cannes Lions) deliver higher ROI, greater profit growth, and stronger brand uplift. The most emotional creative work is especially effective over the long term, the basis for sustained growth.

The link is even stronger for effectiveness awards, obviously. With their Creative Effectiveness Index, the Cannes Lions and McKinsey have found that award-winning creativity can outperform average campaigns by more than double in sales lift and brand metrics. More and more festivals are now awarding effectiveness and business impact as well as the softer and more subjective creativity or innovation metric. Joining the gold standard of the Effies in this territory, the Creative Effectiveness Lions, which embraces real business outcomes, prove that the most celebrated creative work also drives measurable results: e.g., sales, market share, penetration, or behavioural change. Brands like Apple and Unilever have seen stock price rises following their wins of major creative awards. At the other end of the spectrum, a well-stocked-up trophy cabinet helps agencies attract the best industry talent and the most desirable clients.

The real point of awards is to track and help elevate our game, individually and collectively, celebrating those pushing us forward. The process isn’t perfect, and not all awards are worth entering. But one thing is for sure. The process of scrutiny, however independent or thorough, is part of our learning and development so we must welcome meaningful local competitions in our markets.

We can see the benefits of this approach in the way Middle Eastern agencies are now shining in international competitions. Over the years, we’ve raised our profile in multiple festivals, from the Cannes Lions to the D&AD and New York Festivals, and the Loeries. More and more Grand Prix are going to Middle Eastern agencies and in 2023 Saudi Arabia won its first Cannes Lions Grand Prix. After Dubai won its first gold Lion in 2006, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan won 32 Lions between them in 2025, up from 22 last year. In the 2024 WARC Creative 100 country ranking, the UAE rose to the 15th position and in the Media ranking, it is now 11th. There are definite progress and creativity, strategy and effectiveness are all like our muscles and awards are like training sessions. 

So, what does it take to innovate and be award-worthy today? As always but even more so with the younger consumer generations, brands must demonstrate cultural relevance and share authentic storytelling to fit in the world around them. This also means work tailored to the platforms their content lives on—TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Spotify… Purpose remains important, but it must be backed with tangible actions and measurable impact. The use of data and tech is clearly growing, particularly to engineer immersive digital or physical experiences , using AI or AR/VR. Another facet is personalisation through data-driven storytelling campaigns based on real-time behavior or user data so that campaigns resonate more deeply.

One noticeable tech trend is the closer integration of creative, media and commerce. building smart, engaging commerce mechanics into campaigns to drive brand engagement. Capitalizing on its community of enthusiasts and the trend of nostalgia and authenticity, Budweiser created an ecommerce marketplace to allow people to sell old merchandise. An outdoor campaign by petfood brand Pedigree that used generative AI to drive adoptable dog ads tailor-fit to local audiences, effectively tying creative and commerce, is one notable winning example. 

AI of course is becoming more and more present among winning cases. In its Grand Prix winning work, Dove reacted to the insight that the visual perfection associated with GenAI is causing many women to feel compelled to alter personal representation. It then worked with Pinterest to retrain the algorithm to elevate real beauty content, which was then broadcast across all media channels. The use of AI and its application are growing, from production to productivity, so we will see much more of it in awards festivals.

While awards are not a goal in themselves, they demonstrate and validate the choice of a creative and innovative approach, as there is a strong correlation between creativity and effectiveness, especially in the long term. Far from being a jolly or a folly, credible and meaningful awards competitions can be the diviner to spot the sources of innovation and future growth. At the end of the day, award juries’ role is to pick the brands and the agencies that act the North Star. Separating the wheat from the chaff, they shine the light on those who innovate with original thinking and execution, who balance tech power with human ingenuity and deliver impressive impact on their clients’ business objectives. 

As the notion of talent and performance evolves, so will advertising festivals. What will remain is their role as drivers of creativity, innovation and effectiveness.