Marketing’s New Promise: 20 Campaigns That Make a World of Difference
Marketing Makes a World of Difference™: From Promise to Proof
The 2025 Marketing Makes a World of Difference™ Awards highlight something profound: while the word purpose may be debated, its power in marketing is far from dead. Across industries, countries, and causes, brands are showing that when purpose evolves into promise—and promises are proven through authentic action—marketing can change lives, build trust, and drive growth.
This year’s winners span every corner of the globe: from Lebanon’s fight for press freedom to New Zealand’s lessons in digital safety, from Sweden’s gamified sustainability to the U.S.’s call to combat gun violence, from global campaigns redefining beauty in the AI era to playful local pride built on Olympic surnames. The spectrum ranges from serious social missions to lighter, culture-driven ideas. Even the most severe cases often used humor— like Sandy Hook Promise’s chilling “Just Joking” comedy set or AXA’s use of laughter to talk about mental health. The unifying thread: bold creativity matched with authentic action.
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR LIST OF AWARD WINNERS & CASE STUDY LINKS
The Lessons for Marketers
1. Promise into Action
Audiences no longer accept lofty statements. From Dove retraining AI algorithms to EE embedding sign language in football stadiums, the best work closed the gap between what brands say and what they do.
2. Tech with Empathy
Technology isn’t the story—people are. Whether AI gave Swedes hope for a fossil-free future, helped families in Taiwan talk about organ donation, or turned dogs into earthquake detectors in Peru, the winners showed that innovation succeeds only when it humanizes.
3. Culture as Catalyst
Many winners borrowed the language of culture—sports, gaming, comedy, music—to turn familiar rituals into unexpected teaching moments. It’s proof that the fastest way to relevance is through the cultural spaces people already care about.
4. Visibility is Power
Sometimes the greatest difference comes from simply being seen. From Lebanon’s typographic “typics” to the Philippines’ KITA Initiative, from murals honoring young cardiac victims in the UK to constellations made of space debris, these campaigns reminded us that marketing can shine light where it matters most.
5. Growth Follows Good
These initiatives weren’t side projects. McDonald’s Sweden gained share while cleaning streets. Ally boosted trust with underserved Hispanic audiences. Dove sold more product while funding girls’ confidence in sports. Growth and good proved to be deeply intertwined.
The Evolution of Purpose
What emerges is a portrait of marketing that is both global and diverse: lighthearted and serious, tech-driven and culture-led, local and universal. Together, these winners prove that Marketing Makes a World of Difference™ is not an aspiration but a reality—one that today’s marketers must embrace if they want both relevance and results.
Because while “purpose” may be evolving, it is anything but dead. When promises are matched by action, when trust becomes the engine of growth, and when creativity inspires people to see—and do—things differently, marketing becomes more than communication. It becomes a force that truly makes a world of difference.
2025 Award Winners
(Alphabetical Order | All are Platinum Winners)
CLICK ON NAME FOR CASE STUDY LINK
2degrees – Good Tings (New Zealand)
Submitted by OMD New Zealand
… Turned kids’ first phones into digital safety lessons, embedding protection into music, unboxing, and school curriculum.
Al Joumhouria – Uncensored Press (Lebanon)
Submitted by OMD \ TBWA\Raad
… Transformed censored war photography into typographic “typics” that bypassed algorithms, giving frontline journalism global visibility.
Ally – Savings Bucket to Honor You (USA)
Submitted by EssenceMediacom | WPP Media
… Reframed financial literacy as cultural pride, empowering young Hispanics to save in ways that honor family and heritage.
AXA – Group Therapy (Global)
Submitted by Wavemaker | WPP Media
… Used comedy as a bridge to tackle mental health stigma, turning laughter into an entry point for healing.
British Heart Foundation – ’Til I Died (UK)
Submitted by PHD UK
… Turned a football chant into public murals honoring young lives lost to cardiac conditions, sparking donations and awareness.
Dove – Born to Run (Global/USA)
Submitted by Mindshare | WPP Media
… Partnered with Nike and athletes to keep girls in sports by tackling body confidence dropouts at puberty.
