Award Categories
INDUSTRY CATEGORIES
Campaigns entered into these industry categories will be considered for a Gold, Silver, or Bronze ARF David Ogilvy Award.
AUTOMOTIVE
Cars, trucks, motorcycles, gasoline, motor oil, servicing and parts
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS
Products and services that are exchanged or targeted from one business to another
DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER
Products and services that are not sold in a retail environment or through an intermediary and connect directly with the consumer
FASHION, BEAUTY & HOME
Clothing, eyewear, hosiery, jewelry, perfumes, cosmetics, shoes, furniture, paints, home appliances, cleaning supplies
FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE
Credit cards, loans, mutual funds, banking
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Soda, water, coffee, beer, wine, spirits, cereals, frozen foods, canned goods, snacks
GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC SERVICE & NON-PROFIT
Municipal or state development, lotteries, utilities, public service messages, political messages
HEALTH & PERSONAL CARE
Consumer healthcare/OTC products, first aid, skin and hair products, soap, deodorant
MULTICULTURAL
Products and services targeting multicultural targets
PHARMACEUTICALS
Drugs and medical devices prescribed by a licensed professional
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Real estate companies, law firms and legal services, clinics, delivery services (UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL)
RETAIL & RESTAURANTS
Brick and mortar and/or digital stores selling apparel, specialty products, general merchandise and/or services + restaurants, fast food, coffee shops, and juice bars
SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
Sporting events, teams and merchandise, films, music, TV shows, news programs, plays, museums, travel, network and cable branding
TECH & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Telephone companies, cellular services, internet access, membership services, tablets, smartphones, smart devices, social media, apps, video games, websites, VR, and voice-enabled tech
TRAVEL
Airlines, transit, hotels, rental services (I.e., Airbnb, HomeAway)
SPOTLIGHT CATEGORIES
In addition to the Industry vertical categories, Spotlight Categories honor the latest trends in the industry, including awareness about social issues, consumer experiences, and data-driven campaigns.
The awards follow the same criteria as the industry verticals, however only Gold and Silver distinctions are awarded in these categories.
BEST BRAND TRANSFORMATION
Most brands follow a standard lifecycle trajectory: high growth, maturity, level-off or decline. Exceptional campaigns break that model and reverse flat or declining sales. The Brand Transformation Award honors a campaign that used insights to reverse a downward trend or to chart a new course that reinvented the brand image, created new cultural relevance, or drove growth in an unexpected direction.
BEST CONSUMER EXPERIENCE
Consumers today fully expect brands to understand and connect with them through experiences, either via experiential marketing and/or encouraging consumers to create their own experiences with the brand. The Best Consumer Experience Award honors insights that led to a campaign that drove remarkable consumer experience.
BEST NEW or EMERGING BRAND
Communicating the merits of a new or emerging brand can be daunting, whether differentiating from an existing category or establishing a foothold in a new category. The Best New or Emerging Brand Award honors a campaign that used insights to break out among a cluttered industry category or established themselves as a stand-alone brand.
DATA INNOVATION AWARD
An abundance of data is meaningless if it does not power captivating creative campaigns. Data can create connected experiences vs. discrete touchpoints and help creative teams deliver passions and interests that align to targeted audiences. The Data Innovation Award honors a campaign that utilized innovative techniques to gather new and/or mine existing data, resulting in an actionable insight.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AWARD
Changing attitudes and behavior is not just for “selling” products – it can lead to healthier lives, educate entire communities or lend a helping hand to make the world a better place. The Social Responsibility Award honors a campaign that used insights to drive a message of positive change to a target or brought awareness to global or environmental needs. The award recognizes both branded efforts with a social message and/or work on behalf of non-profit organizations and institutions.
GRAND OGILVY AWARD
This award will be bestowed to the most outstanding campaign selected from all Gold award winners.
Tip: See what a winning campaign looks like in each category. Examples of past winning campaigns can be found on the winners page.
IMPORTANT: The amount of levels (Gold, Silver or Bronze) awarded in each category is at the sole discretion of the jury. Each campaign is reviewed based on its own merit and does not compete with the other campaigns entered into the same category. In some cases, the jury may choose to not award a Gold, Silver or Bronze award in a category.