5 awards shortlists for 2022
December 5, 2022
Awards season is well and truly upon us and, with the last few years having been filled with anxiety and uncertainty for people and businesses alike, it’s great to be recognised in the shortlists of no less than 3 different awards events’ shortlisted entries.
Creating clarity from the messiness of culture, real life & data from around the world. Getting to the heart of the big, knotty questions that clients and their highest-level internal stakeholders have. Delivering strategies and clear ways forward that have impact on people in the real world. These are things we are all about at Firefish and can’t wait to see what the ceremonies bring us in the:
ARF David Ogilvy Awards | Ceremony: 12th October | NYC
(UPDATE: We won the Gold and the Grand Ogilvy!)
With us having won a Gold in both 2020 and 2021 for our work with Dove & Michelob Ultra Seltzer, respectively, we are hoping for the hat trick at this year’s ARF David Ogilvy Awards, for our work with JM Smucker’s Jif peanut butter.
Jif had noticed increased pressure from private label PB products and needed to ignite brand growth through consideration and conversion, especially among a new, younger audience.
Jif’s creative agency, PSONE, brought a seed of an idea rooted in a timely, cultural debate between old vs new hip hop fans and Firefish USA were tasked with not only validating this, but also informing the new creative. Deep knowledge from ardent rap fans was needed to ensure the message was respectful and authentic, while also delivering key guidelines and guardrails to steer the creative, ensuring strong appeal, relevance and brand fit for rap & non-rap fans alike.
Blending an initial stakeholder knowledge-sharing workshop, a series of paired in-depth interviews with rap superfans, focus groups, and iterative ‘huddles’ with the creative & client teams – we showed how Jif could authentically land the execution without descending into parody, while amplifying the key takeaway that Jif is best PB on the market.
The result: Jif’s highest category share in 10 years, significant lift in social voice share, and achieving its goal of attracting a younger audience…not too shabby, if we do say so ourselves.
Quirks Excellence Awards | Ceremony: 7th November | Virtual (1pm EST/6pm GMT)
UPDATE: Our partnership with Pinterest won
Having been shortlisted for Best Agency and Ground-breaking Research Project categories in the past, we have 2 shortlists this year…in the same category!
First up, our work with McDonald’s McCafé global team.
Facing increased competition, COVID-related consumption changes, and a rapidly evolving coffee culture, McDonald’s was seeking ways to drive coffee growth and deliver a better McCafé experience around the world. They came to Firefish to help them go from a ‘good’ to ‘great’ coffee experience, in 10 countries at different stages in coffee culture and in their business situation. Knowing that this was more than a brand challenge, we took a 3-pronged approach to answering the question layering a deep dive into the coffee culture, into the human experience, and the business situation. This was achieved through semiotics and trendscaping, experts, creative online community exercises and treks, IDIs, brand discussions and client workshops. This all culminated in the delivery of global guidelines and local solutions for McCafé to offer a more meaningful coffee moment, through product making and consistency, brand communications, and overall product and place experience.
Secondly, our work on understanding and quantifying Inspiration for Pinterest.
A project grounded in the need to talk Pinterest’s own visual language, it was a true partnership with an ambitious goal: bring clarity to the intangible nature of Inspiration and realise a unique commercial opportunity to differentiate Pinterest. Critical to its success was the willingness of both us and the Pinterest team to take risks and experiment with brand-new methodologies, bringing these together for a multi-perspective understanding.
102 million data points and a visual research design and execution meant the pictorial research outputs gave teams across the business tangible, tactical examples of how to create inspirational content and talk to brands and advertisers about how to execute for commercial success. So good, that it featured in the Pinterest Presents global webcast, referenced by their CMO in the Return on Inspiration section (at c.49 min)
Want to see if we take home the gongs? Sign up to watch the ceremony for free here
Last but by no means least, the MRS Awards | Ceremony: 5th December | London
UPDATE: We got 2 “Highly Commended” recognitions for our work’s impact & effectiveness
This year, this one brings another shortlist for the global McDonald’s McCafé work – this time in the Best international category. As an agency that does a LOT of global work, from cultural strategy to tracking & testing, and have worked in over 170 cities across 6 continents in our 22 years, we are always happy to be recognised in this category.
The other shortlist is another that is close to our hearts – the Jeremy Bullmore Creative Development award. As we hope you know by now, we have Centres of Excellence in brand strategy & communications, and have been a strategy partner to some of the world’s biggest brands and businesses as they seek to find, craft and tell unique narratives for their brands. We have a storeyed history of partnering with Lynx/Axe, from the days of finding the core insight that underpinned the BomChickaWahWah years, through to the latest incarnation of The New Axe Effect, helping the team understand the culture of modern man and how best to bring that to the heart of the Lynx/Axe brand through its purpose and its communication. It was great to be part of that journey with them and also great to see how successful the campaign has been for the brand (as detailed in our MRS award entry) and so we are equally delighted to see the partnership shortlisted for this coveted trophy.
Will we see you at the ‘Night of a Thousand Stars’ ceremony in London on 5th December? Come over and say hello if you see us.
As always, if you need a partner for your strategic insight challenge, across our Centres of Excellence, then drop us an email. We could be picking up a trophy together next year.
