MAM
BP, Milka and HSBC top the tables in Kantar’s Creative Effectiveness awards
London: BP's Blind Date(Spain),Milka’s Christmas adGive to those who give the most(Germany) and HSBC’s CSR Birmingham(UK) are the most effective adsfrom around the world in2019, according to Kantar’s inaugural Creative Effectiveness awards.These new awards celebrate theworld’s best performing ads across the three key media channelsbased on actual consumer feedback.
Spanning three categories (digital,print/out of home and TV) andfrom 78different markets, the winners represent the most creative and effective work from over 10,000 ads tested with consumers in 2019 usingKantar’s Link creative testing, which measures any advert’s potential to deliver against short and long-term brand goals. Thesefirst award winners perform in the top 4% for short-term sales likelihood, and the top 1% for long-term brand building when measured against the Link database of over 200,000 ads analysed over the past 30 years. The winning ads are all at least twice as likely to drive sales than an ad that performs at the median evaluation score and ten times more likely than a weak ad.
The winners show that distinctive creativeis central to advertising success, falling in the top 15% of ads for distinctiveness in Kantar’s database. In a world flooded with content, brands need to ensure their advertising captures people’s attention.
Digitaleffectiveness: Engage don’t enrage
Analysis ofthe digital category revealed the most effective ads reward the viewer with entertaining content that breaks through the ‘ad filter’ in consumers’ mindsand compels them to view it. Milka’s Christmas adGive to those who give the most tops the digital ad awards, demonstrating the power of storytelling for driving engagement by evoking strong emotions. The beautifully touching film, centred around a strong, seasonally relevant message of thoughtful gifting, was created in partnership with the European Union of the Deaf and promotes inclusion in a very moving way.
|
Digital Ranking |
Brand |
Ad Name |
Agency |
Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Milka |
Milka Christmas: give to those who give the most |
Wieden + Kennedy, Amsterdam |
Germany |
|
2 |
Google App |
Search the lyrics with Google |
Zula Alpha Kilo |
Indonesia |
|
3 |
Dulux |
Let’s colour experiment: escalator |
Road 381 |
UK |
Print & Out of Homeads: Spark a response in seconds
The winners here illustrate the power of creative to deliver an instant impression about the brand. Immediate impact is essential as consumers give just seconds of their time to print and out of home (OOH) ads, in which the content needs to communicate its message or hook the viewer in for longer.
HSBC evokes an immediate emotional reaction through its winning OOH execution. The shocking statistic that 1 in 45 people living in Birmingham have no address, therefore can’t have a bank account, a job, or a home, helps highlight the work the bank is doing to support the local community.The impact of the message is heightened by delivering it in situ enabled by the medium of OOH.
|
Print and OOHRanking |
Brand |
Ad Name |
Agency |
Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
HSBC |
HSBC CSR Birmingham |
Wunderman Thompson |
UK |
|
2 |
Estrella Damm |
Silja |
&Rosàs |
UK |
|
3 |
Camden Hells |
Juicer static |
Forever Beta |
UK |
Top-performing TV ads tell great stories
TheTV winners demonstrate the continued sales-generating and brand-building ability of broadcast content, particularly whenstrong distinctive assets are weaved into great emotional story telling. Crowned as Kantar’s most powerful TV ad of 2019 globally, BP’s Blind Date is a great example of how a distinctive approach to a category can create differentiation. The ad shows how a functional message can be intrinsically sewn into an amusing, brand-centric story that is quite different to what you would expect to see from the category.
|
TV Ranking |
Brand |
Ad Name |
Agency |
Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
BP |
Blind Date |
Ogilvy&Mather |
Spain |
|
2 |
Tim Hortons |
Ask a Timbits Kid |
Zula Alpha Kilo |
Canada |
|
3 |
Unox |
Tijdenveranderen |
TBWA |
Netherlands |
The first ever Kantar Creative and Effective awards showcase some of the most impactfuladvertising workfrom around the world,” said Daren Poole, Global Head of Creative at Kantar. “The commonality across allthe winning ads is distinctiveness, and how strongly the brand is integrated into the narrative. Our winners – real consumers’ favourites – take on many forms and employ a range of creative tactics to convey their message; proving there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that can be employed to achieve great content. Interestingly, many of the winning ads in Kantar’s Creative Effectiveness awards are heart-warming stories or contain humour, in contrast to the broader industry trend, which is to incorporate humour less.” Just over one third (34%) of 2019’s adverts were intentionally light-hearted or funny, compared to more than half (54%) of ads evaluated by Kantar in 2000.
Poole added. “For content to drive brand impact and deliver ROI, it must be created with the consumer in mind, by understanding what will translate best to the audience, and how. Weaving intelligent and iterative research into the creative development process ensures the strongest ideas, and most effective executions end up seeing the light of day. We know that in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic consumers want advertisers to have authentic empathy and to be useful. Achieving this creatively and sensitively is incredibly difficult, making pre-testing as important as ever”
For more learnings about Link ad testing, advertising trends, and to review the full winners list, please visit :https://www.kantar.com/creative-effective.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
