And the 2014 Winner is…?
Posted: 17/10/2014
Using our proprietary ad-evaluation methodology we’ve tested previous IPA winners and losers. This data reliably indicates who will win. Accordingly, we report the results of the forthcoming IPA Awards.
The 2014 IPA Effectiveness Awards will be presented on the 27th October 2014 and, for an industry colonised by impulsive creative types with 30-second attention spans, we thought you’d be interested in finding out who is going to win.
Using our proprietary ad-evaluation methodology we’ve tested hundreds of ads, including both past IPA winners and the 35 campaigns that made it onto this year’s shortlist. Using discriminant analysis we can then identify the key characteristics of prior winners and thereby predict which ads are going to win this year. The results are shown in the table below.
IPA Effectiveness Awards 20141
Click on Titles to View Adverts
| Company | Advert | Agency | IPA | Dectech |
| British Heart Foundation | You’ve been Vinnied | Grey London | 1 | 1 |
| Pancreatic Cancer Action | I wish I had… | Team Darwin | 2 | 2 |
| Fire Safety | Fire kills | RKCR/Y&R | 3 | 4 |
| Specsavers | Should’ve gone to Specsavers | Specsavers Optical Group | 4 | 9 |
| Public Health England | Be clear on cancer | M&C Saatchi | 5 | 3 |
| Foster’s | Good call! | adam&eveDDB | 6 | 10 |
| first direct | Unexpected bank | JWT | 7 | 11 |
| Kärcher UK | Kärcher window vac | Kärcher UK | 8 | 6 |
| McCain | Ready baked jackets | PHD Media | 9 | 7 |
| The Salvation Army | Christmas appeal | Mike Colling & Co. | 10 | 12 |
| EDF Energy | Feel better energy | AMV BBDO | 11 | 13 |
| Premier Inn | A good night’s sleep guaranteed | RKCR/Y&R | 12 | 8 |
| Aldi | Swap and save challenge2 | VCCP | 13 | 5 |
| Expedia | Travel yourself interesting | Ogilvy & Mather London | 14 | 14 |
| Cuprinol | Cheer it up | 18 Feet & Rising | 15 | 18 |
| Sainsbury’s | Christmas in a day | AMV BBDO | 16 | 22 |
| easyJet | Where are you going | VCCP | 17 | 21 |
| Renault UK | Making frugality pay | Publicis London | 18 | 17 |
| Aviva | Paul Whitehouse | AMV BBDO | 19 | 20 |
| L’Oreal | UltraLift challenge | Publicis London | 20 | 19 |
| GSK | Sensodyne Pronamel | Grey London | 21 | 15 |
| Fairy | Enduring care | Grey London | 22 | 23 |
| Everest | Everest | MBA | 23 | 16 |
As you can see, the non-profits are going to storm the stage. Four of the top five campaigns most likely to win Gold relate to public health and safety. For example, Pancreatic Cancer Action and Fire Safety are second and third respectively, both forcefully claiming our attention with ghostly victims and solemn messages. Indeed these two rated as some of the most upsetting ads we’ve ever tested.
Of course, based on our own research, we don’t necessarily agree with the IPA’s view of which ads are most effective. On closer inspection, whilst their approach is laudably scientific in theory, in practice it is perhaps inevitably reliant on subjective judgement. Accordingly the table also shows the Dectech All Round Advert Award results. So, for example, commiserations to Aldi, whose campaign performs well on our objective evaluation, but who we suspect won’t lift a gong on Monday.
But this year both performance measures agree on who ought to, and is going to, win. On buying Vinnie Jones for Sheffield United, Dave Bassett said, “when you’re a manager you’re looking for good players, not blokes to marry your daughter”. Sentiments presumably shared by the British Heart Foundation’s Marketing Director, Nick Radmore, when he cast hard man Jones to provide CPR instruction to the tune of Staying Alive.
And we’re sure Mr Jones will be pleased with the result. As he himself once said: “Winning doesn’t really matter, as long as you win.”
1. Gold entrants indicate actual result
2. Aldi’s advert has since been banned by the ASA