TLDR: The Gerety Awards 2025 have highlighted a significant industry shift, recognizing campaigns that prioritize human perspective, lived experience, and emotional connection, moving away from the prevailing ‘AI hype’ in advertising. The awards, judged by women and under-represented voices, underscore the enduring value of craft, empathy, and originality despite technological advancements.
The Gerety Awards, known for assessing advertising through a ‘powerful perspective’ with a jury predominantly composed of women and under-represented voices, has announced its 2025 winners, signaling a notable pivot in the advertising industry. This year’s accolades, which include four Grand Prix, 36 Gold, 80 Silver, and 65 Bronze awards across 52 countries, celebrated campaigns that championed human craft, storytelling, and emotional resonance over the increasing dominance of AI-driven production and efficiency.
In an era where discussions in advertising are frequently centered on artificial intelligence and its potential for automation, the Gerety Awards’ selections serve as a critical barometer of the industry’s evolving priorities. The winning projects collectively emphasize the irreplaceable value of human insight and connection.
Among the Grand Prix winners was McCann Paris for ‘The Final Copy of Ilon Specht’ for L’Oréal Paris, recognized in the Entertainment Cut, Online Video category. This campaign revisited the legacy of Ilon Specht, the copywriter behind the iconic 1971 tagline, ‘Because I’m worth it.’ Vuyo Henda, Chief Marketing Officer at Spur Corp, South Africa, and a Grand Jury member, lauded the work, stating, ‘The Final Copy of Ilon Specht unveils the indomitable woman behind the words that reshaped beauty advertising. Her line for L’Oréal — ‘Because I’m worth it’ — not only captured the spirit of its time, but it also transcended it, becoming a mantra for women around the world.’ Henda further highlighted the campaign’s relevance amidst the current technological landscape: ‘In an era where large language models dominate conversations and AI-assisted expression floods our feeds, The Final Copy is a testament to the enduring might of words that come from the heart — and ideas powerful enough to reverberate across generations. Ilon’s story is not only worth telling but worth celebrating.’
Another Grand Prix was awarded to Monks from Buenos Aires in the Craft Cut, Editing category for ‘Senna’s Cut,’ created for Netflix, demonstrating excellence in precision editing as a narrative tool. Other Grand Prix winners included ‘Never Just a Period’ and ‘Price Packs’.
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These results collectively indicate that while technology undeniably shapes processes and workflows in advertising, audiences continue to prioritize and reward campaigns that demonstrate genuine craft, empathy, and originality. The Gerety Awards, by focusing on these human-centric qualities, offers both a celebration of outstanding creative work and a timely critique of broader global advertising trends.
