The INTERNATIONALIST AWARDS for INNOVATIVE DIGITAL MARKETING SOLUTIONS honor work that doesn’t merely use digital channels—it transforms them. This year’s winners prove that the most innovative ideas reshape behaviors, systems, and expectations across cultures and categories.
From breakthrough uses of AI and community participation to reimagining media infrastructure and redefining accountability, these initiatives show how digital thinking continues to move marketing—and society—forward. The 2025 winners demonstrate what happens when brands embrace creativity, courage, and meaningful connection at scale.
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GRAND PRIX
Exceptional Global Benchmarks & Highest Overall Scores
Dove – Real Beauty Redefined for the AI Era (Mindshare | Droga5 São Paulo) This is one of the strongest, most future-forward initiatives—digitally, culturally, ethically, and strategically… Dove confronted AI-driven beauty distortion by transforming two decades of Real Beauty assets into a digital force for good, reshaping algorithmic outputs and empowering women to redefine beauty in their own terms.
FCAS (Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism)– #TimeOutAgainstHate (Mindshare USA | VML) An extraordinary lesson in orchestrating cultural moments across digital, social, and live media… A nationwide, multi-league digital activation that transformed the universal “sports timeout” gesture into a symbol for stopping hate, uniting every major U.S. sports league and reaching 76% of Americans within 10 weeks.
Free2move – Screen2Save (MEDIAPLUS Germany) Screen2Save isn’t simply innovative — it redefines what “digital media” can be… Screen2Save transformed unused digital screens across Germany into the nation’s first media-powered missing-child alert network — delivering real-time, geo-targeted alerts that reunited missing children with their families. A zero-budget collaboration turned everyday media into life-saving infrastructure.
REWE – Geo Leaks (OMD Germany) REWE’s “Geo Leaks” is more than a campaign—it is a structural overhaul of digital media accountability– representing digital effectiveness and industry transformation… REWE uncovered that only 12% of “precise” geo-targeted ads reached the correct ZIP code—and rebuilt digital localization from the ground up, raising accuracy to 67% and setting a new industry standard.
Skoda – The Redditor Edit (PHD UK) Smart, efficient, original, and culturally perfect… Škoda tapped into Reddit superfans to design—and launch—the world’s first “Redditor Edition” Octavia, turning a supposedly boring car into a cultural phenomenon and driving orders up 255%.
PLATINUM
Transformational, Boundary-Pushing Work
2degrees – Good Tings (OMD New Zealand) Demonstrates high cultural value, commercial strength, and societal impact… By turning smartphone safety into a grime track kids loved—and a First Phone Box parents could use—2degrees reframed its “Fight for Fair” platform around protecting young Kiwis, driving sales and influencing national education policy.
Audi – AI Clears the Clutter (PHD Germany) Deep technical innovation and powerful commercial impact… Audi used AI to clean, curate, and optimize every Vehicle Ad image—eliminating clutter, improving compliance, and boosting used-car conversions by 250% while slashing CPC by 78%.
Cesar (Mars) x TripAdvisor – Dog Friendly Travel (EssenceMediacom) A masterclass in how a brand becomes lifestyle-relevant… Cesar redefined its role from pet food to pet-inclusive lifestyle brand by partnering with Tripadvisor to build the first-ever dog-friendly travel ecosystem—complete with AI trip planning, cultural activation, and new business accreditation.
Danone – Danimals Adventure World (Wavemaker USA) This work demonstrates pure digital innovation, extraordinary creativity under compliance constraints, and undeniable commercial impact… Danimals reinvented Back-to-School marketing by building a COPPA-compliant Roblox universe that made kids the primary advocates for the brand through massive gameplay engagement and a measurable lift in kid-driven household purchase intent.
Dove – Born to Run (Mindshare | Ogilvy UK) Born to Run is one of the year’s defining purpose-plus-performance campaigns… It fuses emotional storytelling with precise digital activation to turn every impression—and every Dove purchase—into tangible support for keeping girls in sports.
Google Workspace – 50 States, 50 Stories (EssenceMediacom USA) A masterclass in digital localization, emotional storytelling, and multi-platform orchestration… Google reinvented Super Bowl advertising by replacing a single national spot with 50 localized mini-films featuring real small businesses using Workspace and Gemini—making AI human, local, and emotionally resonant.
Haaga-Helia – TikTok University (PHD Finland) This breakthrough campaign wasn’t about education on TikTok—this was the education… A first-of-its-kind, fully accredited university course delivered entirely on TikTok transformed Haaga-Helia’s relevance with Gen Z—reversing declining applications and generating tremendous earned attention on a €2.5k budget.
