Creative Business Transformation Lions

Work that transforms human insights into strategic advantages, converting innovative concepts into tangible business outcomes.

Creative design of the customer experience. Initiatives that strengthen customer relationships by creating seamless journeys that span the digital and physical worlds, characterised by timely and personalised touchpoints.

A new or reinvented physical or digital product, launched by an existing brand, which has transformed the offer of that brand and addresses evolving customer needs and changes to a competitive marketplace.

New or reinvented cross-channel service design, launched by an existing brand, which embodies a brand’s vision and delivers a frictionless customer journey that is integrated across multiple touchpoints.

Transformation of a brand’s ethical or socially driven purpose that authentically connects with customers, culture and society. How purpose has been embedded across core business functions. This could include, but not be limited to, product development, customer experience, marketing, people management, supply chains, etc.

Wholesale, internal transformation that has created value through the scaled adoption of new or modified ways of working, such as operating models, processes or tools. Changes may involve staff, suppliers, distributors, consumers or regulators/governments.

Reinvention of the way customers use existing products/services, through the creation of new routes to market and delivery methods, such as direct-to-customer models, subscriptions and service-based propositions, often blending digital and physical behaviours to create long-term customer relationships.

The strategic application of marketing technology to improve efficiency, reach more customers, strengthen engagement and deliver results, such as retention and conversion of customers. May include, for example, use of third-party platforms (CRM, CMS, payments systems, etc.).

Application of new or emerging technology that transformed how a brand/business and its customers interact. This could include, but not be limited to, the application of AI, data intelligence, cognitive tools, voice assistance, etc.

Solving business problems through an outside-in approach. The successful creation and launch of new products/services developed in venture models. This could include, but not be limited to, use of incubators, accelerators, R&D and investments in start-ups, etc.

Organisations that have reimagined their internal culture, workplace environment, and employee engagement strategies in ways that improve job satisfaction, productivity, and retention driving meaningful business transformation. The work should demonstrate how implementing creative solutions—whether through communication, technology, or organisational design, created a more dynamic, inclusive, and supportive workplaces, resulting in positive shifts in business performance and employee well-being.

Transformative approaches to customer insight and targeting to effectively build new products/services or scale existing ones. Work that uncovers behavioural truths that enable businesses to capture new audiences and/or create more relevant experiences.

Celebrating how a business successfully transforms inside and out – from internal operations, teams, training programmes and policies to the choice of suppliers and partners, and how all this impacts the products and services, communications and customer experience. The work should demonstrate tangible results within every stage or touchpoint of the transformation.

There is an increased eligibility for this category of 5 years: 06 February 2021 – 09 April 2026.

The word limit for this section is 100 words.

This question is compulsory.

Please provide any brand and cultural context that would help the jury understand any cultural, national or regional nuances applicable to this work.

You should outline why this piece of work was created for this particular brand, in this market, at this particular moment in time, with all of the cultural and market conditions.

The word limit for this section is 250 words.

This question is compulsory.

Please select the objective(s) that were most important when creating this work – what the work set out to achieve.

For the jury to accurately assess the work, it must first establish its objectives. As you progress through the entry system, you must link your results back to each objective selected.

• Overachieve on brand metrics (e.g. awareness, engagement)
• Change consumer behaviour (e.g. attitudes, frequency, penetration)
• Create short-term sales growth (e.g. sales, promotions, discounts)
• Improve brand health (e.g. consideration, preference)
• Create sustained sales success (e.g. profit, sales)
• Create long-term brand and sales growth (e.g. shareholder value, retention, loyalty)

There is no word limit for this section.

This question is compulsory.

Please provide a summary of your entry.

• Describe the background and context behind the work.
• What creative challenges did the work face?

This should be an overview of the work and an analysis of its effectiveness. You should describe how the objectives of the campaign have been successfully met.

The word limit for this section is 150 words.

This question is compulsory.

Consider the following when describing the strategy:

• Was the strategy based on consumer behaviour and/or cultural insight?
• Did the insight come from research and data?
• Did creativity play a key role in the interpretation of the business challenge?
• Was this piece of work relevant to the defined target audience?
• Does the work genuinely solve a real problem?

The word limit for this section is 200 words.

This question is compulsory.

• Creative impact for customers, employees and other stakeholders
• Evidence that the initiative made a material positive difference to people’s lives/work
• Quality of execution of creative vision/solution in the real-world

The word limit for this section is 200 words.

This question is compulsory.

Please refer back to the objectives selected when answering this question. Consider:

• business impact – profit, performance and market share growth
• delivery of the original objective/business KPI
• brand loyalty/customer lifetime value (CLV)
• productivity/operational efficiencies.

The word limit for this section is 200 words.

This question is compulsory.

If yes, you must disclose how it was used, considering the following:

• What AI tools were used?
• What was the extent of AI use in the final work?
• What were the data sources or inputs for any AI-generated elements, and where did they originate?

For guidance on acceptable AI usage please refer to the LIONS Integrity Handbook. Misrepresentation or wilful omission may result in your entry being withdrawn.

The word limit for this section is 150 words.

This question is compulsory.

As a member of AdNet Zero, we believe in the collective responsibility to reduce the carbon impact of developing, producing and running advertising to achieve real net zero. Please outline how this piece of work aligns with the brand's sustainability strategy and consider the following:

• Environmental cost: What steps were taken to measure, reduce and manage the environmental footprint of the work across its life cycle?
• Meaningful claims: What evidence can you provide to support any sustainability related claims made in the work, ensuring they are credible and meaningful?
• Long-term commitments: How do the sustainability-related claims reflect the brand's broader strategy and focus on relevant issues?

Please provide details of the benchmarks used to measure the success of this work's contribution to the overall strategy. This could include but is not limited to targets related to advertising business operations - advertising production - media planning and buying.

There is no word limit for this section.

This question is optional.

Based on the brief, what consideration was given to representation and diversity of the team(s) involved?

What consideration was given to accessibility in the work and what role did DEI thinking play throughout the development of the work?

There is no word limit for this section.

This question is optional.

If there are additional results you wish to disclose to the Jury but prefer to keep confidential, please enter them below.

The word limit for this section is 150 words.

This question is optional.