Which campaigns won the Kantar Advertising Effectiveness Awards based on people’s reactions?

Vimto’s Ramadan campaign has earned global recognition, securing a place among the Kantar top 10 most effective campaigns worldwide – the only Middle East campaign to feature in the ranking and the only one from the region securing a place among the world’s top 10 most effective campaigns.

Kantar’s 2026 Advertising Effectiveness Awards, which celebrate the world’s most effective, results‑driving advertising, are the only global awards to crown its winners based on the reactions of real people, the Kantar Advertising Effectiveness Awards recognise 36 brands across four categories – campaigns, digital and social, TV, and print and outdoor.

“The creative assets for this campaign were built with the consumer at heart. The Vimto team also pre-tested the work using Link+ and Branding, placing it in the top 15 per cent of ads in KSA. That’s a powerful result for a timeless brand that remains a staple on Ramadan tables across the region,” said Mohamed Hayek, Creative Effectiveness Lead, Middle East, Kantar.

Hari Prasaadh Kumar, Associate Director, Media & Analytics, Middle East at Kantar, added, “The LIFT+ study highlights a robust multimedia strategy, with strong execution delivering total reach and driving above‑norm uplifts in awareness ( more than 6 per cent) and brand associations (more than 5 per cent). Long‑format creative was prioritised during peak Ramadan viewing, while digital activation built early momentum and stayed live through the end of the period to sustain reach and amplify cross‑channel synergy.”

The recognition underscores the growing strength of culturally rooted, insight‑led campaigns from the Middle East in driving measurable brand growth on a global stage.

At the global level, CeraVe, Heinz and McVitie’s have taken top honours at Kantar’s 2026 Advertising Effectiveness Awards.

The global winners are determined by Kantar’s media and creative solutions and a qualitative review by Kantar’s diverse global creative and media experts.

Together, they measure consumers’ reactions to ads and campaigns to assess their effectiveness and help marketers make decisions that will quantifiably build their brands.

The ‘campaigns’ category is a new addition to the awards this year, based on Kantar’s media effectiveness intelligence, and reflecting the increasing integration of creative and media in advertising.

The inaugural winner of the world’s most effective campaign is gaming brand EA / Apex Legends for its Japan ‘Apex Legends S22’ campaign.

Kantar’s experts hailed it as a standout example of applying the lessons of previous campaigns and well-considered channel selection; despite its scale the campaign deliberately avoided broadcast TV, anchoring instead around PlayStation ads and streaming and social channels. These reinforced each other, creating a cumulative impact across channels.

What the world’s most effective advertising shows us

The Kantar winners prove that when creative and media decisions work together, brands can deliver greater impact, and highlights three lessons CMOs can learn from the world’s most effective advertising:

• The blurring lines of influence: Many of the winners demonstrate the convergence of celebrities and creators, making it ever more important for marketers to understand the new reality of influence. Winners include CeraVe for its TikTok campaign where creator Anwar Jibawi created a dramatic retelling of Romeo and Juliet to sell the benefits of the brand’s Air Foam cleanser. And the Hellmann’s Mayo campaign where a cameo from actor Sydney Sweeney brought the iconic 90s romcom “When Harry Met Sally” into the 21^st century, and which used creator-led and social extensions to help the idea travel beyond the flagship Super Bowl TV slot.
• Something old, something new: Many of the awarded campaigns show that alchemy lies in the ability to make the new work with the old. Heinz claimed the most effective TV ad of the year with a tennis‑themed spot reprising its classic ‘It has to be Heinz’ tagline, bringing the concept up to date with a reference to 2025’s summer of sport. Volkswagen Australia tapped into the brand’s iconic 1960s print ads to launch a new platform for its Tayron model, proving that effective advertising doesn’t always need reinvention, but an openness to evolving ideas and building on previous successes.
• Consistent, coherent and connected: Many of this year’s standout campaigns demonstrate the power of well-tailored creative that allows each channel to sing, while delivering results that are worth more than the sum of their parts. Savanna Premium Cider stood out, taking home awards in the print/outdoor and TV categories for its ‘Steve Jobe & The Department of Unnecessary Innovation’ campaign.

“With AI making it possible for marketing teams to churn out content at unprecedented speed and scale, it’s more important than ever for CMOs to understand what’s actually effective. Otherwise, brands are simply adding to the noise rather than making decisions with confidence. Our winners offer clear lessons from the world’s most effective campaigns, whether that’s putting your brand at the heart of culture, refreshing a proven idea from your back catalogue, or joining the dots between channels to create campaigns that are more than the sum of their parts,” said Vera Sidlova, Global Creative Director at Kantar.

Karen Owen, Chief Growth Officer, European and Pacific Developed Markets at Kraft Heinz, said, “At Heinz, we approach campaigns by first establishing an overarching idea that serves as the red thread through all our communications. We then identify what matters most to consumers at different touchpoints, ensuring our message connects effectively everywhere.

Owen added, “For this campaign, we focused on what we call ‘irrational love’ for Heinz. It’s about those moments when consumers are so lost in enjoying their Heinz tomato ketchup-loaded hotdog – to take this example – that they are not paying attention to anything else around. It’s about the true, authentic connection which consumers are telling us they have with our brands.”

2026 Kantar Advertising Effectiveness Awards. The top three winners in each category are:

Digital and social

TV

Print and outdoor

Overall campaign