Dove – Real Beauty Redefined for the AI Era (Global)
Submitted by Mindshare | WPP Media
… Intervened in algorithms to ensure inclusive, authentic beauty representation in the age of AI.
EE – Support. It’s In Your Hands (UK)
Submitted by Havas Play UK
… Embedded British Sign Language into football sponsorships, making the sport more inclusive for Deaf fans.
Foundation to Combat Antisemitism – Timeout Against Hate (USA)
Submitted by Mindshare | WPP Media
… Hijacked sports timeouts to unite Americans against antisemitism and hate of all kinds.
Google Workspace – 50 States, 50 Stories (USA)
Submitted by EssenceMediacom | WPP Media
… Replaced one flashy Super Bowl spot with 50 local ads, spotlighting small businesses powered by AI.
Mazda – First to the Finish (Global/USA)
Submitted by Mindshare | WPP Media
… Broke barriers with a Prime Video docuseries on women racers, redefining branded storytelling as entertainment.
McDonald’s Sweden – Deal with the Trash (Sweden)
Submitted by OMD Sweden
… Turned litter into loyalty rewards, gamifying responsibility while boosting app use, trust, and market share.
Minnesota Pork Board – Cook’n Bacon / Team Pork (USA)
Submitted by Parity
… Celebrated Olympic divers Cook and Bacon with a playful campaign that built community pride and food bank support.
PetPace – Animal Alerts (Peru → Global)
Submitted by MEDIAPLUS Germany
… Transformed smart collars into seismic sensors, turning dogs into a life-saving earthquake warning system.
Privateer – Space Trash Signs (Global)
Submitted by MEDIAPLUS Germany
… Made orbital debris visible by mapping space junk into constellations, driving awareness and policy change.
Sandy Hook Promise – Just Joking (USA)
Submitted by PHD USA
… Used stand-up comedy to expose the danger of dismissing school shooting threats as “jokes,” preventing real tragedies.
SPARK! Philippines – KITA Initiative (Philippines)
Submitted by Havas Ortega, Manila
… Made women entrepreneurs literally visible by redesigning store signage with culturally inspired typography.
Starcom Taiwan – The Love Atomic Habit (Taiwan)
Submitted by Starcom Taiwan
… Leveraged AI to help families practice love and openness, breaking taboos around organ donation consent.
Treeless Map – Abdul Latif Jameel Motors (Saudi Arabia)
Submitted by SERVICEPLAN & MEDIAPLUS Middle East
… Stripped Fortnite of trees to dramatize deforestation, planting real trees for every player who joined.
Vattenfall – Fossil FreeDOME (Sweden)
Submitted by OMD Sweden
… Used AI-powered VR to help people co-create a fossil-free future, transforming climate anxiety into hope.
Publisher’s Note
At The Internationalist, we’ve long believed that marketing is one of the most powerful disciplines in business—not just to communicate, but to inspire action and shape culture. These winners prove that while purpose is evolving, it is very much alive when matched with authentic action. They remind us that marketing at its best does more than sell—it solves, it builds trust, and it truly makes a world of difference.
— Deborah Malone
Founder, The Internationalist
ABOUT MARKETING MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE™:
MARKETING MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE™ launched a decade ago as a Think Tank event series when The Internationalist noticed a shift in the winners of its case study award programs. Those cases that did make a world of difference were consistently among the Grand Prix winners. Today, MARKETING MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE™ highlights new marketing thinking that contributes to doing good, while creating deeper and more relevant customer relationships, enhancing brand growth, and demonstrating the importance of the marketing function within the corporation.
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONALIST:
For over 20 years, The Internationalist has championed the reinvention of marketing worldwide—by connecting people and ideas across advertising, media, and brand-building. Through content, insights, case studies, Awards, Summits, and peer-to-peer Think Tanks, we bring together marketers who are shaping what’s next.
Founded by former Ad Age executive Deborah Malone, The Internationalist remains proudly marketer-driven. Our community thrives on collaboration, shared learning, and inspiration. From our Marketing Makes a World of Difference™ initiative to our long-standing Global Alliance with the ANA, we highlight how marketing can spark progress and create real impact.
