Category: Latest thinking

The Year Ahead in Media and Marketing World Media Group members discuss the priorities for 2023

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Year Ahead in Media and Marketing
World Media Group members discuss the priorities for 2023

By Belinda Barker, Chief Executive of the World Media Group

When I sat down this time last year to write about 2022, things were looking up for marketers. Coming out of Covid, consumers were spending the money they’d saved during lockdown and a sense of normality had returned. Fast forward to February when news of Russia’s war in Ukraine hit and it appeared our optimism was short-lived.

After a summer of political unrest, we’re on the brink of another recession. So, what does all that mean for media and marketing? I asked World Media Group members how they think the current economic climate will affect our priorities in the year ahead.  To read the whole article click HERE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Content? Creative? Context? The battle for consumer engagement

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The World Media Group hosted our first LinkedIn Live event yesterday, a lively debate about whether Content, Creative or Context is the winning factor in delivering a successful content marketing campaign. According to the LinkedIn Poll we ran beforehand, 44% of respondents considered Content to be most important. The battle was on as our three panellists set out to defend their territory!

The Wall Street Journal | Barron’s Group’s Chris Woodall chaired the panel featuring Emma Harrison from The New York Times; Shula Sinclair from M/Six; and Sam Adams from BBC Studios. 

A successful content campaign is like a great first date

Using a dating analogy, Woodall explained how several factors had to come together to make the perfect date. How the person looked or what they were wearing could be described as the Creative. The setting – for example a restaurant on Valentine’s Day – could be the Context. And what the other person said, or their views on life, could equate to the Content. Just as a combination of all three are important for a great date, the right blend of Content, Creative and Context is essential to a successful branded content campaign.

Each of our experts had a chance to present their case to demonstrate why their own area of expertise should be crowned Queen! 

Content should be liquid, contagious and generous

Arguing for Content, Emma Harrison said a good story must be “liquid and contagious, flowing through culture and through different mediums,” to cut through the 10,000+ pieces of content consumers see each day. She described the importance of being generous with the stories, giving the reader something back. “Good content gives more than it receives, otherwise it would just be promotion,” she said. “Being generous with storytelling enriches a reader’s understanding, enhances their day-to-day and create a meaningful connection with our audience.” 

Creative is the route to driving brand growth

That’s all well and good but using content to drive deeper brand engagement and connection can only happen once you have your advertising and creative in place, according to Shula Sinclair. Firstly, Sinclair argued, establishing distinctiveness and brand salience – which are essential to brand growth – without diluting what you want the brand to represent, can only be conveyed through advertising or creative. Next, Sinclair cited the direct correlation between advertising investment and brand growth. Sinclair’s third point was that consumers don’t really care about brands and we instead should be “thinking about how we can creatively and compellingly convey what we have to say in a fraction of a second.” 

Context guarantees brand safety and relevance 

Presenting the case for context, Sam Adams explained that seeing an advertising message in the right environment is essential to success because it offers brand safety, relevance and engagement. Many advertisers now use negative keyword targeting to make sure their ads don’t appear on the wrong pages. “It’s important not to get dragged into the temptation of advertising deemed as insensitive and inappropriate for obvious reasons. Advertising in trusted quality media ensures brand safety, but it also positions your brand as part of the conversation of the larger issues in the world,” she said.

After each of the three panellists had laid out their argument, the debate to find the ideal mix of Content Creative and Context began. Watch the video to see how the discussion panned out and to find out who was crowned Queen!

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Masterclass: How to create an award-winning content campaign

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Masterclass: How to create an award-winning content campaign

This year’s masterclass in storytelling brought together a panel of representatives from the BBC, De Beers and National Geographic to provide insight into what goes into making an award-winning content campaign. Each panellist presented their case study, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

Journey To Ithaca

Alex Beard, a content strategist at BBC Storyworks, began by presenting Hyundai’s ‘Journey To Ithaca’, the winner of this year’s WMA for Social Good. Hyundai approached the BBC to help them publicise their sponsorship of Healthy Seas, an initiative which focuses on cleaning up abandoned ghost gear from the world’s oceans. The goal was to promote the NGO’s work, while showcasing the repurposing of plastic waste in their new Ioniq5 EV.

Okavango Eternal

Chris O’Neill, Senior Manager, Global Brand Partnerships, National Geographic and Letitia Weeks, Brand Manager, Sustainability, De Beers Group presented ‘Okavango Eternal’, winner of the WMA Brand and Media Partnership category. Since 2015, the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project has been working to help secure permanent, sustainable protection for the Okavango Basin. In 2021, De Beers joined the National Geographic Society, providing support and funding to expand and accelerate the work already underway.

The session was chaired by Rachael Adams, Senior Manager, Commercial Content, Reuters, who grilled the panellists about their respective campaigns, and took questions from the live audience. Here are their top three pieces of advice for creating an award-winning content marketing campaign:

  1. Authenticity – what gives you the right to tell your story?

For both campaigns, it was essential to tell the stories in a way that was authentic and true to each brand’s values. As part of the motor industry, which is not generally known for its sustainability or social good credentials, Hyundai were keen to change the narrative. They wanted to reinforce their commitment to driving change at an industrial level and to create a circular economy.

