Award Categories

This category recognises the best content newly created for the brand. The content should fit with the brand values, strategy and clearly address the marketing challenge. Judges will evaluate the content creation and creative execution, with additional credit given to storytelling across media channels, as well as the customer experience as evidenced by consumer engagement metrics. 

This category is open to both agencies and media owners.

This category will reward campaigns that have used a holiday or celebration day as the focal point of their strategy to generate results for their clients. Campaigns should make excellent use of audience insights around habits, activities, and preferences around the event, which are specific to the target market. The jury will also be looking for campaigns which have demonstrated how clever planning and strategy leading up to the occasion have been crucial to their success.   

Examples include, but are not limited to: Chinese New year, Songkran, Valentine’s Day, EID, Diwali, Anzac Day, Labour Day, Easter, Christmas, and Halloween.

This category recognises the effective execution of a campaign targeted towards a particular audience. Judges will be looking at how the campaign has used insight to target a specific demographic based on various groups including gender, age, interests, intent to purchase, culture and other niche audiences. Entrants should demonstrate how the strategy behind the campaign resonated with the target audience and its success in delivering the client’s key objectives.

This category is reserved for campaigns that have had a positive and measurable impact in the world. Whether that be socially, culturally, politically, economically or environmentally, the winning project will demonstrate how it led with a purposeful cause. This can be CSR focused, marketing for brands, charities, not-for profits, health enterprises, sustainability causes, social movements or inclusion and diversity initiatives.   

Winning entries will be able to demonstrate the positive impact the campaign has had or how it has raised awareness of an organisation’s values or initiatives or constructive changes to cultural and social perceptions. 

This category celebrates brands who have a clear narrative in their storytelling across all elements of their campaign, a compelling use of messaging in its aims and objectives with work that pushes boundaries, and in some cases the creation of new ways of communicating. 

The winning campaign must demonstrate clear consumer insight and through the development of a brilliant strategy, precise execution, and connectivity with the target audience. This can include any form of media used, whether a single or multi-platform campaign. Judges will favour results that meet the brand’s objectives. 

This category recognises campaigns that demonstrate how a campaign was successfully boosted by the distribution, amplification, and presentation of content. The content does not need to be original or newly created content and can be in any format, and not limited to, video, print, OOH or native advertising. 

Campaigns in this category will be specifically judged on their content strategy, which will include identifying the target audience and how effectively the placement of content was planned and implemented to engage with those consumers.  

We encourage entries from both media agencies and media owners. 

This category recognises the campaign that can demonstrate the most successful consumer engagement, showing tangible target audience related results. The campaign can have used any media channel so long as it can prove engagement with either wide-scale, or niche consumer groups. 

 The jury will be looking for audience related results and proof of engagement through metrics such as 'time spent with brand', 'number of interactions with the brand', 'number of downloads', 'number of comments'.

This category recognises physical, virtual and hybrid experiences that deliver an effective event or experiential campaign for consumers. The case should be clear on its results and be focused on the event / experience itself. The jury will expect to see how the brand has developed its interaction with the consumer, created a number of key touchpoints and brought to life the brand’s values and identity. The winner will be able to demonstrate the tangible benefits for the brand ideally including business results as well as impressive campaign metrics. 

Examples can include but are not limited to- experiential activations, pop-ups, stunts, guerrilla marketing, projections, ambient media, digital simulations and virtual events.

The winner of this category must have combined two or more platforms, such as mobile, OOH, social media, technology, TV, cinema, radio, print or other. The successful multi-channel campaign must show an effective use of various mediums in a creative and engaging way to obtain great results on clear objectives.  

The Judges will be looking to see clear decisions behind the varying platform choices and why the formats chosen are integral to the campaign’s success. They will also be looking for how the channels worked together, why and how they combined the audiences of the channels. 

Note the campaign can be solely implemented using digital media, or solely implemented using traditional media, or both as long as there are two or more platforms used successfully.

The winning campaign will demonstrate the most successful strategy created to launch or re-launch a new or existing product, service, or brand. Judges will look for proven understanding of the target audience and marketplace, which is incorporated into the strategy and execution and focus on the results the campaign has delivered.

Entries focusing on a relaunch should be able to present a significant and obvious update or change to the product, service, or brand in question.  It will also be advantageous to compare previous results to those that have been achieved since the relaunch.

Please note- the launch or relaunch of a marketing campaign is not suitable within this category, judges will specifically be looking for the launch or relaunch of a product, service, or brand. 

