As the year comes to a close, it’s a timely moment to reflect not only on what Medialab has achieved, but on how those achievements have helped shape us for the better.
2025 has been a significant year in many respects. As Medialab celebrated turning 20, we’ve continued to stay true to what has always mattered most – doing the right thing for our people and partners. In doing so, we’ve seen success across the board. At a time when our focus remains firmly on delivering outstanding outcomes, it’s been especially rewarding to see that work recognised externally. Securing 19 industry awards this year has reaffirmed a culture of effectiveness that has served our clients brilliantly and, over time, helped position us as the most awarded agency across the IPA Effectiveness Awards and The Effie Awards – two of the most respected benchmarks in our industry.
We’re also mindful that this has been a challenging year for many across the industry. Economic pressures have been felt widely, and not every organisation has been in a position to celebrate the kind of success we’ve experienced. That perspective makes us even more appreciative of the opportunities we’ve had – and more determined to keep delivering brilliant work, developing people and improving outcomes for clients.
Before looking too far ahead, though, we’re taking a moment to pause – to reflect on the journey that brought us here, and how we’ve evolved along the way. Not simply to celebrate the accolades, but to recognise the momentum they represent, and the lessons that have shaped it.
What It Takes
Our approach has always been guided by a clear formula: brilliant people delivering outstanding client service, powered by the strength of Apollo, and underpinned by a values-led culture at the heart of everything we do.
Our independence continues to give us the clarity and freedom to make the right decisions for our clients – unbound by media-owner deals or volume commitments. It’s this freedom, combined with the intelligence of Apollo, that allows us to deliver transparent, data-driven campaigns that truly perform. Apollo remains integral to how we understand audiences, optimise performance, and evidence impact. It’s a core part of how we work and continues to differentiate us in the market.
But, most importantly, the foundation of our success lies in our values. Helping people flourish. Doing the right thing. Digging deeper to understand better. These are more than just principles – they shape how we run our business, how we develop our people, and how we support our clients. In a year of growth, change and external recognition, those values have remained constant.
This approach has also positioned us to lead from the front in the effectiveness conversation this year – through thought leadership, industry presence, and a continued commitment to raising standards around impact. In short, our success is the result of brilliant people, clear values, and technology that delivers better outcomes.
What the Process Made Us
Effectiveness has always sat at the heart of our work – but this year has shown just how deeply it runs through the business.
Following last year’s success at the IPA Effectiveness Awards, our performance at the Effies has served as another powerful endorsement of the rigour, discipline and quality behind our work. Awards have never been the end goal – but to have our teams recognised on some of the industry’s most respected stages has been a meaningful reflection of the high standards we strive for.
More importantly, the process has helped sharpen us further. The Effie submission required us to interrogate our work with greater depth, sharpen our evidence base, and clearly articulate the genuine impact we delivered – not just what we achieved, but how and why it mattered. That discipline has made us stronger – as individuals, as teams, and as an agency.
This focus has also shaped some of our standout moments this year. Our own effectiveness event gave us the opportunity to bring together clients and partners to examine what best-in-class looks like in today’s landscape. Meanwhile, our Chief Data Officer, Will Davis’ presentation with Les Binet at the IPA Effectiveness Conference reinforced our role in progressing the industry conversation. These moments have helped define who we are: confident in our thinking, united in our values, and committed to improving standards not just within Medialab, but across the wider sector.
Above all, this journey has helped clarify our identity. We’re more confident in our methodology, more disciplined in our measurement, and more aligned as a business in how we talk about our work. We also recognise that this progress hasn’t happened in isolation. Our client partners’ willingness to engage, to challenge, and to collaborate has played a crucial role. That openness has been fundamental to everything we’ve achieved together.
Ultimately, this year has reaffirmed what we’ve long believed – that when you stay true to doing the right thing for clients and embed effectiveness in everything you do, the results will follow.
Looking Ahead
Now is not the time to stand still. We’ll continue to recognise and evolve the successes of this year – all with the aim of delivering even more in 2026.
As we look ahead, our priorities remain the same: doing right by our clients, investing in our people, and continuing to build an agency defined not just by accolades, but by the real impact it delivers. Our leadership in effectiveness will only grow stronger, and we’ll keep pushing to set the benchmark for what excellence looks like in this space.
The foundations are strong, the ambition is high, and we carry real momentum into the year ahead.