Instead of making the story about the Hyundai brand, their sponsorship of the Healthy Seas initiative allowed them to tell a genuine story of sustainability. Focusing on the ocean clean-up around the island of Ithaca, the story was one of redemption. From environmental disaster to actionable solutions, ending with visible progress and a message of positivity. In order to tell this story authentically, the brand presence had to be minimal. Nonetheless, the connection to Hyundai – ghost nets cleaned up from the ocean and broken down into the material that goes into their cars – was powerful.

De Beers and National Geographic are partnering to help address one of the most critical conservation challenges in Africa: protecting the near-pristine source waters of the Okavango Delta. Located in northern Botswana, the Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s richest places for biodiversity and home to the world’s largest remaining elephant population as well as lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, and hundreds of species of birds.

National Geographic has been joined by De Beers — which has worked with the people of Botswana for over 50 years including through their commitment to Building Forever on education, healthcare, livelihoods, and wildlife conservation — to help secure protection for the Okavango Delta’s headwaters.

It is through these shared commitments, and Nat Geo’s mission to illuminate and protect the wonders of our world, that both organisations have been able to connect authentically with global audiences to tell the tale of this incredible programme.

Top tip: “Ask yourself and your clients: do you have the authority to tell your story? Are there others who you can approach to better tell the story for you?” – Alex Beard, Content Strategist, BBC Storyworks

  1. Trust – choose a partner that reinforces your credibility.

The right partner will encourage the client to tell the story in the best possible way. The client must trust the media partner to tell it effectively, even if that means their own brand is not centre stage. The brand gains credibility from the target audience’s existing trust in the media partner.

Partnering with BBC to produce ‘Journey to Ithaca’, Hyundai benefited from the corporation’s high editorial standard, which requires all claims to be substantiated and demonstrated with the same rigour in commercial productions as in its news and editorial arms. The film was also the BBC’s first piece of short-form content to receive an Albert for sustainably production, adding authority to Hyundai’s desire to change the narrative around sustainability.

According to De Beers’ Letitia Weeks, trust goes both ways. She said having an 18-month preparation period before the start of the Okavango project gave them “the time to prove to National Geographic that we are serious about what we are saying and to build that trust.”

Together, both organisations have been able to leverage collective resources to scale efforts for long-term sustainable protection, working in close collaboration with National Geographic Explorers and hand-in-hand with communities throughout the Okavango.

That, paired with National Geographic’s cast of storytellers, multi-content platforms and vast archive of content, provided a robust framework to explain what the end goal was and demonstrate how they were going to get there together.

Top tip: “Get other voices in a piece, as it’s very much about telling both sides of the story and being balanced. Present it in an editorial or a newsy kind of way, so that it’s of interest to your audience.” – Rachael Adams, Senior Manager, Commercial Content, Reuters

  1. Proof – demonstrate the actual impact of your project

In response to an audience question about greenwashing, the panel discussed the importance of moving away from pledges and promises. Instead, our experts recommended using proof points to demonstrate that a project is more than just a marketing tactic. The Hyundai film was built on factual, quantitative truth that was very tangible to its audience. The National Geographic De Beers project is a five-year partnership, that requires deep engagement with its audience over the longer-term, only possible by showing genuine impact.

The panel were keen to point out that the lessons learned from their case studies apply to both B2C and B2B campaigns in every industry, and not just for big budget creative campaigns. They agreed the key is to find your authentic voice and work out what you have the authority to say. You can then engage your audience by showcasing proof points in a wide variety of compelling ways. Whether that’s an interactive timeline of your company’s history or vox pops of people who add interest to your story, if you are leading with something you have a genuine right to have a stance on, there will be an interesting story to tell.

Top tip: “Audiences can see through corporate narrative. What are you doing and what are those proof points that audiences can quite clearly see when they’re engaging with that content?” – Chris O’Neill, Senior Manager, Global Brand Partnerships, National Geographic

To find out more about why trust and authenticity must be at the heart of any content campaign, head to the World Media Group’s Creative Vault. You can read the full case studies for ‘Journey To Ithaca’, and ‘Okavango Eternal’ along with all our other award-winning entries.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

60 seconds with World Media Group President, Damian Douglas

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60 seconds with World Media Group President, Damian Douglas 

What have been your priorities during your term as president of the World Media Group?

Over the last 12 months my role has been to support the World Media Group’s strategy to dial back into the power of our journalism. This is the unique aspect that brings the World Media Brands together, and the world has never needed journalism that our brands stand for like it does today.

What trends are you currently seeing? 

We’re all trending towards content. Our brands are content-rich from an editorial perspective. The brands we work with from a commercial perspective equally have a very unique point of view on the world today, and how the world is evolving. Brands are dialling back into their purpose and trying to understand how their purpose marries with societal good as we look towards driving a more progressive future for everybody. I think that’s been one of the unique aspects over the last 12 to 18 months.

