PSA Voting - Best of Spikes 2026

The Sponsored Truth shows that media doesn’t have to be one-way. Instead of pushing ads people ignore, we turned Malaysian voices into the message. Comments from social platforms became live Google search ads, appearing exactly when people were deciding what to buy. Media wasn’t just a channel. It became a conversation, a place of trust, and a driver of real action. Social sparked the conversation, search amplified it at peak intent, and the product page closed the loop. By letting audiences shape the media itself, Samsung proved that digital platforms can be human, interactive, and commercially effective.

Vaseline Verified redefined brand authority by transforming a 155-year-old staple into a living cultural system co-owned by its communities. In an era of rampant misinformation, this was not a campaign, but a science-led intervention. By abandoning the traditional "top-down" brand narrative, Vaseline deployed its scientific legacy as a public service—guiding communities toward safer social discovery. As a Social R&D Lab, it functioned as a real-time "Fact-Checker," earning trust through transparency and scientific accountability. It proves that modern PR isn't about controlling the truth, but about democratizing it to build authentic, earned credibility.

McDonald’s, long associated with cheerful service and “smiles,” launched a campaign encouraging employees to work authentically without forcing a smile. Through a music-led message that resonated widely online, the brand highlighted that genuine expression matters more than performative positivity. Alongside the campaign, McDonald’s reviewed its hiring policies and training materials, shifting its message from “Work with your smile” to “Work with your style” to foster a more inclusive and employee-friendly environment. The campaign featured Ano, a Gen Z artist known for her candid, “non-smiling idol” persona, who had previously been dismissed from a part-time job for not appearing smiley enough.

No Blanket Value redefines how a B2B brand engages professional audiences. Instead of relying on reports or rational persuasion, the campaign uses exceptional design craft and physical experience to build long-term brand meaning with policymakers, funders, and business leaders. By replacing spreadsheets with a tangible, culturally grounded object, Social Value Aotearoa fostered genuine connection and reflection in a time-poor audience. The work challenges category norms, proves the power of restraint and craft in B2B communication, and demonstrates how brand-led ideas can drive meaningful engagement and measurable commitment.

For 50 years, a familiar red glow has pulsed over Sydney, a beacon drawing wanderers and locals alike. More than just advertising, the Coke sign is an accidental icon, a silent witness to countless beginnings. To celebrate its anniversary, we tapped into urban vocabulary, adding: "Meet Me At The Coke Sign". We invited people to share their stories of meeting at the Coke sign via QR code. And then we transformed the sign from observer to storyteller, weaving those memories back into the very streets of Kings Cross where they unfolded, celebrating the shared history illuminated by the Coke sign.

DareScore, created with Discovery and the Nepal Tourism Board, is a data-powered brand experience designed to help climbers explore a Nepal beyond Mount Everest. By scanning a Mountain Dew bottle, users accessed the world’s first platform to discover Nepal’s toughest peaks based on true difficulty. The microsite visualised survival risks, route complexity, rescue access, and seasonal hazards using decades of expedition records, terrain and weather data, and Sherpa insights. Users could assess difficulty, simulate climbs, and submit expedition enquiries; turning data into real, climb-ready journeys.

India is home to over a billion people, 22 official languages, and hundreds of dialects. While it is the world’s second-largest English-speaking country, the language has evolved into something uniquely local—shaped by Indian rhythm, humour, and expression. *The Inglish Dictionary* celebrates this reality. Visually, the project draws on Sohrai, a traditional matriarchal art form once painted on village walls but later overshadowed by colonial influence. Adapting its freehand style for print required careful study to retain its symbolism and spirit. Writing the dictionary was equally complex, capturing the authenticity, emotion, and cadence of spoken “Inglish” while ensuring the words remained clear and relatable.

Project Early Periods addressed a critical issue in India: girls are now starting their periods as early as age eight, far younger than the global average of 13, while education and support systems still target teenagers. This left many young girls confused, frightened, and at risk of leaving school. Whisper reimagined its entire approach to respond—raising national awareness of earlier periods, simplifying menstrual education for eight-year-olds, and developing products suited to younger users. The initiative educated 8.2 million girls, increased adoption of hygiene practices by 6%, and helped prevent 1.6 million girls from dropping out of school.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, voters can enrol on either the general or Māori electoral roll, with the size of the Māori roll determining how many Māori seats exist in parliament. As government threats to roll back Indigenous rights grew, increasing Māori enrolment became urgent. The campaign turned the typically private act of joining the Māori roll into a public expression of identity and collective strength. Real voters’ names appeared across film, outdoor, radio, digital, social and influencer channels, creating a visible movement of pride and resistance. Thousands enrolled, surpassing the threshold required to secure a new Māori parliamentary seat for the first time in 23 years.

Suncorp Haven provides a personalised extreme weather risk assessment for every one of Australia’s 11 million homes, helping homeowners understand their exposure and how to reduce it. Developed over two years through close collaboration with Suncorp, the platform transforms vast datasets into an immersive WebGL geo-visualisation tailored to each address. Integrating Suncorp peril data with technologies such as NASA AMMOS and Google 3D Tiles, it delivers a cinematic digital experience beyond standard mapping tools. Despite challenges including data licensing, uneven regional coverage, and strict legal requirements around geolocation and privacy, the team optimised the platform for seamless performance across desktop and mobile.