Ascential, a specialized events and consulting company that includes the renowned (Cannes) LIONS festival, WARC, and Contagious, has reached an agreement to acquire Effie, making it a part of Ascential’s LIONS company, which advocates for creative marketing that drives growth and efficiency in our industry.
Ascential announces that this should enhance all existing programs by providing sufficient resources for development and the fact that Effie will now play a significant role at the Cannes Lions festival. Their mission, they say, is to provide marketing leaders with the data they need to advocate for investments in creative marketing that is both effective and drives business growth.
This is an important development that will greatly impact the creative industry in Croatia, and the Croatian Association of Communication Agencies (HURA!) will continue to fulfill its dual longstanding role as the official partner of the Cannes Lions festival and representative for Croatia, as well as the role of the license holder for the Effie Awards. HURA has been organizing this competition for fifteen years, directly influencing the standardization of the market and encouraging the creation of effective campaigns.
Dunja Ivana Ballon, Executive Director of HURA, IAB Croatia, and the Days of Communication festival, briefly shared her vision of the future of creativity in Croatia: “Considering that LIONS and Effie are the two most powerful benchmarks for creativity and marketing effectiveness in the world, and that HURA has been the exclusive official representative for both in Croatia for many years, we expect this change to positively impact the industry globally and here at home.”
This transaction will still need to be approved by regulatory bodies in the state of New York by the end of 2024, and after regulatory approval, Ascential plans to transform the non-profit organization Effie Worldwide, Inc. into a new global foundation, The Effie LIONS Foundation, Inc., dedicated to educating the next generation of talent and offering education to all marketing students.
The official announcement can be found at the provided link, and more information about Effie Awards Croatia can be read on the official website.
