• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 18, 2016

Unilever and Walmart are the biggest winners of this year’s Shopper Marketing Effie Awards, taking home four Effie Awards each. P&G won three, and both Kimberly-Clark and Mondelez International earned two.

Unilever came up with two gold awards—in the Shopper Experience category and Single-Retailer Program (drugstore) category —for the same campaign, its “CVS Love Your Skin” effort. Working with agencies Shopper2Buyer, Lunchbox and Barrows, the effort centered on skincare education, helping to broaden women’s regimens, boosting CVS’ share of the skin category to 5.7%.

In the seasonal/event category, Walmart and Starcom MediaVest Group won a gold award for “Chosen by Kids,” with contributing agencies Shopper Events, the Martin Agency, OneKreate and Quick Test. (The effort also won a silver award in the multi-brand shopper solution category.) To help parents feel great about their holiday purchases, the campaign used a combination of ratings, reviews, bloggers, in-store and video demonstrations, as well as a “Top Toy” list compiled by kids. 

In new products, Flonase Allergy Relief, GlaxoSmithKline and Epsilon won gold for its over-the-counter launch, with some help from contributing agencies Geometry Global and Brand Union. Using an omnichannel approach, the push helped Flonase exceed its targets and increased market share for all of its retailer partners.

Procter & Gamble’s wins included a bronze award for two different programs at Walmart. In “Underjams at Walmart Overcomes Bedwetting,” Pampers UnderJams worked with Saatchi & Saatchi X, offering expert counsel and solutions for mothers of kids who struggle with bedwetting. And for its “Olay Shelf Reinvention at Walmart,” P&G also teamed up with Saatchi & Saatchi X to simplify the Walmart shopping experience, beating program goals and driving new top sellers.

RB’s Amopé Pedi Perfect took home a gold in the Single-Retailer Program (mass merchants) for “Love Your Feet.” The effort tactically redirected beauty shoppers to the footcare aisle, resulting in a significant increase in foot care category sales at Target.

Leo Burnett/Arc scored two silver awards. The first was in the Single-Retailer Program (drugstores), for “Walgreens Healthy Home Solutions,” using P&G products on a home improvement show. And the second was in the Single-Retailer Program (mass merchant), working with Starcom MediaVest Group, for a campaign called “Alcon's Howard and the Amazing Eye Exam.” The back-to-school program used e-books and multiple channels to boost sales 226%, and highlighting the importance of eyecare in school success.