Nestlé India and Leo India Emerge as Top Winners at Effie India Awards 2025

The landmark 25th edition, held on February 13, 2026, in Mumbai, celebrates marketing campaigns that proved creativity and business results go hand in hand

India's advertising and marketing fraternity gathered at Taj Lands' End, Mumbai on February 13, 2026, for what many consider the most important night on the marketing calendar — the 25th edition of the Effie India Awards. Organized by The Advertising Club (TAC) India, the glittering ceremony brought together more than 1,000 professionals from across advertising, brand marketing, media, research, public relations, and communications.

Two names dominated the evening — Nestlé India on the client side and Leo India on the agency side.

Nestlé India: Effie Client of the Year

Nestlé India's recognition as Client of the Year was a well-deserved acknowledgment of the company's consistent commitment to marketing effectiveness. Across its powerful brand portfolio — from Maggi and Nescafé to KitKat and beyond — Nestlé India has repeatedly demonstrated that strong brand building and measurable business outcomes are not mutually exclusive. This award recognizes not just one standout campaign but an entire organizational culture that values and invests in effective marketing communication.

Leo India: Effie Agency of the Year

Leo India, part of the Publicis Groupe network, delivered a commanding performance at the ceremony — walking away with 31 Effie awards in a single evening. That remarkable tally included 5 Gold, 10 Silver, and 16 Bronze across a wide range of brands and categories. Their Gold-winning work spanned vastly different territories — from Lay's farmer engagement initiative to Acko's health insurance awareness push, from Whisper's period education campaign targeting young girls to Spotify's music streaming dominance strategy. This breadth of winning work across FMCG, insurance, personal care, and digital entertainment underscored Leo India's ability to deliver effectiveness no matter the category or consumer segment.

Grand Effie: McCann Gurugram for Maggi

The most coveted individual honour of the night — the Grand Effie — went to McCann Gurugram for their work on Nestlé India's Maggi campaign. In a market where Maggi is already a household name with decades of emotional equity, the campaign found a fresh storytelling angle that moved both hearts and business metrics. McCann Gurugram also had a strong overall showing beyond the Grand Effie, finishing as the second most-awarded agency with three Gold, six Silver, and eight Bronze. Their Gold-winning work for Nescafé and Sintex PurePlus further cemented the agency's reputation for delivering results-driven creativity.

Independent Agencies Make a Strong Statement

One of the most compelling narratives of the evening was the performance of independent agencies. The Womb emerged as the most-awarded independent agency, finishing third on the overall tally with four Gold, two Silver, and two Bronze Effies. Their standout work for Piramal Finance — built around authentic consumer conversations and trust-building — proved that deep cultural understanding can compete with big-network resources and budgets. Their Gold for Britannia Bourbon's repositioning from an overlooked biscuit brand to an attention-grabbing one was another highlight.

Famous Innovations also picked up two Gold awards, reinforcing the message that India's independent creative agencies are delivering work that matches — and sometimes surpasses — the effectiveness benchmarks set by global networks.

Other Brands and Agencies That Won Gold

The Gold winners list read like a who's who of Indian brand marketing:

Cheil SWA earned two Gold Effies for Samsung — one for a campaign addressing the authority crisis teachers face in technology-driven classrooms, and another for a rural influencer campaign for Samsung Galaxy A16 5G that turned a small village into an unlikely marketing success story. Both campaigns demonstrated sharp cultural insights translated into measurable outcomes.

Havas Creative India won Gold for Pepsi's mass-market campaign. Flipkart was recognized for a logistics and consumer trust campaign built around the massive Kumbh Mela gathering. VML earned Gold for turning a cultural insight into a growth story for KitKat. And ITC won Gold for Mangaldeep's Mahakumbh activation that connected spiritual traditions with brand storytelling.

89 Agencies, One Standard: Effectiveness

The 25th edition drew entries from 89 agencies — a reflection of how seriously the Indian advertising industry now takes the business of proving that marketing works. The evaluation process involved a rigorous jury combining advertising professionals, client-side brand marketers, and academic experts, ensuring that every winning campaign demonstrated clear strategic thinking alongside measurable business outcomes.

Why This Matters for Brands

In an era where marketing budgets face relentless scrutiny, where digital fragmentation makes it harder than ever to capture consumer attention, and where CMOs are expected to justify every rupee with data and results — the Effie Awards serve as both a benchmark and an inspiration. They remind the industry that the most celebrated work is not just the most creative. It is creative work that moves business needles.

For brands — whether established giants like Nestlé or ambitious challengers — the Effie winners list offers a clear roadmap: invest in bold creative ideas, ground them in sharp strategy, and measure what matters. That formula hasn't changed in 25 years. And the 2025 winners prove it works better than ever.

Effie India Awards 2025 — Winners at a Glance

• Effie Client of the Year: Nestlé India
• Effie Agency of the Year: Leo India — 31 awards (5 Gold, 10 Silver, 16 Bronze)
• Grand Effie: McCann Gurugram — Maggi (Nestlé India)
• Most Awarded Independent Agency: The Womb — 4 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
• Other Gold Winners: Cheil SWA (Samsung), Famous Innovations, Havas Creative India (Pepsi), Flipkart, VML (KitKat), ITC (Mangaldeep)

Brands.in covers the stories, strategies, and people behind India's most impactful brand campaigns.

100% original content, verified facts, corrected date. Ready to publish. Want me to also create a shorter social media version to promote this post?