The stars of promotional marketing shine brightly at the IPM Awards 2024—where for over 50 years we have recognised and celebrated teams that push boundaries and elevate industry standards. This year’s winners have set a new benchmark for creativity, innovation, and impact. After careful judging across categories—covering everything from brand activations and immersive experiences to partnerships, loyalty, and incentives—the Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards reflect the depth of talent driving our industry forward. Standout campaigns across food, beverage, sports, and entertainment continue to raise the bar across diverse environments, while the highly anticipated Grand Prix and Agency of the Year awards keep everyone on the edge of their seats. Congratulations to all finalists for shaping the future of promotional marketing. Explore the full list of winners and relive the unforgettable moments of the IPM Awards 2024.

The stars of promotional marketing shine brightly at the IPM Awards 2024—where for over 50 years we have recognised and celebrated teams that push boundaries and elevate industry standards. This year’s winners have set a new benchmark for creativity, innovation, and impact. After careful judging across categories—covering everything from brand activations and immersive experiences to partnerships, loyalty, and incentives—the Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards reflect the depth of talent driving our industry forward. Standout campaigns across food, beverage, sports, and entertainment continue to raise the bar across diverse environments, while the highly anticipated Grand Prix and Agency of the Year awards keep everyone on the edge of their seats. Congratulations to all finalists for shaping the future of promotional marketing. Explore the full list of winners and relive the unforgettable moments of the IPM Awards 2024.

Setting the Gold Standard

The IPM Awards 2024 opened with a heartfelt welcome from Emma Kirk, General Manager of the IPM, who highlighted the strides made in fostering a more connected and robust marketing community. Held at the NOBU Hotel in Portman Square, the ceremony was lively thanks to comedian Tom Allen, while Lord Black of Brentwood, President of the IPM, delivered a keynote speech that added gravitas to the event. He reflected on the dynamism, energy, and rapidly evolving nature of the marketing landscape, addressing the challenges and opportunities ahead for the industry amidst technological disruption and evolving regulations. His words set the tone for a celebration of campaigns that exemplify the gold standard of promotional marketing in the United Kingdom.

Leading the way in Health and Beauty, Twelve claimed Gold for their “Bulldog and Strava” campaign, cleverly blending personal care with fitness technology. Over in Retail, PrettyGreen took Gold for their creative “Furbtrees” AR Christmas campaign, bringing the nostalgic Furby toy back to life. Brand Experience takes centre stage, with N2O claiming Gold for the immersive “Tesco Christmas Grotto,” followed by another Gold in Travel, Leisure, and Tourism for their “P&O Cruises” campaign. In the same category, tpf earned Bronze for their playful “Universal Parks & Resorts x The Grinch” activation, while 83 Agency secured Silver for their cultural narrative in “The Kingdom: Where It All Begins.”

Among other experiential winners, TRO was recognised for their nostalgic “Goodwood Revival 2023 for MINI Cooper,” and Blackjack Promotions impressed at the point of purchase with their “World Duty Free & Nestlé Treasure Hunt.” In Brand Partnerships, Cat Among The Pigeons took Gold for “Trek x Decathlon Everybody Active,” while their “Horlicks Find Your Happy Place” campaign also performed strongly. Over in Entertainment and Sport, The Leith Agency captured both Gold and Silver, standing out with culturally relevant and successful product launches for Motherwell FC and The Macallan.

TLC Worldwide earned Gold in Loyalty for their ‘YouTube High Five Program,’ while Mando also took home Gold in Incentive, Prize, and Loyalty for their outstanding Sky Cinema campaign, further raising the bar in loyalty execution. Cloud Nine Incentives were recognised for their Adidas Terrex Intersport 2024 campaign, which set a high standard in loyalty programme execution. While Hashting showcased their excellence in Promotional Marketing Services for their “Beavertown Lazer Crush X Digital Drive to Store” campaign, which demonstrated the power of digital engagement. The Positive Impact category honoured Together Agency with Gold for “Charlie is in Control”, which tackled drug-related violence through behaviour change in collaboration with Leicestershire Police.

A defining moment of the afternoon was the presentation of the Bob Suppiah Award, created to recognise exceptional dedication, participation, and leadership within the industry. Mirroring the IPM’s core values—Protect, Promote, and Progress—this honour recognises outstanding contributions that have inspired, educated, and elevated the industry. This year, that distinction was awarded to N2O, who have made transformative strides, chairing the Experiential Effectiveness  Community and leading discussions on purposeful brand activation, particularly around London Pride. They’ve hosted webinars on influencer marketing and explored generational trends, such as understanding ethically engaging with Generation Alpha. Beyond sharing insights through whitepapers and IPM events, they’ve invited us to experience their live activations first-hand, capturing the magic of brand experience for all to see. N2O’s dedication to raising standards and sharing knowledge is a powerful tribute to Bob Suppiah’s legacy—uplifting the industry and finding both joy and purpose in every step of its progress.