John Deere – Chief Tractor Officer (Mindshare USA) John Deere effectively future-proofed its brand by delivering one of the most impressive digital reinventions of the year… John Deere reinvented its relevance for 18–35-year-olds by launching a nationwide TikTok search for a Chief Tractor Officer, transforming the brand from a legacy equipment company into a community-driven digital storyteller.
McDonald’s – Eat the Code (OMD Canada) Niche-innovation excellence. By hiding rewards inside real debugging code across GitHub, Reddit, Stack Overflow, and a custom console site, McDonald’s Canada turned a skeptical developer community into enthusiastic participants—boosting sales, sentiment, and cultural relevance.
McDonald’s – McRib Mistakes (OMD UK) This is a masterclass in cultural engineering and earned-first strategy… By orchestrating a series of deliberate “mistakes,” McDonald’s turned the McRib’s comeback into a viral guessing game—spiking conversation by 850% and delivering the fastest-selling launch in its UK history.
Nosotras – Me Feat. Me (PHD Chile) An effort that’s emotionally groundbreaking, culturally courageous, and incomparable in narrative resonance… Nosotras transformed an unreleased song by a young trans man into the world’s first AI-enabled self-duet—uniting his past and present selves and sparking a national conversation about trans visibility, empathy, and inclusion.
OVE & FEEI & Oesterreichs Energie & Bundesinnung Elektrotechnik & Bundesgremium Einrichtungs- und Elektrofachhandel – JOIN THE FUTURE | Redstone Challenge (MEDIAPLUS Austria) An innovative and culturally intelligent youth/STEM recruitment model… A groundbreaking, fully gamified recruitment campaign that transformed Minecraft Redstone skills into real-world engineering potential—meeting teens inside their own culture and redirecting them toward technical careers with massive engagement and record-breaking traffic.
Perfetti van Melle – Mentos Fizzooka (Cossette Media Canada) A standout in cultural relevance and gaming-native innovation… Mentos resurrected its classic cola-explosion fame as The Fizzooka, a playable in-game launcher in Fortnite mirrored by a real-world stunt device, turning an “invisible” mint brand into a must-talk-about cultural force with Gen Z gamers in Canada.
Schäferei Stücke – Rainbow Wool (MEDIAPLUS Germany) A hyper-local farm problem became a worldwide digital phenomenon built entirely on purpose-driven creativity… Rainbow Wool transformed the wool of gay rams—animals often slaughtered for not breeding—into a global queer-rights fashion movement that fused activism, storytelling, and e-commerce, generating €20M in earned media and worldwide cultural impact.
Volkswagen – The Walking Ads (PHD Norway) An initiative with commercial power, creative invention, and exceptional measurable impact… Volkswagen turned its 613 km EV range into a real-world challenge—arming thousands of Norwegians with sensor-enabled sweaters that transformed them into walking billboards and drove a 517% surge in test drives.
GOLD
Very Strong, Distinctive, High-Performance Winners
2degrees – Re-Shaping Rugby (OMD New Zealand) This shows category-leading innovation, platform invention, cultural impact, and clear brand lift… 2degrees rewrote the rules of women’s sports broadcasting by creating the world’s first TikTok-native live rugby final—9× virtual attendance, record engagement, and a major reputational lift for its “Fighting for Fair” platform.
Al Joumhouria – Uncensored Press (OMD UAE) “Uncensored Press” is a pioneering response to the unintended censorship… By turning censored war images into text-built “typics” that evade platform filters, Al Joumhouria exposed algorithmic suppression and reignited global conversations on digital press freedom—without a single takedown.
Aldi – PESO’s Our Game (PHD Germany) Smart, efficient, well-structured media innovation… ALDI Süd used a PESO-powered media model to make premium organic food accessible—driving 84% regional reach, cutting media waste by 30%, and sharply increasing brand trust and sustainability perceptions.
ALLY Financial- Saving Bucket (EssenceMediacom USA) Ally challenged the conventions of financial marketing by embedding financial education into cultural storytelling rather than brand messaging… A culturally resonant, music-driven social series that reframed financial literacy for Hispanic millennials by blending family legacy, cultural pride, and emerging musical voices—all through Ally’s practical saving tools.
