Reflections from the Effie Learning Festival 2024: Marketing with Purpose

I recently attended the Effie Learning Festival 2024 and was truly impressed by the quality and creativity of the marketing campaigns showcased. What stood out to me was how many of these campaigns focused on making a positive social impact, rather than just driving sales.

As consumers, we’re constantly bombarded with advertisements aimed at compelling us to make impulse purchases or indulge in something unnecessary. Much of this marketing feels superficial and unsustainable. In contrast, the campaigns presented at the festival were refreshing, focusing on creating meaningful change and influencing positive behavior through innovative approaches.

Here are a few campaigns that particularly resonated with me:

Partners Life: The Last Performance

Presented by Special Auckland (Lead Agency)
This campaign took a unique approach by integrating itself into a popular television series about murder (The Brokenwood Mysteries), sparking a conversation about life insurance. The creative concept hinged on the idea that insurance is often discussed in hindsight—when it’s too late. In a twist, the deceased character in the morgue suddenly awakens to lament not having life insurance. This imaginative strategy pushed creative boundaries and effectively raised awareness and consideration for life insurance.

P&G Whisper: Changing the education system to keep girls in school

Presented by Leo Burnett India
More than just advertising, this campaign was a social movement. P&G and its partners lobbied for changes to the education system to include menstrual education, which helped keep girls in school in India, a country where menstruation is often taboo. By doing so, they addressed a significant social issue with the potential to positively impact over 100 million women joining the workforce in the future. It’s inspiring to see a company not only selling products but also advocating for the socio-economic advancement of its customers.

SG Enable: UnAwkward

Presented by TBWA\Singapore
I had seen this ad before, and initially, it struck me as a bit odd. However, after listening to the case study, I realised that the campaign’s quirky approach aimed to make interactions with people with disabilities less awkward for “regular” Singaporeans. By using humour and light-heartedness, it challenged the typical serious portrayal of people with disabilities, making it a memorable and impactful campaign.

Additional Noteworthy Campaigns:

• Scoot: Travel Deserves Better – Challenging the status quo of price competition amongst low cost carriers
• Zespri Kiwifruit: The Fruit Pillbox – Innovative method to nudge consumers to eat more kiwifruits
• Changi Airport: beJEWELed – Clever trend-jacking of Taylor Swift Eras tour in Singapore

See the full list of cases shared at the Effie Learning Festival 2024.

These campaigns demonstrated the power of marketing to do more than just sell—it can change behaviours and make a difference in society.

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