This category is reserved for campaigns designed for local brands, the brand can be specific to a community, country, or region throughout APAC. The winning work should demonstrate how the campaign has been specifically tailored for a local audience and recognised cultural nuances.  

Judges will look for great insight and execution, including the use of appropriate media channels and strong results, such as increases in brand perception, local engagement, and sales. 

This category is open to campaigns which have tapped into the world of music as the main driver of their strategies and success. 

This could be campaigns that have curated musical experiences, are focused on, or incorporated the use of a licensed, or original piece of music, or collaborations with music acts/artists or organisations such as, but not limited to, music publishers, licensors or distributors, record labels and music streaming platforms. 

Judges will be looking for an authentic connection between the music and the brand, and how music has been leveraged to communicate and resonate with consumers, while delivering or surpassing its client objectives and generating awareness, product or service uplift and key amplification to current and potential customers. 

This award recognises the success of a campaign based on the partnership between two or more parties, including but not exclusively between an agency, media owner, brand or ad technology owner. The partnership should have been integral to the success of the campaign, and judges will pay special attention to rewarding innovation in the implementation of the partnership. The partnership could be for a sustained long-term partnership, or a one-off collaboration. 

This category will be looking at how a brand has successfully used audio as it’s main driver to deliver ROI. Judges will be focusing on innovation, creativity, planning and the business results achieved throughout the campaign.  

The campaign could have been executed through traditional audio media, digital audio media or a combination of both. 

Examples can include, but are not restricted to, the use of Podcasts, radio, streaming platforms or other channels in the audio space such as: WTOP FM, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Soundcloud, NTS, Bandcamp, Internet Radio.

The winner in this category will demonstrate the best use of data and reflect the achievement of effectively reaching consumers where the successful campaign has been notably enhanced, or even made possible through learning gained from econometrics and data insights. Campaigns can be from social media to e-commerce as long as they have data at their heart.  

Judges will be looking at how data has been used to inform the campaigns and apply pivot strategies to adapt and evolve the overall delivery of the work when needed during the execution. The winning entry should demonstrate the best use of all data insights, which has ultimately improved results, as evidenced by metrics including purchase intent, attention, brand consideration, increases in the average order value, a reduction in online CPA or increase in ROI. Pre- and post-campaign statistics will be another useful benchmark for judges.

This category rewards brand communication that has understood and used mobile to make a success of the campaign. Entrants should be clear on how and why mobile was used and should demonstrate how it played a critical role in achieving the client objectives and great results. 

Examples include, but are not limited to apps, mobile websites, mobile games, and mobile based advertising. 

This category rewards campaigns that have used the web/online landscape effectively and as its primary marketing tool. The jury will be looking for creative implementation, great examples of interaction and successful results which only digital channels could have achieved.  

Examples include, but are not limited to, content produced for the online landscape such as websites; landing pages; video ads; display ads; microsites; apps; search and display; SEO; banner ads and pop-ups. 

This category is open to all campaigns which have used Out of Home as the primary media channel to amplify a product, service, or brand. Judges will be looking at how the OOH campaigns delivered the clients’ objectives, showcased interaction, innovation, and excellence in the medium. 

Examples can include, but are not restricted to, digital and non-digital billboards, posters, bus shelters, sports centres, building wraps and small and large sized ambient media or objects such as OOH promotional products and installations.

This category will be celebrating the best use of publishing to drive awareness, sales and to meet client objectives. Judges will be focusing on how the client has utilised the publishers’ media channels, first party data, networks, audiences, tools and portfolio of products and the results they have delivered. Entrants should be clear as to why this channel was chosen and integral to the success of the campaign.  

The campaign could have been executed through traditional print, digital publishing, or a combination of both. 

Examples can include, but are not restricted to, campaigns utilising publishers’ magazines, newspapers, inserts, websites, events and other digital or non-digital content outlets. 

This category is open to campaigns that have successfully engaged with their customers utilising real-time information. The strategy may be planned ,or be more spontaneous/reactionary, so long as the entry showcases how the brand created relevant messaging and reacted with audiences in real-time by responding to current data, trends, news or events. 

Judges will be looking for how the time-sensitive content, amplified interaction with their audiences, drove brand awareness, increased conversion, and enhanced the brand’s image. 

