Dentsu Agencies Triumph at Campaign Media Awards 2025

The Campaign Media Awards, one of the UK media industry's most prestigious recognition programs, celebrates excellence in media planning, buying, and execution. The awards honour campaigns that demonstrate innovation, strategic thinking, and effectiveness across a wide range of sectors and categories.

Dentsu media agencies Carat and iProspect delivered an outstanding performance at last night's ceremony, securing three prestigious wins and a highly commended recognition across multiple categories.

iProspect Wins Retail and Alcoholic Drinks Categories at Campaign Media Awards

iProspect demonstrated its strategic and creative excellence by winning in two competitive categories. The agency's innovative work for IKEA's 'Sleep' campaign secured the Retail - Online & Offline award, while their groundbreaking 'Kojey Block Party' for Brooklyn Brewery won in the Alcoholic Drinks category.

The IKEA 'Sleep' campaign successfully tackled the challenge of growing IKEA's share in the mattress market by strengthening the association between the brand and quality sleep. In a clever approach to combat media consumption interfering with sleep patterns, iProspect implemented a multi-channel strategy that included hacking ITV primetime continuity announcements, creating "The podcast that nobody finished" with Acast, and deploying strategic formats across Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Activision's mobile gaming network during bedtime hours.

The strategy delivered standout results, with a significant uplift in searches for "IKEA mattress" and a notable increase in mattress sales throughout the campaign period.

For Brooklyn Brewery, iProspect partnered with Channel 4 to create an authentic cultural connection through the 'Kojey Block Party' campaign. By enlisting British hip-hop artist Kojey Radical and celebrating Brooklyn's iconic block party culture, the campaign successfully tailored the American brand's identity for UK audiences. Leveraging Channel 4's extensive media ecosystem, the campaign included a content series across multiple platforms and culminated in a real-life block party experience.

The results were remarkable, with 15.9 million people reached and prompted brand awareness increasing by 53%.

Carat UK's Co-op Funeralcare Campaign Wins Media Partnerships Award

Carat UK's groundbreaking work for Co-op Funeralcare received significant recognition, winning the Media Partnerships - Budget over £250K category and earning a highly commended in the Corporate and Utilities category.

The "Celebrity Send-off" campaign tackled the challenging subject of funeral planning in a refreshingly authentic way. Recognizing that 50% of the UK population has never discussed their funeral wishes with loved ones, Carat UK partnered with Channel 4 to create content featuring Happy Mondays' Bez and Shaun Ryder planning each other's funerals, highlighting the difficulties of making arrangements without prior discussion.

This innovative approach included three ten-minute hero episodes on YouTube, content seeded across Meta and TikTok, availability on All4, and 30-second TV ads on Channel 4 linear. The campaign reached more than 30 million impressions, increased total brand communication awareness by 58%, and most importantly, helped 63% of people exposed to the campaign feel more comfortable discussing their funeral wishes.

Strategic Media Owner Partnerships Drive Award-Winning Campaign Success

A common thread through all three winning campaigns was the strength of strategic media owner partnerships. Channel 4 proved to be a particularly valuable partner, providing platforms for both the Co-op Funeralcare and Brooklyn Brewery campaigns. Similarly, the collaboration with ITV and Acast enabled IKEA's sleep-focused messaging to reach audiences at just the right moment.

These partnerships demonstrate dentsu's commitment to creating innovative, channel-appropriate solutions that drive meaningful results for clients.

Dentsu Media Agencies Showcase Excellence in Strategic Campaign Development

These awards highlight dentsu's continued excellence in developing media strategies that not only reach audiences effectively but also create meaningful brand connections and measurable business results.

The success across multiple categories—from retail to alcoholic drinks to corporate services—showcases the versatility and strategic depth of dentsu's media agencies, reinforcing their position at the forefront of the industry.

The Campaign Media Awards recognition reflects the collaborative approach that defines dentsu, with teams working closely with clients and media partners to develop truly innovative campaigns that break through conventional boundaries and deliver exceptional outcomes.