Effie UK: Judging effectiveness, not just creativity

What judging Effie UK reinforced about effectiveness

This year, I had the privilege of serving on the Effie UK judging panel, reviewing work where effectiveness is not an afterthought, but the point.

Effie has always occupied a distinct place in our industry. It asks a harder question than most awards: Did it actually work?

What struck me most during the judging process was how rare true clarity still is. The strongest entries were not those with the most sophisticated models or the densest data, but those that demonstrated a clean line of sight between problem, strategy, execution, and outcome.

Effectiveness is not about proving everything. It is about proving the right things.

The best cases showed restraint. They made deliberate choices. They resisted the temptation to retrofit narratives around results and instead demonstrated how judgment shaped decisions before money was spent.

Judging Effie is a reminder that marketing credibility is earned when creativity and commercial outcomes are treated as partners, not rivals. When one is privileged at the expense of the other, effectiveness suffers.

Effie UK continues to play an essential role in keeping our industry honest. We need that discipline more than ever.