What a night. Actually, scratch that - what a pair of nights. Carat UK swept through both Manchester and London, bringing home six awards that prove great work transcends postcodes. We showed up, showed out, and came home with the silverware to prove it.
MPA Awards: Manchester
Collaboration Award: Winner
At the MPA Awards, Carat UK won the Collaboration Award for our work with Co-op Funeralcare and Channel 4 on "Life, Death and Rock 'N' Roll".
This campaign tackled something nobody wants to talk about: funeral planning. Our research revealed that whilst the vast majority of UK adults have thought about mortality, most have never actually discussed their funeral wishes with loved ones. The result is often an unnecessary emotional and financial burden for families at a difficult time.
Working closely with Channel 4 and Co-op Funeralcare, we created content that opened up these important conversations in a way that felt genuine and engaging rather than preachy or uncomfortable.
Best Integrated Campaign: Highly Commended
We were Highly Commended in the Best Integrated Campaign category for our work with Holland & Barrett and Global on "Be Strong for Life". This campaign brought together multiple touchpoints to create a cohesive message around health and wellbeing, demonstrating the power of integrated thinking when it's done with purpose.
Find the full list of winners here.
MediaWeek Awards: London
Best Advertiser Funded Programme or Entertainment: Gold
The Co-op Funeralcare campaign continued to resonate at the MediaWeek Awards, where "Life, Death and Rock 'N' Roll" won Gold in the Best Advertiser Funded Programme or Entertainment category.
This recognition highlighted our ability to create content that entertains whilst serving a genuine social purpose - transforming a subject people typically avoid into something they wanted to engage with.
Best Use of Content (£250K - £750K): Bronze
The same campaign also secured Bronze in the Best Use of Content (£250K - £750K) category. Three awards for one campaign across two ceremonies speak to the strength of the work - when strategy, creativity, and execution come together effectively, the results show across multiple dimensions.
Media Creativity: Launch - Silver
Our work launching Kellanova's Cheez-It into the UK market won Silver in the Media Creativity: Launch category with "Crunch It, Taste It, Feel It, Cheez-It".
The UK salty snack market is fiercely competitive, dominated by established brands with intensely loyal customers. As an American brand new to Britain, Cheez-It needed to make an immediate impact, particularly with HFSS restrictions approaching.
We created a distinctive sonic and sensory identity that helped Cheez-It cut through established category conventions and announce its arrival in the UK market.
Large Collaboration (Over £750K): Silver
Pringles' "Rising Stars" campaign with Yahoo earned Silver in the Large Collaboration (Over £750K) category.
This campaign addressed an important issue in gaming culture: it had become increasingly exclusionary, with casual gamers feeling frustrated and unwelcome. Meanwhile, Pringles had primarily been communicating with the hardcore gaming audience.
We saw an opportunity to champion more inclusive gaming content - creating experiences that welcomed a broader audience whilst maintaining authenticity within gaming culture. The campaign worked across multiple European markets, helping Pringles connect with gamers at all levels.
Find the full list of MediaWeek winners here.
Making Impressions That Matter
Looking across these six awards, several themes emerge that reflect what we strive for at Carat:
- Tackling difficult challenges. From conversations about mortality to breaking into established markets to making gaming more inclusive, we're drawn to the problems that require fresh thinking.
- Collaboration that's genuine. These wins happened through real partnership with media owners, creative teams, and clients who trusted us to try something different. The Collaboration Award we won isn't just a category; it's how we work.
- Work that matters. Whether it's opening important conversations, welcoming more people into gaming, or helping new brands find their place, we aim to create campaigns that have impact beyond just shifting products.
Thank You
To our clients, Co-op Funeralcare, Holland & Barrett, and Kellanova (Cheez-It and Pringles), thank you for trusting us with your brands and giving us the freedom to push creative boundaries.
To our partners, especially Channel 4, Yahoo, Global and everyone who collaborated with us on these campaigns, this work wouldn't exist without you.
And to our team across the UK, these awards reflect your talent, dedication, and willingness to do things differently. Thank you for making this work possible.
Here's to continuing to create work we're proud of, that drives results for our clients, and that makes a genuine difference.
From Manchester to London and everywhere in between - this is what we do. Get in touch if you'd like to discuss award-winning strategies.
