Effie LIONS Foundation: the new force that promises to revolutionize the global marketing industry

Effie Lions Foundation

The marketing industry, that vast universe where creativity and results must coexist in balance, has just received a vital boost with the official launch of the Effie LIONS Foundation, a global non-profit organization aimed at building a more inclusive, innovative, and effective marketing for everyone. Will it succeed?

A strategic alliance with purpose: Effie + LIONS

This move is no coincidence. Following the alliance between Effie and LIONS in January 2025, the Foundation was created with a clear goal: to ensure that investment in creative marketing is not only attractive but truly effective for brand growth. But it’s not just about numbers and metrics; the real challenge is opening the doors of marketing to those who until now have been excluded due to lack of access or experience.

Why is the Effie LIONS Foundation important?

In an era where digitalization and transformation accelerate change in the sector, the Effie LIONS Foundation positions itself as the guardian of marketing’s future. Its mission is to provide marketing students, regardless of their background, with the tools, connections, and experiences necessary to face an increasingly competitive and evolving market.
Through partnerships with educational institutions and global brands, the Foundation seeks not only to train marketing technicians but to create true agents of change, capable of bringing fresh perspectives that revitalize the sector.

Effie Collegiate

At the heart of the project is the Effie Collegiate program, a challenge that puts students in direct contact with real marketing problems. In the United States, Latin America, and South Africa, young talents work with leading brands and agencies to understand and develop campaigns that really work.
It’s not just another simulation program; it is the practical immersion the sector needed to create professionals with judgment, innovation, and strategy.

Cutting-edge tools for 21st century marketing

Access to up-to-date knowledge is key. That’s why LIONS provides students with top-tier educational tools such as:

  • Effie Fundamentals: a course on strategy based on effectiveness and deep analysis.
  • Contagious IQ: a marketing intelligence platform that keeps students at the forefront.
  • Contagious Creative Accelerator: an accelerated program on creative trends and real briefs.
  • The Work: a database with more than 200,000 award-winning Cannes Lions campaigns.

And to complete the cycle, access to the LIONS Creative MBA, a digital course designed to boost professional careers.

Leadership with experience and vision

Leading the Foundation is Allison Knapp Womack, CEO, a leader with extensive experience in marketing and non-profits, accompanied by a board of directors that is a true sector “dream team,” including figures like Jae Goodman, CEO of Superconnector Studios, and other leaders from giants such as Adobe, Informa PLC, and the University of Michigan.
This team ensures the mission doesn’t stay on paper but translates into real and measurable results.

A call for inclusion and innovation

Allison Knapp Womack clearly states:

“The Effie LIONS Foundation exists to open doors and create opportunities — for students who never imagined a place in marketing, and for an industry that urgently needs their ideas and creativity.”

Jae Goodman, Board Chair, adds:

“We combine the effectiveness of Effie, the creativity of LIONS, and emerging global talent. That mix is powerful and transformative.”

A new horizon for marketing?

The Effie LIONS Foundation is more than an educational initiative; it appears to be a statement of principles for a sector that must evolve, open up, and become truly inclusive if it wants to survive and thrive. In a market saturated with noise and strategies that sometimes seem recycled, the Foundation promises to renew marketing’s DNA with freshness, rigor, and real access.
This project is not only necessary, it is urgent. If the industry wants to remain relevant, it must stop being an exclusive club and become an open ecosystem where everyone’s talent can flourish.

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