Top Brands and Agencies Recognised as WARC Awards 2025 Honours Marketing Excellence in Middle East and Africa

...Gold, Silver and Bronze accolades presented across seven categories in three key markets

The winners of the WARC Awards 2025 for the Middle East and Africa have been announced, celebrating marketing and strategic effectiveness across the region. In its fifth year and held in association with LIONS, the programme recognises outstanding campaigns that deliver real business impact.

A total of 12 trophies were awarded: four Gold, three Silver, and five Bronze, with campaigns spanning multiple sectors including consumer packaged goods, technology, and telecommunications. Local and global brands such as Annahar, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, KFC, and Vodafone were among those honoured, alongside leading agencies from across the MEA region.

The United Arab Emirates led with seven awards, followed by South Africa with four, and Saudi Arabia with one.

Entries were judged by a panel of regional experts using the Creative Effectiveness and B2B Effectiveness Ladders – frameworks designed to provide a consistent and globally recognised measure of marketing effectiveness.

Commenting on the winners, John Bizzell, Awards Lead at WARC, said:
“The jury for the WARC Awards 2025 for Middle East & Africa were impressed by the technological innovations and data-driven insights shaping strategic marketing across the region, but what truly dazzled them in the winning work was the power brands are finding for business and society in pushing to truly understand and empathise with customers and citizens.”

2025 WARC Awards Middle East & Africa – Winners by Category:

Brand Purpose

• Gold: Bread of The Nation – AB InBev SA · Ogilvy South Africa, Cape Town · South Africa

Channel Pioneer

• Gold: Sounds of stands: Turning culture into channel – Vodafone Oman · Memac Ogilvy, Dubai · UAE

• Silver: Oops, AI caught you craving – Coca-Cola · EssenceMediacom, Dubai · UAE

Cultural Impact

• Bronze: Moving the nation without moving the budget – Saudi Sports for All Federation · Webedia, Jeddah · Saudi Arabia

• Bronze: Selling the best car from the worst seat – Chevrolet · Commonwealth McCann, Dubai · UAE

Customer Experience

• Bronze: Colors through Lexus – Lexus Al-Futtaim · Memac Ogilvy, Dubai · UAE

Instant Impact

• Silver: KFC’s breakfast coup – KFC South Africa · Ogilvy South Africa, Johannesburg · South Africa

Long-term Growth

• Silver: Underdog to Unstoppable – MG Motor · C2 Communications, Dubai · UAE

Partnerships & Sponsorships

• Gold: Carling Cup 2023 – Fak’ugesi (Bring the Energy) – AB InBev SA · Ogilvy South Africa, Cape Town · South Africa

Strategic Thinking

• Bronze: Baity battle – STC Telcom · VML, Dubai · UAE

• Bronze: How KFC reclaimed its fame – KFC South Africa · Ogilvy South Africa, Johannesburg · South Africa

Use of Data

• Gold: The new president – AnNahar · Impact BBDO, Dubai · UAE

No awards were given in the Business-to-Business and Channel Integration categories.

All Gold-winning entries will advance to compete globally for the prestigious WARC Grands Prix. These will be selected by an international jury made up of regional chairs from Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, and North America. The final winners will be revealed on 13 May during the Effectiveness Show on warc.com.