VML’s “Oreo Codes” Earns AME Grand Award and AME Campaign of the Year – North America; Ogilvy UK London and Mullen Lowe MENA Awarded Campaign of the Year Awards
New York Festivals AME Awards celebrating effectiveness world-wide since 1994, announced the winners of the 2024 competition.
This year’s winners were selected by an esteemed Grand Jury of internationally recognized C-suite strategists and industry innovators. Following a rigorous two-phase evaluation process, the Grand Jury meticulously scored shortlisted entries, honoring the most creative and effective campaigns of the year.
In an exceptionally competitive year, the international Grand Jury recognized work that delivered cutting-edge, results-driven campaigns. The panel awarded one prestigious AME Grand Award, three Regional Campaign of the Year Awards, nine Gold Towers, eight Silver, twelve Bronze, and twelve Finalist Certificates, recognizing groundbreaking effectiveness. View the 2024 AME Awards winners’ showcase: HERE.
Innovative work from leading agencies across six continents used cutting-edge tactics to enhance global brands and achieve impressive results. Gold, Silver, and Bronze-winning campaigns tackled critical issues such as sexism, gender bias, and the impact of social media on children, driving meaningful change. Brands harnessed technology and compelling storytelling to grow market share and strengthen loyalty. Top-scoring initiatives utilized social media and digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising to educate and engage audiences, employed advanced design to positively impact health, and built deeper brand connections while expanding market presence.
2024 AME Grand Award (Best of Show) and Campaign of the Year – North America
OREO Codes – VML USA (Products & Services: Retail Stores & E-commerce)
VML USA’s “OREO Codes” campaign for OREO (Mondelez International) achieved exceptional success, blending innovative technology with creative execution. The campaign earned the Grand Award (Best of Show) and Campaign of the Year for North America, along with multiple AME Gold Tower awards, highlighting the timeless combination of OREO and milk.
“OREO Codes” tackled the challenge of declining traffic in center aisles, where packaged cookies are typically stocked, as more shoppers favored perimeter sections. VML USA identified that milk carton barcodes resemble stacked OREO cookies and leveraged this insight. Through OREOCodes.com, consumers could scan any milk carton’s barcode to unlock offers for both OREO and milk.
Outstanding Achievements: The campaign reversed the category unit sales decline at ABSCO, growing the cookie aisle by +22.3% (+27.7% in dollar sales). Reversed OREO unit sales decline at ABSCO, achieving +32.1% growth (+39.8% in dollar sales). Increased OREO cookie trips by +18.4% year-over-year. Boosted the number of OREO cookie buyers by +16.1% year-over-year.
“We couldn’t be prouder to receive this honor of Best of Show by AME for our OREO Codes campaign. This commerce-driven campaign was truly a team effort, and its creation wouldn’t have been possible without our fabulous client partners at Mondelez International, and the incredibly talented team here at VML!” —Manuel Borde Global Chief Creative Officer, Commerce, VML USA
The AME Grand Jury honored three exceptional campaigns from agencies across three regions with the prestigious AME Campaign of the Year Award.
Campaign of the Year – Europe
The Real Cost of Beauty – Ogilvy UK London (Best Use of Medium: Social Media & Social Video)
Ogilvy UK London’s powerful campaign for Dove was honored with the AME Campaign of the Year – Europe. The emotionally charged three-minute film tells the story of a young girl who nearly lost her life to an eating disorder, aligning with the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) to raise awareness about the mental health crisis driven by social media. The eye-opening campaign aimed to support the bill and gather signatures for a petition advocating for safer online spaces.
Impressive results: The film garnered over 69 million views and 11.1 billion impressions, making it Dove’s most shared film ever, with earned media in 190 outlets. The campaign more than doubled its goal for petition signatures, amassing over 100,000 in support of KOSA. “The Real Cost of Beauty” also earned four Gold Towers, one Silver, and two Bronze.
“The constant exposure to toxic beauty content online is having a heartbreaking impact on the mental and physical well-being of kids and teens. We are deeply indebted to Mary and the other voices in the film for allowing us to tell their stories because it’s critical that we come together as a society to create a safer, healthier online environment for younger generations. The magic happens when our agency capabilities and global network collaborate. The intensity of the experience brings back memories of Courage is Beautiful and Turn Your Back. These campaigns are timely and important, and I am so proud Cost of Beauty has made similar positive impact. Social content and filters might feel like a bit of fun, but they are potent tools that are destroying the self-esteem of millions of young girls.”—Daniel Fisher, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy UK London
Campaign of the Year – Middle East & Africa
Fixing the bAIs – MullenLowe MENA (Best Use of Discipline: Data)
MullenLowe MENA earned the AME Campaign of the Year Award for their innovative campaign, “Fixing the bAIs,” created for Aurora50, a leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) impact agency. The winning campaign addressed biased datasets in AI that perpetuate gender stereotypes, undermining women’s representation and opportunities, and undoing years of workplace progress. Aurora50 developed a databank of inclusive images of women, removing gender metadata to prevent bias.
Standout Success: The campaign contributed to the passage of the EU’s AI Act, the first regulation deeming biased datasets unacceptable, adopted by 52 countries in the European Parliament. Recognized globally as a benchmark for tackling gender bias in AI, the campaign received praise from institutions like Ceimia and Mila and set a world record for the most pledges received for a gender equality workplace initiative in 24 hours. “Fixing the bAIs” was also honored with a Gold Tower, two Silver, and a Bronze.
“We are incredibly honored to have “Fixing the bAIs” recognized with the prestigious AME Campaign of the Year Award for the Middle East & Africa. This achievement is a testament to how real work, grounded in real data, can make a real difference. The campaign not only addresses pressing issues but also offers a robust solution, giving hope to underrepresented genders, races, colors, and ages in professional spaces.” —Prerna Mehra, Creative Director & Head of Art and Design, MullenLowe MENA
Worldwide agencies submitted pioneering and impactful campaigns that captivated the 2024 Grand Jury, resulting in an impressive number of trophies.
The 2024 AME Grand Jury awarded Leo Burnett Middle East two Gold Towers for the innovative “ProtecTasbih,” the world’s first sanitizing prayer beads. These 100% recyclable beads were distributed to 65,000 guests on SAUDIA Airlines’ flights and lounges en route to Mecca, with an additional 35,000 distributed across the city. The campaign also earned two Silver Towers and one Bronze.
Other standout agencies, including Grabarz und Partner Werbeagentur GmbH, Ogilvy New York, Wieden+Kennedy London, and Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, also took home honors for their creative excellence, further showcasing the global impact of this year’s competition.
The results from the AME Grand Jury sessions are compiled into an annual rankings brief, The AME Report. This creative ranking system, based on points awarded for winning entries, highlights the top-performing agencies and brands from this year’s competition.
Award-winning AME campaigns are prominently featured in the AME showcase on WARC.
View the 2024 AME Awards winners’ showcase: HERE