Data driven media, CX and advertising agency AFFINITY has been awarded Gold and the Special Prize for Best Small Budget at the world’s most prestigious industry awards, the IPA Effectiveness Awards.

It’s the first time an Australian agency has ever won Gold, or a special prize, since the competition launched in 1980.

The IPA Effectiveness Awards are the world’s most rigorous industry competition and rewards campaigns that unequivocally demonstrate marketing payback. In total, 11 gold, 13 silver and 15 bronze prizes, along with nine special prizes were awarded.

AFFINITY’s Gold award-winning campaign helped Narellan Pools to reverse the decline in company sales by exploiting a ‘Big Data’ insight about the exact time when prospective pool buyers were most likely to convert into sales. Their digital approach increased leads by 11 per cent, and sales by 23 per cent on a media budget cut by a third, producing an incremental revenue ROI of $54 for every $1 invested.

AJF Partnership and Initiative were the only other Australian agencies to be recognised at the awards, picking up a Bronze for Officeworks.

The full 2016 IPA Effectiveness Awards winners list:

Special Prizes:

Grand Prix – sponsored by Thinkbox
John Lewis, The gift that keeps on giving: John Lewis Christmas advertising, 2012 – 2015 by adam&eveDDB and Manning Gottlieb OMD

Best Commercial Effectiveness for Good (President’s Prize) – sponsored by Outsmart
Dove, Beautifully Effective: How Dove turned cultural resonance into ROI by Ogilvy

Effectiveness Network of the Year
BBDO

Effectiveness Company of the Year
adam&eveDDB

Best Dedication to Effectiveness (The Simon Broadbent Prize) – sponsored by Radiocentre
Unilever

Best Multi-Market – sponsored by Ipsos Connect
Snickers, Thinking like a Hollywood blockbuster by AMV BBDO

Best Small Budget – sponsored by MARSH
Narellan Pools, Diving into big data for Narellan Pools by AFFINITY

Best International (The Tim Broadbent Prize) – sponsored by Warc
Speeding (New Zealand Transport Authority), Mistakes by Clemenger BBDO Wellington

The Channon Prize for Best New Learning – sponsored by Newsworks
The Economist, Raising eyebrows and subscriptions by Proximity BBDO London and UM London

Gold winners:

• Art Fund, The art of framing by 101 London
• Direct Line, Direct Line: We Solve Problems by Direct Line Group
• Guinness, An effectiveness story Made of More by AMV BBDO
• John Lewis, The gift that keeps on giving: John Lewis Christmas advertising, 2012 – 2015 by adam&eveDDB and Manning Gottlieb OMD
• Macmillan, Macmillan Cancer Support: Making sure no one faces cancer alone, today or tomorrow by VCCP
• Narellan Pools, Diving into big data for Narellan Pools by AFFINITY
• Save the Children, Making embarrassing knitwear into something to be proud of by adam&eveDDB
• Snickers, Thinking like a Hollywood blockbuster by AMV BBDO
• Speeding (New Zealand Transport Agency), Mistakes by Clemenger BBDO Wellington
• Stoptober, Stoptober: a radical new way to get England to quit smoking by 23red and MEC London
• The Economist, Raising eyebrows and subscriptions by Proximity BBDO London and UM London

Silver winners:

• Dove, Beautifully Effective: How Dove turned cultural resonance into ROI by Ogilvy
• John Lewis Insurance, The power of true brand extension marketing by adam&eveDDB and Manning Gottlieb OMD
• Lidl, How Lidl found itself atop the grocer’s Christmas tree by TBWA\London
• L’Oreal Age Perfect, How L’Oreal Paris Age Perfect transformed its fortunes by showing older women they’re still ‘worth it’ by McCann London
• Pepsi Max, Unbelievable by AMV BBDO
• Plusnet, The pride of Yorkshire: how Plusnet’s adverts transformed its fortunes, against ever-increasing odds by Karmarama and Maxus
• Sainsbury’s, Christmas is for Sharing by AMV BBDO
• Sensodyne, Solving Problems, Not Selling Benefits by Grey London
• Sixt, How Sixt challenged car hire culture, and changed its fortunes by Grey London
• The Guardian & Observer, Time for transformation by BBH London
• The Royal British Legion, Fortune favours the brave by RKCR/Y&R
• Three, Sorry (not sorry) for all the holiday spam by Wieden+Kennedy London
• Wall’s, Getting the long tail wagging again: How Wall’s said ‘Goodbye’ to a serious business challenge by adam&eveDDB

Bronze winners:

• Coors Light, Van Damme good results: how Jean Claude transformed the fortunes of Coors Light by VCCP and ZenithOptimedia
• Costa, Creating a nation of coffee lovers by Karmarama
• Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, Eurotunnel Le Shuttle: Engineering Success by OMD UK
• first direct, Made for millennials by J. Walter Thompson and Mindshare
• First4Adoption, Start your adoption story by Kindred
• Kenco, Coffee Vs Gangs: How a strong brand purpose changed lives in Honduras and changed fortunes for Kenco by J. Walter Thompson
• Mattessons, The Mattesson’aissance by Saatchi & Saatchi
• McVitie’s, McVitie’s: Waking the sleeping giant by Grey London
• Officeworks, How Officeworks realised its own big idea by AJF Partnership and Initiative
• Santander, From “who?” to hero: how Santander became king of the switchers by The Engine Group
• Spies Travels, Do it for Denmark and Do it for Mom by Robert/Boisen & Likeminded and Spies Travels
• The Conservative Party, Winning the benefit of the doubt by M&C Saatchi
• UK Government, The missing millions – giving expats their voice by Ogilvy
• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, From manufacturer to service partner: How Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles did more with less by adam&eveDDB
• Volvo, “Or by”: how two little words made Volvo’s safety matter again by Grey London