The winners of the 2024 Guardian Advertising Awards were announced at a ceremony in Soho, London on Wednesday 24 April. Imogen Fox, the Guardian’s chief advertising officer, introduced the evening’s event alongside James Fleetham, the Guardian’s director of clients, marketing and research.
This was the first Guardian Advertising Awards, added the publisher, celebrating advertising campaigns that have featured across Guardian channels over the last year, and highlighting examples of scale, influence and integrity. Some of the best examples of advertising were entered by brands and agencies to compete in five categories.
The Guardian says the everyday brand award was given to Reckitt Benckiser and Zenith UK for Nurofen: See My Pain, while brands connecting with big moments was given to Google Pixel and EssenceMediacomX for their sponsorship of the Women’s World Cup. The best premium brand was selected as eBay EssenceMediacom for The One. The brand doing the right thing was awarded to Who Gives A Crap and Craft Media for Uncrap the World; the challenger brand was scooped by Charlie Bigham’s and Electric Glue for A Vision For Better Food
In addition, there was also a Grand Prix award selected by the judges for the brand campaign deemed to have gone above and beyond the entry criteria. The judges selected Reckitt Benckiser and Zenith UK’s, Nurofen: See My Pain campaign for the Grand Prix prize - a campaign that aligned with the Guardian’s core values, continued the publisher. The campaign’s scale, influence and integrity was hailed as a “textbook example” of effective advertising. The judges commented that the campaign “worked because it was in the Guardian”. They also noted that it showed “purpose beyond the moment” by driving awareness of the gender pain gap and that Nurofen were “true changemakers”, creating real-world change by introducing gender pain gap training for GPs.
Award winners were chosen by a specially selected panel of judges made up of some of the most influential leaders and experts from across the media and advertising industry. This included: Simone Johnson, head of new business and strategic partnerships at Brixton Finishing School, Nishma Patel Robb, president at WACL, Laurence Green, director of effectiveness at the IPA, and Andy Nairn founder of creative agency Lucky Generals.
Danielle Ticknell-Smith, partnerships director, Zenith UK, said: “The Guardian were the perfect partner for this campaign due to the synergy of values. They provided the perfect platform, along with the opportunity to shed light on such an unspoken societal issue that impacts so many women. It’s a small step to the beginning of change.”
Simone Johnson, head of new business and strategic partnerships, Brixton Finishing School, said: “Congratulations to all of the winning brands and agencies! Judging the awards has been an absolute privilege, and I have really enjoyed seeing all of the amazing work entered. Scale, influence, and integrity really does embody what Guardian Advertising stands for - all brands should consider this unique formula in their campaigns going forward to ensure they are effective and stand out from the millions of ads you see every day.”
Imogen Fox, chief advertising officer, Guardian Media Group, said: “Huge congratulations to all the brands and agencies that were awarded a prize. At the Guardian we’re committed to the best possible advertising experience for our readers and brands. When you see the breadth of the brands in the winning campaigns, they might feel surprising but we believe they all showcase scale, influence and integrity - the Guardian’s unique formula.”
The publisher says the award-winning brands will feature in advertising across the Guardian both in print and online, they also feature in a Guardian news story to celebrate their campaigns and achievements.
The winners in each category are as follows:
- Everyday brands: Reckitt Benckiser and Zenith UK for Nurofen: See My Pain
- Brands connecting with big moments: Google Pixel and EssenceMediacomX: Women’s World Cup
- Premium brands: eBay and EssenceMediacom: The One
- Brands doing the right thing: Who Gives A Crap and Craft Media: Uncrap the World
- Challenger brands: Charlie Bigham’s and Electric Glue: A Vision For Better Food
- Grand Prix: Reckitt Benckiser and Zenith UK for Nurofen: See My Pain
You can find more information on the awards and a full list of entries shortlisted here.
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