The 2026 National Creativity Awards, organized by the Creativity Club, have already revealed their winners and in the Strategy section, 16 metals have been awarded, among which 3 Golds stand out for brands such as Banco Sabadell, Vips and the Ministry of Equality.

As stated in the c of c bases, the Strategy section is designed to recognize excellence in the design and planning of actions aimed at achieving communication and brand building objectives. In this sense, the jury understands that a strategy is excellent when the set objectives are achieved in a clear, differentiating and innovative way.

>> See Interactive Reports of c de c 2026

Gold winners in the Strategy section

“How to survive a hostile takeover”, by Oriol Villar for Banco Sabadell

The hostile takeover launched by BBVA in May 2024 to acquire Banco Sabadell failed, after many negotiations, in October 2025. In between, there was an exchange of messages and campaigns that will go down in the history of the Spanish advertising industry. Thus, throughout 2025, a communication strategy was articulated aimed at moving its rejection of the OPA beyond the financial sphere, seeking to generate a social and emotional conversation around the right to decide. Under the concept of “How to survive a hostile takeover”, the entity built, together with the Oriol Villar agency, a story in which it positioned itself as a close brand in the face of a large corporation, using creativity as a pedagogical tool to explain the implications of the operation and strengthen its bond with shareholders, clients and society.

The strategy began to take shape at the end of 2024, when the bank launched the communication platform “Choosing is your power”, with the intention of highlighting the value of banking competition and the importance of having the best financial support to work, in the case of companies, or to develop and achieve goals, in the case of individuals. The launch coincided in time with the analyzes of the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) on the implications of the operation.

Later, “Dotting the Is” was launched, a campaign that used direct and rational language to detail the implications of the hostile takeover. With a minimalist visual approach, focused on the typographic use of dots, the pieces emphasized key concepts such as market concentration or the impact on SMEs and the self-employed, reinforcing the bank’s positioning from the clarity of the argument.

The strategy continued with “What do we do with the dragon?”, on the occasion of the Sant Jordi celebrations. Through irony, the campaign was based on the legend of Saint George, through which he ends up killing a dragon that spread terror in a town and devoured people. The bank thus launched the open question that gives the campaign its title, inviting the public to choose or imagine different options that would change the outcome of the story through a dedicated interactive landing page.

The alternative endings for the legend, which were metaphors for Sabadell’s rejection of the takeover bid, were presented with graphics illustrated by the artist Luis Coelho that saw the light of day on social networks and outdoor advertising. Thus, the dragon was illustrated writing “People don’t eat each other” a thousand times on a blackboard, holding books with his arms crossed or hugging a rocket on the way to outer space.

These endings for the “insatiable dragon”, as an allegory of BBVA, were also presented in a corranda, or Catalan popular song, in the form of a fable performed by artists such as Manu Guix, Paula Malia, Octavi Pujades or Carol Rovira, among others.
Additionally, the dragon graphics were inserted in the press, turning the main headlines into a “Choose Your Own Adventure” style story with four consecutive pages.

In the final stretch of the process, the entity launched “Notaria”, an advertising short that transferred the conflict to the business field through a fictional story. The piece shows how a family company reconsiders its sale after finding an alternative for growth in Sabadell, thus reinforcing the central message of the platform and closing the year with an emotional narrative that connected strategy, business and brand positioning.

Banco Sabadell, which in total has obtained 10 metals at the festival, is part of the group of advertising companies that currently lead Spanish creativity, along with Cervezas Alhambra, Movistar, Jumpers and Netflix, which stand out in this edition of the contest for the advertising proposals offered to the market.
For its part, Oriol Villar has achieved a total of 20 awards, including the Grand Prize, which makes it the most recognized advertising company in this edition of the contest and is part of the group of agencies that currently stand out for their proposals along with LLYC, Fuego Camina Conmigo, Ogilvy and VML The Cocktail. It is, on the other hand, one of the advertising companies with the most awarded client portfolio, having collected awards for three different brands such as Banco Sabadell, Estrella Damm and Movistar.

The recognitions collected by Banco Sabadell in the National Creativity Awards predict a successful advertising course for the entity, which already has the Great Innovation Genius Prize 2026, awarded last March for the “Dots on the i’s” campaign.

“The Ministry ads”, by Ogilvy for the Ministry of Equality

Between 2022 and 2025, Ogilvy has created up to 15 institutional communication campaigns for the Ministry of Equality, in which it has addressed issues such as gender violence, emotional-sexual education or the prevention of sexual violence, among others. It has done so on the occasion of key dates such as Women’s Day, celebrated every March 8, or the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which takes place every November 25. They have addressed different audiences and social contexts to open and raise reflections and debates linked to equality, respect or consent.

The campaigns have been disseminated in a wide variety of media and channels to impact citizens as a whole, and have sought a familiar and everyday narrative with the intention of conveying complex messages in an accessible way. They have also combined different cultural languages ​​and aesthetic codes, and have included recognized figures, such as actors Paco León, Ester Expósito or Ángela Molina.

“The Ministry Announcements” has received this Gold in Strategy for its Brand Consistency. And, individually, in this edition of the contest the “Treasure Search” campaign – starring actress Ester Expósito – has received a Silver in Content and a Silver and a Bronze in Craft.
Ogilvy appears, along with Oriol Villar, LLYC, Fuego Camina Conmigo and VML The Cocktail, among the agencies that have achieved the best performance in this edition of the festival and that currently stand out for their creative proposals to the market. It is also one of the advertising companies with the most awarded client portfolio thanks to the work it has done for brands such as Cruzcampo, Audi and the Ministry of Equality.

“The famous 10 more minutes in bed”, by Mono Madrid for Vips

Vips has been immersed in a plan for years to conquer new moments of consumption with the intention of positioning itself as a place for all types of audiences and environments. With “The famous 10 more minutes in bed”, designed by Mono Madrid, the restaurant chain has sought to reinforce its position as a comfortable and welcoming space in which to enjoy breakfast with the aim of becoming part of consumers’ routines.

To do this, I took as insight the time that people want to extend in bed to try to enjoy their rest a little more. However, with an ironic and humorous tone he pointed out that those ten minutes could be used more at Vips enjoying their breakfast offering and, thus, improving the start of the day. The piece also communicated the brand’s proposal for said food, which includes specialty coffee, artisanal pastries or toast in different styles.
Creativity was applied in this case to build the brand in a key territory for business growth and work on differentiation in the category.

In addition to this Gold, awarded in Strategy to “The famous 10 more minutes in bed” for its Insight, Vips has also been awarded in the same section with a Silver for “What Vips does is not normal” and two Bronzes for “Controlled Modernity II”.