#EffieAwards2025 | Gillian Rightford: The Alchemy of Effectiveness
As I read through this year’s Effie cases, I noticed something striking. In the very best of them, there was a moment where everything came together.
The problem wasn’t just defined, it was reframed.
The research wasn’t just analysed, it was transformed into an insight that shifted direction.
The creativity didn’t just answer the brief; it elevated it.
That leap to something greater is what makes an Effie case extraordinary.
It is the alchemy we celebrate: the transformation that happens when disciplined thinking and creative spark combine to deliver effectiveness.
The Effie Framework for Marketing Effectiveness gives us the structure: Define the Challenge, Develop Insights and a Strategy, Bring the Idea to Life, and Measure Results.
But the very best cases show us that effectiveness isn’t just about moving through those stages.
It’s about how each stage connects — how clarity leads to insight, how insight ignites creativity, how execution resonates, and how results prove and strengthen the work.
That’s where the alchemy happens.
From Base Metals to Gold
Every Effie case begins with a challenge — sometimes daunting, often complex.
These challenges are the "base metals" of our industry: a declining market share, a shift in consumer behaviour, the launch of something new in an already crowded category.
On their own, these problems can feel immovable. But when approached with rigour and imagination, they become the raw material for transformation.
Strategy provides the crucible; insight is the spark; creativity is the energy that ignites possibility.
And when campaigns are executed with precision, what emerges is golden: effectiveness.
That effectiveness can take many forms — sales uplift, stronger brand equity, market penetration, loyalty, or cultural impact.
But at its heart lies proof that ideas, when powered by strategy and creativity, can transform business outcomes.
The Chemistry of Collaboration
Alchemy is never a solo pursuit. It depends on chemistry and the blending of talents.
The same is true of marketing effectiveness.
Effie winners show us the power of deep collaboration: clients who are brave enough to trust in bold ideas; agencies disciplined enough to ground those ideas in strategy; planners who uncover truths in the data; creatives who bring those truths to life in ways that move people; media teams who ensure the message reaches the right audience at the right time.
When these partnerships are in balance, the reaction is catalytic. Each side contributes something essential, and the outcome is far richer than any one contribution alone.
Why effectiveness is our gold standard
In today’s world, where every cent of marketing spend is under scrutiny, effectiveness has become our gold standard.
Creativity is no longer a risk — it is a business multiplier.
Strategy is no longer a theoretical exercise — it is the compass that directs ideas towards growth.
Effectiveness is no longer an aspiration — it is the measure that proves our industry’s value.
The Effies remind us that effectiveness does not happen by chance. It happens through disciplined creativity, rigorous evaluation, and the courage to connect ideas to outcomes.
The alchemy we celebrate is not mystical — it is methodical.
Celebrating our Alchemists
This year’s winners represent the finest alchemists in South African marketing.
They have taken difficult challenges and, through inspired strategy and bold creativity, produced campaigns that delivered results with lasting impact.
These cases show us that when we harness the right chemistry, we can move consumers, build brands, and transform businesses.
They inspire us all to push harder, think deeper, and collaborate better.
To our winners — congratulations. You are the gold (and black) standard of our industry. Your work sets the benchmark for what marketing effectiveness can achieve.
TBWA tops the Effies Awards SA
Looking ahead: Structure and spark
As we celebrate the winners of 2025, we also look to the future.
The Effies are not just an awards programme — they are a platform for learning.
Each case study offers a roadmap for how disciplined creativity can solve different business problems.
Through initiatives like the Effie Academy’s online Fundamentals and the Effie Lion Foundation’s College programmes, we will continue to equip marketers and agencies to refine their craft and embed effectiveness at the heart of what they do.
At the centre of this is the Effie Framework — four interconnected pillars that ensure clarity, creativity, and accountability.
But what makes the best cases stand out is not just the structure.
It is the spark between the stages: the leap from challenge to insight, the courage to bring ideas boldly to life, and the discipline to measure results honestly.
It is here — between structure and spark — that effectiveness truly happens.
Let us keep seeking that alchemy. Let us keep turning challenges into opportunities, ideas into impact, and ambition into gold.
See you at the Effie Awards 2026.
Listen further
Listen further to Rightford on the Grand Effie awarded this year, as well as the Gold campaigns, each of which in its own way went beyond traditional advertising and so created real impact by integrating innovative solutions to practical problems, showing that marketing effectiveness has moved towards real-world problem-solving.
Look out for more ACA Effie Awards interviews.
