Special Australia, Sunday Gravy, Wieden+Kennedy and 303 will take audiences inside their 2026 Grand and Gold Effie-winning campaigns when Advertising Council Australia (ACA) hosts The Work Behind The Work in Melbourne on 19 November and Sydney on 24 November.
The events bring winning agency and client teams together to go beyond the polished case studies. From cracking the original brief to challenging category conventions, audiences will hear how agency-client collaboration helped turn ambitious ideas into some of Australia’s most effective work.
Headlining both cities is Special Australia and Uber Eats’ Grand-winning entry, How Uber Eats Embraced “Almost” to Become an “Anything” Delivery Brand, which helped transform perceptions of Uber Eats from takeaway food to everyday delivery while protecting its brand equity. The campaign delivered strong revenue growth, market share and profit ROI.
Special Australia Chief Strategy Officer Celia Garforth will unpack the campaign in both cities, joined in Sydney by Uber’s International Head of Marketing Lucinda Barlow.
Also featuring in Melbourne:
- Sunday Gravy Creative Director Sam Whatley and Head of Strategy Brigitte Bayard join DiDi Head of Brand Marketing Tim Farmer to examine their Gold-winning entry, Yes, I Took on Goliath, which repositioned cheaper rides as a way for Australians to spend more on experiences that matter.
- Special Australia and Kitchen Warehouse will present How Kitchen Warehouse Mum’nipulated Mother’s Day, a campaign that turned the tables on traditional gift advertising by letting mums influence the ads their families saw.
Also featuring in Sydney:
- 303 Chief Strategy Officer Jody Elston and Levande Chief Customer Officer Nik Scotcher examine How a Lust for Life (and Tight Khaki Shorts) Doubled Levande Retirement Living’s Pricing Power, which challenged retirement advertising conventions and replaced perceptions of decline with freedom and adventure.
- Wieden+Kennedy Strategy Director Kellie Box and McDonald’s CMO Annabel Fribence will present their Gold-winning entry, How The Grinch ‘Ruinin It’ Helped Macca’s Reclaim Summer Sales and Family Share, which turned a Christmas villain into an unlikely revenue driver.
Google Creative Partnerships Lead Sam Pearson will host the Melbourne event, while Google Head of Creative Partnerships AUNZ Vix Berthinussen will host Sydney. Further speakers will be announced.
Event details: Effie presents The Work Behind The Work 2026
Melbourne
Thursday 19 November
6.00pm–8.30pm
Venue: Google, Melbourne Docklands
Sydney
Tuesday 24 November
6.00pm–8.30pm
Venue: Google, Pyrmont
Register here