BIV FrontPro – The Dogventure Score (OMD Germany) Conveys strong contextual strategy, emotional insight, media design, and commercial impact… FRONTPRO launched its new chewable tick tablet with a data-powered “Dogventure Score” that targeted dog owners at peak moments of human–dog closeness—driving 2.6× higher purchase intent than its identical competitor and near sell-outs nationwide.
Booking.com – Travel the Screen (Mindshare) Digital environments can turn cultural obsession into measurable business impact through brand value, not interruption… Booking.com turned cultural fandom into travel intent by transforming a hit Amazon film into an immersive, shoppable travel experience that let viewers “book the world they were watching.”
Buchanan’s (Diageo)– How Do You Say Buchanan’s? (PHD USA) Compelling cultural intelligence and courage to flip a perceived brand problem into strength… By mapping 71 real pronunciations of “Buchanan’s” across 730 ZIP codes, the brand turned cultural nuance into a national celebration—personalizing the whisky’s voice community by community and generating more than 2.2 billion earned impressions.
Burgenland Tourism – Future Targeting (MEDIAPLUS Austria) This is a rare example of digital innovation solving an operational business challenge with elegant precision… Burgenland Tourism transformed last-minute travel unpredictability into a precision marketing advantage by using AI-based occupancy forecasts to dynamically reallocate media in real time—boosting bookings by 82% with remarkable efficiency.
Dacia – Influencer Remixed (OMD Germany) A rare case of true platform-led creativity, rooted in culture, data, and behavioral design.,, Dacia hijacked remix culture by creating a one-hour, off-road influencer film engineered for “cut-and-share virality”—driving 17× reach, 10× engagement, and a major uplift in off-road credibility for the Duster. Dacia turned influencer marketing on its head by creating long-form content intentionally designed for users to remix—sparking a patchwork viral movement that boosted outdoor credibility and consideration.
Domino’s – Emergency Pizza 2.0 (Mindshare USA | WorkInProgress) This powerful initiative blends cultural intelligence, platform-native creativity, and experiential utility… Domino’s reinvented its “Emergency Pizza” offer by embedding it within the emotional epicenters of modern fandom—gaming, streaming, and sports—turning cultural low moments into opportunities for delight and reinforcing Domino’s leadership as the category’s cultural-first brand.
Ford- Baby Bronco (Mindshare USA) A culturally sharp, digitally amplified branded entertainment success… Ford reignited the Bronco brand’s cultural relevance by embedding it in a Tonight Show comedy sketch that blended entertainment, lifestyle storytelling, and digital amplification. The playful “Baby Bronco” narrative reframed Bronco as an adventure-driven lifestyle brand—driving significant lifts in sentiment, search, and dealer actions.
Google – Can You Gift It? (EssenceMediacom) This initiative effectively blends celebrity entertainment, Search trends, and real-time deals… Google repositioned itself as the smartest—and most fun—holiday shopping partner. Google turned the stress of holiday shopping into a cultural entertainment moment by launching Can You Gift It?, a game-show-style series where real Google Shopping tools powered gift-giving challenges.
Google – The Ultimate After Party (EssenceMediacom) One of the clearest examples of digital innovation unlocking cultural relevance… Google turned a predictable product keynote into a culture-driving digital event by launching Pixel 9 through a celebrity-packed “After Party” livestream. This entertaining, social-first format seamlessly showcased AI features.
Knorr (Unilever) – Unlock Your Green Flag (PHD Germany) Culturally sharp, insight-led, behavior-changing, and platform-native… Knorr turned cooking into Gen Z’s ultimate dating “green flag,” using Tinder, TikTok creators, and real-world speed-dating rituals to make cooking a desirable social signal—and reignite relevance for an 187-year-old brand.
Magnum – Ice Ice Maybe? With Data (PHD Germany) Combines data innovation, retail precision, and machine-learning optimization at scale… Magnum turned an unpredictable summer into a data-driven growth engine by using a custom KPI, machine learning, and geo-precision targeting to boost sales by 30% in key regions and optimize media efficiency by 65%.
Mazda – First to the Finish (Mindshare USA | VML | WPP Motion Entertainment) Mazda shows how a brand can become a cultural storyteller rather than a category advertiser… Mazda reinvented the auto-brand playbook by creating the first-ever brand-funded Prime Video Original: a six-episode docuseries spotlighting female racers in the MX-5 Cup. The campaign blended entertainment, cultural momentum, and targeted digital distribution to reposition Mazda as a challenger brand with purpose and emotional relevance.
