Four campaigns. Four shortlists. Carat has been recognised in four categories at this year's Festival of Media Global Awards, one of the world's most prestigious benchmarks for media excellence.
Now in its 20th year, the Festival of Media Global Awards celebrates the best media thinking on the planet. Getting to the shortlist at all, against agencies from India, Germany, the US, Australia and beyond, is no small thing.
Carat's four shortlisted campaigns are for Kellanova, Vodafone and Co-op, spanning creative bravery, hyper-local media innovation and brand storytelling. Here's what's in the running:
From Play to Purpose
Category: The Bravery Award | Client: Co-op
After Co‑op experienced a major cyber incident, the business chose to use the moment to highlight a growing and often hidden issue: the recruitment of children and young people into cybercrime.
Partnering with Guardian Labs and The Hacking Games - an organisation that supports people who have moved away from hacking and cybercrime - the campaign combined investigative journalism with practical advice for parents and teachers on how to spot warning signs and start conversations early.
The results? The campaign reached 7.8 million adults in two weeks, generated 3 million social views, and searches for “cybercrime” nearly doubled during the campaign period. Those exposed to the campaign were also 125% more likely to choose Co‑op as their first‑choice food retailer.
The Return of the Kell-OG Rooster
Category: Best Integrated Campaign | Client: Kellanova
Over five years, Kellogg's had lost 21% of its brand meaning. A decade of fragmented, product-led advertising across individual sub-brands had eroded the emotional connection that once made the brand a cultural icon, and private-label alternatives were taking share. We were briefed to reverse that, but not through another product push, instead by reigniting what made Kellogg's the OG of cereal in the first place.
Our strategy went all in on Cornelius the Rooster, the brand's most recognisable asset, pairing him with a reworked track from hip-hop legends Jurassic 5 to blend nostalgia with contemporary energy. AV reached over 79 million people across the UK, France and Italy, while a major OOH run delivered 680 million impressions and generated enough talkability that competitor brands started imitating the placements. The results: a +6ppt uplift in purchase consideration in the UK, over 50% ad recall, and a 32% higher long-term ROI than non-masterbrand activity.
Great Content and Food-Served
Category: Best Branded Content | Client: Co-op
The daily "what should I have for dinner?" dilemma is one of the most universal consumer moments, and Co-op's challenge was to insert itself into it without feeling like an ad. The insight was that food inspiration travels through content, not advertising. People look to creators, podcasters and cultural voices, not brands, when they're figuring out what's for dinner.
We built a branded content ecosystem across the platforms where those conversations actually happen. Podcast sponsorships with The Buckleys, Wanging On, Comfort Eating with Grace Dent and Off Menu created "conversation on the commute" territory. Co-op also became the first grocery retailer to partner with Channel 4's social-first food channel Served, while AdPause formats across Netflix, Channel 4 and ITVX caught audiences mid-decision about what to watch. The results: social assets generated over 3.6 million views, streaming integrations over-delivered significantly against target, and the campaign drove strong revenue growth in a declining convenience market.
Using Hyper-Local Media to Capitalise on Broadband Frustrations
Category: Best Local Execution of a Brand | Client: Vodafone
Vodafone Home Broadband had grown fast, but by 2025, the market was tougher, and the category leader was outspending them five to one. The insight shaping everything: most households never think about their broadband until something goes wrong. Trying to build brand equity in a low-interest category through steady-state advertising was always going to be inefficient.
The solution was a bespoke media buying engine that used Downdetector signals to identify geographic areas that had experienced internet disruptions the previous evening, then triggered media investment the following day - reaching consumers while the frustration was still fresh. Digital audio activated across podcast publishers and local radio, with display running outage-triggered overlays alongside BAU targeting to isolate what the new approach was actually delivering. The results: 16% customer base growth (exceeding the 14% target), non-user consideration up 4% after three years flat, and Downdetector-powered audiences spending 17 seconds longer on site with a 15% higher post-click conversion rate
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 11 June. Watch this space.
