DDB wins Grand Effie in Hong Kong

DDB won the Grand Effie and three metals as the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong (HK4As) presented the 2023 Hong Kong Effie Awards last night (Wednesday October 18). 

DDB Group Hong Kong’s ‘Unbroken’, for Hagar International under General Specialty, won the Grand Effie under General Specialty, Experiential Marketing—Live / Digital / Live & Digital for of its notable experiential marketing. The agency also took home a gold, a silver and a bronze.

Ogilvy bagged the most number of medals, with two silvers and six bronzes winning across three brands. Saatchi & Saatchi also collected four bronzes this year.  

The awards were held at the Island Shangri-La in Hong Kong, with over 120 guests including jury members, marketers and agency staffers.  

The organisation gave out 26 awards in total—one Grand Effie, two golds, six silvers and 17 bronzes—from a shortlist of 32. See the full winners list (PDF) here.

The jury included more than 30 judges with diverse backgrounds and experiences across the marketing spectrum, went through over two rounds of intense judging in the past two months.  A special judging panel including jury chair Andreas Moellmann (independent brand and marketing consultant), Eva Ng (global director of brand strategy, Schneider Electric), Jason Spencer (managing director, Kantar Insights Hong Kong), Lambert Chan (adjunct professor, City University of Hong Kong), and Partha Sinha (president, Times Group of India) selected the Grand Effie winner.

Moellmann said: "The Effies celebrate the power of effectiveness in thinking, the purpose of marketing and its contribution to business.  The winning cases of this year are shining examples of why business needs smart marketing thinking to be successful in today’s competitive market."

The other contender for the Grand Effie was M+ for their Special Exhibition 'Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now', taking home gold under the culture and arts category.

The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong (HK4As) has organised and presented the Effie Awards in Hong Kong since 2004.   

Gold Winner: M+ Special Exhibition 'Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now', M+, West Kowloon Cultural District
 

Gold Winner: 'Unbroken', Hagar International, DDB Group Hong Kong
 

Effie Hong Kong jurors
 

Effie Hong Kong gala