McDonald’s – Deal with the Trash (OMD Sweden) Strong execution in digital innovation, sustainability, AI application, and brand transformation… By turning litter into currency through AI-powered rewards, McDonald’s transformed a national problem into a loyalty engine—collecting tons of trash, rebuilding trust, and driving market growth.
McDonald’s – Everything Changes (OMD Denmark) A transformative entertainment approach that directly moved business metrics… McDonald’s Denmark turned recruitment into entertainment with a six-episode coming-of-age series that reached 80% of Danish youth, reshaped employer perceptions, and increased applications by 12%.
McDonald’s – Maccie (OMD Netherlands) This changed an awkward behavior into a joyful, culturally fluent solution… By transforming awkward micro-debts into playful “Maccie” treat requests, McDonald’s created a culturally rooted feature that Gen-Z embraced instantly—driving massive app growth, millions of views, and a new form of value expression.
MediaMarkt – Gear-Up Express (MEDIAPLUS Germany) A great example of meeting digital natives where they live—and speaking their language… MediaMarktSaturn turned its 90-minute delivery service into a live Twitch game show—proving its speed in real time, using influencers and interactive play.
NBC Universal Peacock – Fight Night: Million Dollar Heist (EssenceMediacom USA) Peacock delivered a launch playbook that future-proofs streaming with strong cultural innovation… To break through a crowded streaming landscape, Peacock turned Fight Night into a cross-cultural, cross-platform event—merging sports, fashion, community, and local pride to deliver its most successful premiere ever.
Renault – IRL x IRL (OMD Germany) Inventive, playful, participatory, and transformative for brand perception… Renault reinvented the R5 launch for a generation raised on gaming by turning Berlin into a playable map as a live Twitch-powered quest—driving massive engagement, +149% search lift, and the brand’s first major Gen Z buzz in years.
Rügenwalder Mühle – #Wurstpromoter (MEDIAPLUS Germany) This is precision marketing powered by creativity, not spend… To stay relevant with young consumers, Rügenwalder hijacked Germany’s biggest pop-culture moment—Taylor Swift’s concert—and turned it into a viral job offer: “The Wurstpromoter.”
Uber Eats – The Mystery Streamer (PHD Germany) One of the purest examples of native cultural entertainment as marketing… Uber Eats became part of Twitch culture by creating a live, masked-streamer guessing game—driving major brand lift, strong conversions, and deep community acceptance among the most ad-resistant audience in Germany.
Vattenfall – Fossil FreeDOME (OMD Sweden) Exemplifies innovation, sustainability communication, and emotional transformation… By creating an AI-powered VR installation that let Swedes walk through a personalized fossil-free future, Vattenfall reignited national belief—boosting optimism by 89% and turning climate anxiety into hope.
Volkswagen – 50 Years of Golf (PHD Germany) Culturally sharp, socially native, participatory, innovative, and profoundly compelling… Volkswagen turned the Golf’s 50th anniversary into a nationwide fan celebration by tapping into TikTok’s thriving Golf community, generating millions of views, thousands of UGC stories, and industry-leading brand-lift results.
In our digital age, with mobile screens and the Internet everywhere, businesses emphasize that marketing should build brands and drive performance—stressing value, enhancing customer experience, stimulating sales growth, and providing measurable results.
According to recent data, more than 70% of total advertising revenue worldwide is digital. These winning brands do their best, so consumers applaud inspiration rather than intrusion.
ABOUT THE AWARDS:
17 Years of Spotlighting What’s Next in Digital Marketing
The Internationalist Awards for Innovative Digital Marketing Solutions celebrate global excellence in digital marketing. As digital channels now account for over 73% of global ad spend, these awards recognize campaigns that drive meaningful consumer engagement, deliver measurable results, and set new standards in strategic creativity and innovation.
Entries are not judged by product or media category. Instead, every case study competes as a global best practice, enabling work of all kinds to be evaluated equally and fairly.
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONALIST:
THE INTERNATIONALIST was started 22 years ago by Deborah Malone, following a career at Ad Age and launching Ad Age International. It began as a trade publication focused on the reinvention of marketing around the globe by connecting the people and ideas in marketing and advertising through content, insights, case studies, and peer-to-peer marketer initatives– all to better serve the needs of this community. It evolved to include all forms of content — podcasts, video, e-newsletters for 24,000+ marketers — as well as four annual awards, research, events, book publishing, and consulting.
The Internationalist is especially proud of its Marketing Makes a World of Difference™ initiative and its long-term Global Alliance with ANA (Association of National Advertisers), the world’s largest and oldest marketer organization.
