Updated: October 2, 2026. Marketing awards are easy to dismiss when the conversation stops at creative work. The 2026 IPA Effectiveness Awards are different because the judging is built around a harder question: did the marketing actually create measurable business value?

This year’s Grand Prix went to AMV BBDO and Spark Foundry for Currys. According to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), the campaign generated £500 million in incremental revenue over two years, increased market share by 1.1 percentage points and improved long-term ROI by 44%.

For marketers searching for the IPA Effectiveness Awards 2026 winners, the larger lesson is not just who collected trophies. The winning work shows how brand strategy, customer insight and commercial measurement can reinforce one another.

Key takeaways

  • Currys won the 2026 IPA Effectiveness Awards Grand Prix.
  • The winning work was led by AMV BBDO and Spark Foundry.
  • The IPA says the campaign generated £500m in incremental revenue.
  • Currys increased market share by 1.1 percentage points and long-term ROI by 44%.
  • Omnicom was named Effectiveness Company of the Year.
  • Specsavers received the Broadbent Prize for Best Dedication to Effectiveness.

Why did the Currys campaign win the Grand Prix?

The winning paper, titled The Superpower In-store, started with a problem many retailers know well. Consumers were increasingly comfortable buying technology online, which threatened the relevance of physical stores.

Rather than treating stores as a cost to defend, Currys reframed them as an advantage. Technology purchases can be confusing and expensive. Human advice, product comparison and hands-on experience became the value proposition.

That insight allowed the campaign to connect brand communication with a real operational strength: trained people in physical locations who could help customers make complicated decisions.

What makes the IPA Effectiveness Awards different?

The awards focus on evidence of commercial impact. Entries are reviewed by technical and industry panels that include strategists, marketers and econometric specialists.

That does not make every measurement perfect, but it changes the nature of the competition. A beautiful campaign without a credible business case is not enough.

This is especially relevant in 2026, when marketing teams are under pressure to justify budgets while attribution is getting more difficult across privacy-restricted platforms and AI-assisted customer journeys.

What can marketers learn from Currys?

1. Use a real customer tension, not a made-up brand message

People buying complex technology often want reassurance. Currys built around that real tension instead of relying only on product offers.

2. Turn an apparent weakness into an asset

Physical stores looked vulnerable in an ecommerce-first world. The strategy reframed stores as access to expertise.

3. Measure beyond short-term conversions

The IPA cited incremental revenue, market share and long-term ROI. That gives a fuller picture than clicks or last-touch sales alone.

4. Keep brand and performance connected

The strongest effectiveness cases usually do not treat “brand” and “performance” as enemies. They use brand to improve demand and performance media to capture it.

Who else won at the 2026 IPA Effectiveness Awards?

Omnicom was named Effectiveness Company of the Year after a broad haul across the awards. Specsavers received the Broadbent Prize for sustained commitment to effectiveness. Nationwide’s work with Mother and Wavemaker London won the Channon Prize for Best New Learning.

The wider winners list includes cases from categories such as telecom, beverages, finance and health—useful evidence that rigorous effectiveness measurement is not limited to ecommerce or direct-response brands.

Why effectiveness matters more in an AI-heavy marketing environment

AI has made creative production faster, but faster output does not automatically mean better business results. If anything, lower production friction creates more pressure to know which work is actually creating incremental value.

BCC’s recent analysis of creator marketing budgets and ROI in 2026–27 reached a similar conclusion: investment is rising quickly, but measurement and infrastructure need to catch up.

Our report on audio advertising ROI also shows why channel decisions are becoming more evidence-led as media mixes fragment.

What should a marketing team measure in 2026?

No single metric works for every business. A useful measurement stack usually includes a mix of commercial and behavioral measures:

  • incremental revenue or profit;
  • customer acquisition cost and lifetime value;
  • market share or category penetration;
  • brand consideration and preference;
  • media efficiency and marginal ROI;
  • repeat purchase and retention;
  • experiment or holdout results where possible.

The key word is incremental. Revenue that would have happened without marketing is not the same as revenue caused by marketing.

Frequently asked questions

Who won the IPA Effectiveness Awards 2026 Grand Prix?

AMV BBDO and Spark Foundry won the Grand Prix for their work with Currys.

How much revenue did the Currys campaign generate?

The IPA says the campaign generated £500 million in incremental revenue over two years.

What was the reported ROI impact?

The winning case reported a 44% increase in long-term ROI.

Where can I see the full winners list?

The IPA publishes the winners and case summaries on its official Effectiveness Awards pages.

Sources and further reading

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