VML Named Network of the Year and VML UK Crowned Agency of the Year at 2026 Gerety Awards
With 44 honors, including 2 Grand Prix for "The KitKat Heist," VML celebrates KitKat as Brand of the Year and regional wins for VML Mexico and VML New York
VML UK Wins at the IPA Effectiveness Awards for "Waiting to Live"
VML UK Wins at the IPA Effectiveness Awards for "Waiting to Live"
- Published Date
- Oct 02, 2026
Recognised with Silver in Not-For-Profit and Best Small Budget for NHS Blood and Transplant, proving the power of strategic creativity to deliver measurable societal impact.
Widely regarded as the industry’s ultimate benchmark for creative effectiveness, an IPA Award validates work that turns brave ideas into measurable, real-world change. This recognition reinforces our commitment to strategic storytelling that sparks extraordinary public action — demonstrating that profound societal impact doesn't require a massive budget.
The winning campaign, "Waiting to Live", addressed a critical shortage in pediatric organ donors — where only 3% of UK children were on the donor register compared to 45% of adults. To make this hidden crisis visible, we placed 233 handcrafted dolls in hospital waiting rooms nationwide, each featuring a scannable badge linking directly to audio stories of real children waiting for transplants.
Amplified across owned, earned, and donated media, the initiative generated an estimated 8% uplift in child donor registrations, contributing to 33,701 children signing up as organ donors.
