We wanted to honour those brands which are setting a new standard for success with Kantar’s inaugural Brand Blueprint Awards, held in the sunshine of this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on 17 June.
We came together with 13 senior marketing leaders from some of the world's most successful brands to celebrate the best examples of innovation and excellence across the Blueprint’s three levers for growth, judged on objective, quantifiable measures drawn from billions of attitudinal and behavioural data points.
Highlights from the ceremony
Most Meaningfully Different Brand for 2024 went to IKEA, for consistently resonating with people as quality yet affordable – a vital message as consumers globally face a cost-of-living crisis. Meanwhile Corona took home the award for Fastest Rising Brand Driven by Meaningful Difference. Kantar’s experts lauded the brand for inspiring people to disconnect from stress and routine and celebrate the power of reconnecting with our true nature, through nature, helping it re-enter our BrandZ index as the world's most valuable beer brand.
Kahlúa and Heineken were rewarded for the effectiveness of their advertising, demonstrating remarkable creativity and engagement on social media and TV. Mondelez was named Most Consistently Effective Advertiser, putting its products at the heart of inclusive stories to connect with as many people as possible. Meanwhile, TENA’s Legend campaign for its male incontinence pads was named Most Progressive Ad, having using gentle humour to tap into the male psyche in a way that left its target audience feeling understood, empowered and in control.
We honoured four brands for their efforts in converting shoppers and consistently building buyer growth. Nearly 25 million new households bought Oreo cookies last year, making it a clear winner for Best Brand for Shopper Conversion in Food & Beverages; Sunsilk was awarded the equivalent title in Beauty & Homecare having achieved a phenomenal 27 million additional households by tailoring products to local markets. New products and innovations like Doritos’ Dinamita range and its Silent noise-cancelling app for gamers helped it achieve both 32% penetration growth over five years and our Most Consistent Shopper Growth in Food & Beverages award, while an expansion into natural and holistic oral care products that drove a 21% penetration gain saw Closeup win the award in the Beauty & Homecare category.
The award for most Meaningfully Different Innovation in FMCG went to Diageo for Guinness and Bailey’s. Guinness’ dedication to delivering the same signature sensorial experience at home and in low/no alcohol has led to standout success with Nitrosurge, which helps people pour a perfect Guinness at home, and Guinness 0.0% for those choosing to moderate. Bailey’s is recognised for gearing it’s innovation around its adult treating strategy across flavours, formats and formulations to include those for whom lighter or dairy free is important.
Full list of winners
Most Meaningfully Different Brand: IKEA
Fastest Rising Brand Driven by Meaningful Difference: Corona
Most Creative Effective Ad in Digital/Social: Kahlúa for "Gasp"
Most Creative Effective Ad in TV: Heineken for H150 Whateverken
Most Consistently Effective Advertiser: Mondelez
Most Progressive Ad: TENA for TENA Men Legend
Best Digital Ad Platform: Amazon
Meaningfully Different Experience: Air France
Best Brand for Shopper Conversion (Food & Beverages): Oreo
Best Brand for Shopper Conversion (Beauty & Homecare): Sunsilk
Most Consistent Buyer Growth (Food & Beverages): Doritos
Most Consistent Buyer Growth (Beauty & Homecare): Closeup
Most Meaningfully Different Innovation: Diageo
These awards celebrate the brands that are guiding lights for the industry, showcasing marketing’s role as a powerful driver of growth, and how a deep understanding of consumer behaviour can lead to outstanding results.
To understand how our insights and strategies can propel your brand to the top, Blueprint for Brand Growth page.