The 2024 Effie Awards South Africa Gala, held on the 24th of October at The Tryst in Woodmead, Johannesburg, celebrated outstanding marketing effectiveness. Agencies, brands, and their clients were recognised for campaigns that delivered measurable impact. Hosted by celebrated South African comedian and television personality Mpho Popps, the evening was a celebration of creativity, strategic excellence, and the results that truly matter in an increasingly fragmented marketing landscape.
A key highlight of the evening was the announcement of the prestigious Grand Effie – the top award recognising the most effective campaign of the year. The Effie Grand Jury adjudicated Halo and Pineapple’s “100% Pure Results: How Challenger Brand Pineapple Disrupted the Insurance Industry” campaign to be the most effective campaign of 2024, highlighting the campaign’s remarkable business impact.
Effectiveness: The New Gold Standard
In today’s marketing landscape, effectiveness is the ultimate measure of success. Campaigns that win Effie Awards demonstrate that they’ve delivered real, tangible results—whether through increased sales, brand growth, consumer engagement, or shifts in market share. Winning an Effie is about more than just creative execution; it is about campaigns that make a measurable difference in business performance.
Gillian Rightford, Executive Director at the ACA, highlighted the importance of marketing effectiveness: “Effectiveness is no longer a nice-to-have—it is the future of our industry. The campaigns celebrated tonight have not only demonstrated creativity but also proven their impact on the bottom line. Winning an Effie is a mark of true success, recognising that these campaigns achieved what they set out to do: drive results that matter. Congratulations to all our winners, whose work inspires the industry to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Effectiveness is the currency for success.”
Refilwe Maluleke, Jury Co-Chair, noted the unique value of the Effie Awards: “The Effies exist to highlight and celebrate work that not only delivers creatively, but demonstrably drives success in whatever way your organisation measures it. This year’s entries have shown incredible creativity and impressive business results. The strongest case studies not only showcased great work but also demonstrated what they had to overcome to achieve their results. It was a privilege to engage with such an excellent set of cases.”
Ahmed Tilly, Jury Co-Chair, reflected on the role of creativity: “Creativity is the answer to business challenges. The 2024 Effie award winners created campaigns that were surprising, evocative, contagious, and smart, yet simple. Most importantly, all the winners produced incredible results because they ventured outside the comfort zone. Creativity works better—it’s an indisputable fact. Kudos to the clients who made this work happen.” During his address, Tilly further challenged clients to be brave, bold and supportive of their agencies. Agencies have the ability to deliver outstanding, creatively effective work, but that it the clients that are the ultimate gatekeepers for great work.
2024 Effie Awards South Africa Winners Table
| AWARD | AGENCY | CLIENT | BRAND | CAMPAIGN | CATEGORY |
| Grand Effie | Halo | Pineapple | Pineapple | 100% Pure Results: How Challenger Brand Pineapple Disrupted the Insurance Industry | Challenger Brand Solution / Commerce & Shopper Effies |
| Gold | Halo | Capital Legacy | Capital Legacy | Where There’s A Will, There’s Results: How Changing How We Spoke About Death Helped Capital Legacy Draft More Wills Than Ever Before | Finance |
| Gold | Ogilvy | SAB (AB InBev) | Castle Lager | Bread of the Nation | Social Good – Brands / Positive Change |
| Gold | Ogilvy | SAB (AB InBev) | Carling Black Label | Carling Cup 2023 – Fak’UGesi (Bring The Energy) | Experiential Marketing: Live & Digital |
| Silver | Retroviral | SAB (AB InBev) | Castle Lager | The GranBoks | Beverages – Alcohol |
| Silver | Ogilvy | SAB (AB InBev) | Castle Lager | Bread of the Nation | Beverages – Alcohol |
| Silver | Ogilvy | KFC South Africa | KFC | How KFC disrupted the breakfast category and changed it forever! | Marketing Disruptors |
| Silver | Ogilvy | KFC South Africa | KFC | How KFC took on the breakfast category, changed its fortune and the category forever! | Restaurants |
| Silver | Joe Public | SAB (AB InBev) | Brutal Fruit Spritzer | SheBeen: South Africa’s First-Ever Women-Only Bar | Experiential Marketing: Live & Digital |
| Silver | Joe Public | SAB (AB InBev) | Brutal Fruit Spritzer | SheBeen: South Africa’s First-Ever Women-Only Bar | Timely Opportunity |
| Bronze | 99cents | Shoprite Group of Companies | Checkers | Checkers Xtra Savings Plus – Mission Impossible Made Possible | Retail |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | PEP | PEP | PEP Changing Station | Timely Opportunity |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | KFC South Africa | KFC SA | Made in Culture: How KFC debuted the Uncle Waffles burger | Social Media |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | Mondelez International SA | Cadbury Dairy Milk | When Mzansi’s Generosity was lost, Cadbury put generosity back on the Map for Every South African | Engaged Community |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | KFC South Africa | KFC | When two icons meet: KFC x Uncle Waffles presents a burger made in culture | Influencer Marketing |
| Bronze | Joe Public | SAB (AB InBev) | Brutal Fruit Spritzer | SheBeen: South Africa’s First-Ever Women-Only Bar | Seasonal Marketing – Products, Services |
| Bronze | Joe Public | SAB (AB InBev) | Brutal Fruit Spritzer | SheBeen: South Africa’s First-Ever Women-Only Bar | Social Good – Brands / Positive Change |
| Bronze | Joe Public | Chicken Licken | Chicken Licken | Chicken Licken Easy Bucks®️ | Restaurants |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | SAB (AB InBev) | Castle Lager | Bread of the Nation | Marketing Innovation Solutions |
Looking Ahead: Co-Chairs for 2025
During the gala, it was confirmed that the 2024 Jury Co-Chairs, Refilwe Maluleke, Executive Head of Marketing at Discovery Health, and Ahmed Tilly, Creative Advisor at Number 10 – A Creative Consultancy, have agreed to continue in their roles as Co-Chairs for the 2025 Effie Awards programme. Their leadership has been instrumental in guiding the judging process, ensuring the highest standards of adjudication.
The Effie Awards South Africa is hosted by the ACA and proudly sponsored by Nedbank, PepsiCo, SAB, SABC, Unilever, GIB Insurance, and Investec.
Sharleen James, ACA Chairperson, expressed her gratitude: “A huge thank you to the Effie South Africa committee for their tireless work in making this year’s awards a success. The Effie Awards are an essential platform for recognising the power of marketing effectiveness and its contribution to business growth. As the ACA, we are proud to support this programme, which showcases the best of our industry’s creativity and strategic thinking, elevating South Africa’s marketing and advertising standards on a global scale.”