The range of real-time work judges will consider, but is not limited to, marketing automation such as triggered emails, response to timely news, trends or events, engaging with customers on social media, personalised digital content based on interactions, live event promotion or location-based deals through emails or apps. Platforms could include Twitter, Snap, WeChat, OOH, Tik Tok, digital displays, or Facebook for example.

This category rewards campaigns that have used social media as its core driver of success. The jury will be looking for great examples of interaction and results, which only social media could have achieved.  

Examples of the use of social media channels can include, but are not limited to, organic, sponsored and paid-for content, blogs, social video, social posts, video-sharing sites. This could include campaigns using platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, Pinterest, LinkedIn, WeChat, Facebook and TikTok. 

This category rewards the brand that has leveraged a strategic partnership between the brand and talent(s) as part, or as the whole of a campaign. 

The talent may be a celebrity, sports star, leading industry figure, social media influencer, brand ambassador or other notable character (real or fictional) who has directly tapped into their own following to benefit the brand. The activation may be part of a planned campaign using the talent or used more spontaneously in real-time marketing. In this case, judges will look for authenticity between talent and brand.

This category rewards campaigns that have understood and used technology as the primary amplification tool to deliver on the objectives of its clients. The winning work will be able to demonstrate why/how the technology was strategically selected and used and how the brand and technology worked seamlessly, to engage, target, and resonate with the right audiences. 

Examples could include, but are not limited to, the use of- programmatic, first and third-party data tech, real-time marketing, AR, AI, Chatbots, IoT, Metaverse, software, wearable tech, or a custom-made technology solution. 

This category will be amplifying the best campaigns which have used TV, streaming services, video channels and cinema as their key media channel. Judges will be looking at how the campaigns met the client objectives with engaging and creative content in one or more of these mediums. 

Examples can include but are not restricted to the use of Television channels, Streaming services, Television Networks, Cinema operators/Chains or Broadcasting companies such as: Netflix, Amazon, YouTube HBO, China Global Television network, CJ CGV, Wanda, DCM, Pearl and Dean, Disney, Sun TV and ABS-CBN

This category is open to campaigns that have utilised viral marketing tactics to generate engagement around a product, service, or brand to generate maximum positive coverage and consumer interaction. 

Judges will be looking for campaigns which have been amplified by the power of peer recommendations across social networks and other channels, offline, online or both and have employed one, or a number of the following viral marketing tactics including a message which instantly translates as bold, funny or awe-inspiring to the right target audience: content which has a call to action, or is instantly shareable; the use of emotive content that encouraged its audience to take action and an overriding short and simple message for the brand, service or product being marketed. 

The jury will also be looking for metrics such as level of reach, connectivity with the audience, the number of shares the campaign achieved across its different mediums and its overall impact of the brand, service, or product it was amplifying.

This category has been created to celebrate media campaigns, which have used sport as a vital component of their strategies to drive results, resonate with consumers and communicate the client’s key messaging. This could include working or partnering with sports teams, organisations, communities, and associations within any sport around the globe, or an activation at a sports event – local, regional, or global – which allows key touchpoints for the client’s target audiences and is part of an overall media strategy. 

Judges will be looking at the results the association with sport has achieved, how it met and surpassed the client’s objectives and used sport as a key communicational tool. 

Examples could include but are not limited to- innovative sponsorship activations at sporting events like F1, FIFA World Cup, or the Olympics and working with sports teams, clubs or organisations- such as the IOC, APL, Indian Cricket Premier league, T20 World Cup, Cricket World Cup, Rugby Football League, Rugby World Cup and ASIAD and Premier League.

This category has been curated to celebrate ground-breaking creativity within the media industry. Entries should demonstrate how their campaigns have been propelled to new heights, whether that be through innovative ideas, clever use of media channels- existing, as well as the creation of new, or a game changing strategy.  

Judges will be looking out for cut-through or pioneering campaigns, that skilfully navigate but also transcend the media landscape. Please note whilst results will play a role in the judging of this award, the jury will be focused on the creative idea, concept or innovation. 

This category will focus primarily on the ROI the campaigns delivered for their clients, meaning results will play a critical part in the judges’ evaluation where numbers showing the campaign’s direct impact on sales and awareness should be compelling. Positive uplift against business targets rather than campaign metrics will be most favoured. It’s open to all campaigns, whether consumer or B2B, and judges will consider the size and difficulty of the aims of the campaign, or the changing nature of the challenge when making their decision. 

This category will allow a two-year eligibility period, with campaigns that ran between 1 October 2022 and 30 November 2024 eligible for entry.