It was a big night for City Lodge Hotel Group and TBWA\Hunt Lascaris as their powerful “Save Our Stay (SOS)” campaign took home the Grand Effie, the highest recognition for marketing effectiveness in South Africa.
The Effie Awards South Africa once again proved why effectiveness remains the ultimate measure of marketing success. At a glamour-filled ceremony at The Venue, Melrose Arch, the 2025 winners were announced – marking a milestone year for the programme with record-breaking 44% growth in entries.
The night was a celebration of campaigns that not only captured attention but delivered measurable business results.
The Grand Effie Goes to “Save Our Stay (SOS)”
The Grand Effie, South Africa’s highest honour in marketing effectiveness, went to City Lodge Hotel Group and TBWA\Hunt Lascaris for their impactful “Save Our Stay (SOS)” campaign in the Travel & Tourism category.
After months of rigorous judging and spirited debate, the campaign emerged as the most effective in the country — demonstrating how creativity grounded in strategy can drive real growth.
Celebrating Disciplined Creativity
“Effectiveness is disciplined creativity – the fusion of insight, imagination and evidence that turns strategy into growth,” said Gillian Rightford, ACA Executive Director for Effie South Africa.
“The 2025 winners show that effectiveness isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the discipline of making strategy, creativity, and measurement work as one.”
Her words capture the spirit of the Effie Awards — a platform where clarity of problem, originality of solution, and verifiable results define excellence.
Numbers That Speak for Themselves
This year’s awards reflected the industry’s growing commitment to effectiveness:
44% year-on-year growth in entries
44 campaigns shortlisted as finalists
26 trophies awarded across multiple categories
These results affirm the Effie Awards South Africa’s role in elevating marketing accountability and impact.
South Africa on the Global Effectiveness Stage
All finalists and winners earn points toward the Global Effie Index, placing South African agencies and brands in the global effectiveness rankings.
Gold winners also qualify for Effie’s Global Best of the Best competition, where the nation’s top campaigns will compete against the world’s most effective work.
2025 Effie Awards South Africa — Winners
| AWARD | AGENCY | CLIENT | BRAND | CAMPAIGN | CATEGORY |
| Grand | TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris | City Lodge Hotel Group | City Lodge Hotel Group | Save Our Stay (SOS) | Travel & Tourism |
| Gold | TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris | City Lodge Hotel Group | City Lodge Hotel Group | Save Our Stay (SOS) | Travel & Tourism |
| Gold | Ogilvy | Volkswagen SA | Volkswagen South Africa | Volkswagen Night School: Rewriting the Rules of the Road saving lives and building brand | Social Good – Brands / Positive Change |
| Gold | Accenture Song | Sanlam | Sanlam | Sanlam “The F-Show” | Finance |
| Gold | Halo | Pineapple | Pineapple | 100% Sustained Results: How Being Totes Honest Totes Helped Pineapple Soar | Sustained Success – Products, Services |
| Silver | Ogilvy | SAB (ABInBev) | Carling Black Label | From Decline to Dominance: Carling Black Label’s 8-Year Journey of Purpose-Driven Sustained Success. | Sustained Success – Products, Services |
| Silver | Joe Public | Amnesty International | Amnesty International | Faeces Ink: Reigniting Attention Around a National Shame | Small Budgets – Non-Profit, Products, Services |
| Silver | M+C Saatchi Abel and Razor PR | Gun Free South Africa | Gun Free South Africa | Firing A Silver Bullet That Turned Apathy into Policy Action | Small Budgets – Non-Profit, Products, Services |
| Silver | TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris | City Lodge Hotel Group | City Lodge Hotel Group | Save Our Stay (SOS) | Media Innovation / Commerce & Shopper Effies |
| Silver | Ogilvy | KFC SA | KFC | Block Booked | Media Innovation – Emerging & New Channels, Existing Channels / Media Effies |
| Silver | TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris | City Lodge Hotel Group | City Lodge Hotel Group | Save Our Stay (SOS) | Marketing Disruptors |
| Silver | Ogilvy | Volkswagen SA | Volkswagen | #ShouldaGotaVivo: How VW used competitor drivers to sell their Vivos | Automotive – Vehicles |
| Bronze | Joe Public | Uber Eats South Africa | Uber Black | Uber Black: So good you’ll find a reason | Transportation |
| Bronze | M+C Saatchi Abel | Mr D | Mr D | How Mr D got South Africa’s vote of approval during elections | Timely Opportunity |
| Bronze | TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris | Savanna Cider | Savanna | Try January | Timely Opportunity |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | Mondelez SA | Mondelez: Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate | Selfish to Shareable: Cadbury’s South African Success Story | Sustained Success – Products, Services |
| Bronze | Joe Public | Amnesty International | Amnesty International | Faeces Ink: Reigniting Attention Around a National Shame | Social Good – Brands / Positive Change |
| Bronze | 99cents | Shoprite Group of Companies | CHECKERS | Little Shop Goes Xtra | Omni-Channel Shopper Solution / Commerce & Shopper Effies |
| Bronze | Joe Public | Amnesty International | Amnesty International | Faeces Ink: Reigniting Attention Around a National Shame | Media Innovation – Emerging & New Channels, Existing Channels / Media Effies |
| Bronze | TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris | Savanna Cider | Savanna South Africa | Savanna Neat: It’s Giving | Marketing Innovation Solutions |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | Volkswagen SA | Volkswagen | #ShouldaGotAVivo: VW’s Masterclass on end-of-product-life-cycle marketing disruption. | Marketing Disruptors |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | The Gates Foundation | The Gates Foundation | Influence With Impact: #ForeverWena’s Culture-Driven Approach to Youth HIV Awareness | Influencer Marketing |
| Bronze | Joe Public | Nedbank | Nedbank | Bank Your Time – How Nedbank reframed digital banking by turning time into a currency | Finance |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | The Gates Foundation | The Gates Foundation | FROM SHAME TO SELF-LOVE: How #FOREVERWENA Revolutionised HIV Prevention. | Disease Awareness & Education: Non-Profit |
| Bronze | M+C Saatchi Abel | Mr D | Mr D | How Mr D got South Africa’s vote of approval during elections | Current Events |
| Bronze | Ogilvy | SAB (ABInBev) | Carling Black Label | From Decline to Dominance: Carling Black Label’s 8-Year Journey of Purpose-Driven Sustained Success. | Beverages – Alcohol |
What’s Next: The 2025 Ipsos Trends Report
Looking ahead, Effie South Africa and Ipsos will release the 2025 Ipsos Trends Report, continuing the evidence-led series that explores what drives marketing effectiveness in South Africa. The report promises to deliver insights drawn directly from this year’s winning campaigns.
