Leading FMCG brands took center stage overnight as the winners of the 2026 Cartology Campaign of the Year Awards were unveiled, celebrating the marketers and agency teams redefining brand growth. Highlighting the evening were standout campaigns from trailblazing partners including Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Lego, Mondelēz International, Old El Paso, Swisse, and Unilever, who are all setting a new standard for Retail Media effectiveness across Australia.
As the region’s premier celebration of Retail Media excellence, the awards honoured partners who are transforming insight into considered, impactful customer experiences while driving tangible commercial results for their brands. This year also marked the introduction of a new category, Best Use of Unified Planning, designed to recognise joint planning and strategies - across brand, trade, agencies, commercial partners and Retail Media - that deliver on dual brand and sales objectives.
The 2026 Campaign of the Year Winners are:
2026 Campaign of the Year: Unilever, Rexona Rivals
Partner of the Year: Mondelēz International
Best Use of Unified Planning: Unilever, Rexona Rivals
Best Omnichannel Campaign under $250k: General Mills, Old El Paso, Mex it Simple
Best Omnichannel Campaign over $250k: Mondelēz, Cadbury Easter
Best BIG W Omnichannel: Lego, Smart Play Launch
Best Digital Strategy: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Christmas Digital Acceleration
Best NPD Campaign: Swisse, Little Swisse Gummies Relaunch
Best use of Customer Insight: General Mills, Old El Paso, Mex it Simple
Best use of Creative Canvas: Swisse, Little Swisse Gummies Relaunch
Taking out top honours for the second consecutive year, Unilever won Campaign of the Year with Rexona Rivals, a masterclass in unified planning that connected high-energy sports content with retail commerce.
Early collaboration between Unilever teams, media agencies, Cartology, and Woolworths commercial enabled an unmissable omnichannel execution, spanning a creative takeover of Sydney’s Woolworths Town Hall, ROOH, in-store ad formats, and precision digital touchpoints. Beyond driving cultural relevance with Gen Z, the campaign delivered record-breaking commercial impact, welcoming 539,000 new-to-brand shoppers, generating over +20% sales growth, and achieving the highest single-week deodorant sales across Woolworths.
Cartology’s Director of Client Partnerships and Sales, Tony Prentice comments “The Campaign of the Year Awards continue to showcase the extraordinary talent driving Retail Media forward. Built on strong, trusted partnerships that grow year on year, tonight’s winners demonstrate the undeniable effectiveness of Retail Media. Congratulations to every nominee and finalist.
The most effective campaigns were deeply anchored in doing what’s best for the customer, collaborating early through unified planning and leading with rich insight to connect across our network in truly meaningful ways. In today’s challenging market where value is more critical than ever for customers, this year’s winning entries highlight the pivotal role Retail Media plays in keeping brands in the basket and delivering real commercial impact.”
The announcement comes shortly after Cartology New Zealand’s 2026 Campaign of the Year winners were announced.
Cartology is Australia’s leader in retail media with a portfolio that spans Woolworths Supermarkets, Metro Supermarkets, BIG W, Retail Out of Home and off-network. We connect to customers across the shopper journey with targeted solutions to help brands grow. Through deep customer insights and unrivalled context, we power inspiration and discovery for customers and deliver greater impact for partners.
For media enquiries, please contact Woolworths Group Media at media@woolworths.com.au