Specialist events, intelligence and advisory group and Cannes Lions-parent company Ascential plc, has entered into an agreement to acquire the commercial assets of Effie, the global benchmark in marketing effectiveness.
Effie will (subject to regulatory approval) join Ascential’s LIONS Division, which champions creative marketing.
Effie hosts the largest marketing effectiveness awards in the world and provides insights from over 125 markets, in addition to tools and training.
Ascential said it also intends to embark on a long-term partnership with not-for-profit Effie Worldwide, Inc, transforming it into a new global Foundation, The Effie LIONS Foundation, Inc. This will be dedicated to educating the next generation of talent, offering training for all marketing students.
Philip Thomas (pictured), CEO, Ascential, commented: “The coming together of LIONS and Effie is a powerful testament to the fact that effectiveness and creativity in marketing are inextricably linked. All enlightened businesses know that creative, effective marketing drives growth. This historic partnership will complement the insights and intelligence on marketing and creative effectiveness LIONS already offers via WARC, The Work and Contagious, providing marketing leaders worldwide with the data and evidence they need to make the case for creative marketing that matters. Meanwhile, the creation of The Effie LIONS Foundation, Inc. will educate and inspire our industry, and broaden the opportunities available to everyone to build a career in creativity and marketing.”
Traci Alford, president and CEO, Effie Worldwide, said: “We are excited to join LIONS with such a complementary, yet distinct, portfolio of brands. Closer collaboration between Effie and the LIONS brands is an exciting prospect for the industry, as our ability to share insights and find synergies in our data will help to dissect the role creativity plays in driving marketing effectiveness overall. Together we will be able to better understand the key drivers of growth and ultimately help all businesses succeed.”
Headquartered in New York, with offices in Beijing and the UK, Effie has a network of 59 partners covering over 125 markets. Effie will continue to be led by Traci Alford.