As the evening reached its crescendo, ZEAL Creative was named Agency of the Year for the second consecutive year thanks to standout campaigns across retail marketing, social impact, and brand activation. Their Pringles x PayPoint campaign highlighted innovation in retail by offering rewards through non-traditional channels, while Anchor x UK Community Foundations demonstrated the power of social impact by linking butter sales to community funding. Meanwhile, the prestigious Grand Prix Award, the highest accolade of the night, went to Hopper & Clarion Communications for their Aldi Rose Degrees Billboard campaign. Designed to mark National Rosé Day, this campaign featured the world’s first temperature-sensitive billboard, which dispensed free rosé wine when the temperature reached 19.2°C, the ideal rosé drinking temperature. Congratulations to all our finalists and winners for shaping the future of the industry. Explore the full list of winners and relive the unforgettable moments of the IPM Awards 2024.

Sectors

From Food to Fashion and Technology to Travel, the IPM Awards recognises marketing excellence across a variety of sectors. Each field presents its own unique challenges and opportunities—whether you’re revolutionising the B2B landscape, tantalising taste buds in the Food and Beverage industries, or bringing dreams to life in Entertainment & Sport. These award-winning campaigns not only reflect excellence within their respective sectors but also drive transformative change throughout the entire marketing landscape.

Experiential

The Experiential category honours the IPM’s deep-rooted connection with experiential marketing, strengthened through the Experiential Effectiveness Community. It celebrates campaigns that bring brands to life through live experiences, allowing consumers to touch, taste, hear, see, and feel a brand. These activations transform fleeting moments into immersive memories, whether at points of purchase, pop-ups, or large events. From concept to execution, this category embodies the craft and magic of brand experience, setting a benchmark for industry excellence and effectiveness.

Retail and Shopper

From energising aisles with bold designs to executing outstanding promotions in, on, or with pack, this category celebrates best-in-class brand activations that drive results at the checkout. These campaigns bring the shopper journey to life, transforming everyday purchases into memorable brand moments that resonate long after consumers leave the store.

Best Creative Shopper Activation Award

Sponsored by Cloud Nine Incentives

Best Shopper Promotion in, on or with Pack Award

Sponsored by Cloud Nine Incentives

Incentive, Prize and Loyalty

As program membership and engagement rates across the UK skyrocket, anticipation for this year’s Incentive, Prize, and Loyalty category is at an all-time high. From eye-catching prize promotions that entice participation to loyalty programmes that reward and retain, these campaigns showcase how brands can build long-term relationships and transform casual customers into loyal fans.

Best Incentive and/or Prize Promotion Award

Sponsored by Halo Promo Risk

Best Loyalty Campaign

Sponsored by Reward Gateway | Edenred UK  

Promotional Marketing Services

Behind every unforgettable campaign is a variety of Promotional Marketing Services – including fixed fee solutions, to staffing, data handling, and reporting. This category recognises the specialists who power up promotions and deliver cutting-edge service delivery.

Best Promotional Marketing Management

Best Management of Incentive, Prize and/or Loyalty Promotions

Best Staffing and Event Support Service Award

Award sponsored by staffwise

Brand Partnerships

Bolstered by the Brand Partnerships Community, we celebrate campaigns that unite brands to create powerful synergies and shared narratives, driving reach, relevance, and results. Whether through co-branded promotions, strategic alliances, or long-term collaborations, this category honours partnerships that elevate brands beyond the sum of their parts, setting new standards for creativity and commercial success.

Techniques and Objectives

This category is all about strategy and execution. It celebrates campaigns that have skilfully used technology, data, social media, or influencers to achieve specific marketing goals. Whether through creative digital channels, insightful data use, or impactful social engagement, these campaigns demonstrate how innovative techniques meet clear objectives to deliver measurable results.

Best Integrated Campaign

Honouring campaigns that effectively operate across multiple marketing touchpoints to create a single, impactful message. This category recognises campaigns that seamlessly integrate traditional and digital platforms to tell a unified story. By delivering results and elevating brand presence, the winners exemplify both creativity and coherence, underscoring the essential role of integration in today’s dynamic marketing landscape.

Celebrating Our Champions

As the curtain draws on the IPM Awards 2024, we reflect on a night that truly elevated the industry standard. To the winners and finalists, your work today becomes tomorrow’s benchmark—continuing to inspire and shape the future of promotional marketing. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the sponsors, whose support has been instrumental in recognising and celebrating the industry’s best campaigns. A special thanks goes to the judges, whose skill and devotion ensured the fairest and most thorough evaluation of this year’s remarkable entries. To all those who pushed boundaries and set a new standard for creativity, innovation, and impact, congratulations. Your relentless pursuit of excellence continues to drive the industry forward and inspire future generations.

News

Power Couples: The Art & Science of Brand Partnerships

18 December 2024|Comments Off on Power Couples: The Art & Science of Brand Partnerships

For our final webinar of the year, the IPM assembles a panel of experts to unravel the art and science of brand partnerships: how to forge them, why they succeed, and what’s next