How can brands, agencies and publishers work together to achieve the best results? 

It’s essential to be aligned on what the objective is. Brands, as well as publishers, are content-rich, but understanding that differentiated position and a unique perspective on their own purpose and their own value, then understanding what the positive outcomes look like by communicating that, is crucially important.  Greater communication between all three is needed: understanding what success looks like, and then understanding where you take it next. Because this isn’t a three month or six month conversation. Brands are going to play a big significant part in how we evolve as societies, how our economies evolve, and they play a significant part in solving many of the challenges we face.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Inclusion & Trust in the Commercial Side of the Media Sector

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Inclusion & Trust in the Commercial Side of the Media Sector

One of the objectives of the World Media Group’s working group on Trust & Engagement is to develop a better understanding of the perception of our brands within the wider media / advertising industry. Together with The Third Culture and the Brixton Finishing School, we recently conducted our first-ever survey on Inclusion & Trust in the commercial side of the media sector.

We conducted almost 300 interviews with media agencies, creative agencies and media companies, with a particular focus on the younger end of the industry. The survey examined organisational culture and inclusion practices and looked at the perceptions about what was important commercially.

D&I products and services have more commercial impact than policies

Overall, respondents placed a higher value on D&I products and services and how they impact on commercial decisions than D&I policies.

Almost half of the respondents (44%) agreed that providing insight and data that captures a diverse range of audiences was important. Thirty one percent thought an organisation should provide products and services for more inclusive advertising, and 23% wanted to see organisations demonstrating commitment to fully inclusive advertising.

Respondents considered D&I policies to have less of an impact on commercial decision-making. Thirteen percent of respondents thought it was important for organisations to integrate inclusion principles into mission/vision/values. The same number felt organisations should have special programmes that support underrepresented groups. Ten percent felt it was important that the people who worked at an organisation are representative.

Agency vs media perceptions on D&I differ

Having a representative group of people from various backgrounds on teams is already becoming standard during the agency pitch process, and there’s an expectation that a company will have an ERG programme to support underrepresented groups. However, when we drill down into the agency vs media perceptions of how diversity and representation impact commercial decisions, there is a dramatic difference of opinion.

Those working in media place a much higher value on D&I policies and practices than their agency counterparts. This is likely to be because established media outlets are brands in their own right. Implementing broader cultural policies is important to their business to the extent that not having a diverse staff may have a negative impact on sales.

For agencies, there’s less concern about a media partner having diverse staff as long as they have the ability to show insight into diverse audiences and demonstrate inclusive advertising and content.

The research, which has been shared with WMG members, has provided interesting insights for our media brands to consider. This includes the need for clearer articulation of the diverse editorial content that already exists across the World Media Group’s brands. We look forward to updating you on our progress in the coming months.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”21681″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Interview with the 2022 Content & Innovation Award leader, Khaled Alshehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, UAE Government Media Office

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Working for a government department, are there any restrictions you’ve come up against that limit what you can do with your content marketing campaigns? If so, how have you combatted that?

The only limits are those we place ourselves, when we limit our own creativity or imagination. Of course, there are technical limitations or financial boundaries we can’t cross but these only limit our ability to execute the ideas in the way we initially intended. There’s nothing stopping us from executing them differently.

When you look at what we’ve produced over the past few years, the scale, innovation and ambition we’ve demonstrated, you clearly see we live and breathe our country’s motto: Impossible is Possible. We thrive on these three words.

 

Why do you think there’s been a growth in content-led advertising campaigns over the last few years?

Capturing and retaining people’s attention, when there is an avalanche of messages and sources of distraction, is the real battle for marketers. This is particularly poignant when attention spans are dropping to levels below those of a goldfish, at around eight seconds today. There is also a deficit of trust in a lot of institutions. Traditional messages, interruptive ads or communications are no longer cutting through the way they once did.

While personalisation helps, if done sensibly, what really gets through to people is content-based communications. Content gets you found, liked and, where applicable, bought. It builds awareness and credibility in a far less intrusive way than traditional advertising. What’s more, it’s shareable. It doesn’t matter if you don’t become viral, you will still expand your audience when people share your content with their friends and followers.

Brands are thinking and acting more and more as publishers. If they put their audience’s needs first, they stand to get levels of trust, affinity, attention, and preference ad campaigns can only dream of.

 

What are the biggest changes you’ve noticed in content over the last five years and what sort of trends do you expect to see in the future?

Like most things, content has moved from print to digital platforms. We’re therefore focusing more and more on audio-visual and, interestingly, voice, with podcasts. While social media has led to the bitesizification (wish I could trademark this) of content, I do believe there is also a place for long-form. Look at the performance of documentaries.

Obviously, while content is largely used to build a brand and its affinity, including by championing causes or promoting social responsibility, marketers still want it to generate leads or sales. We’re probably going to see more efforts in this direction.

Another aspect is the deprecation of third-party cookies on Chrome and the focus on first-party data it will eventually generate. Marketing to a database of known consumers or visitors will heavily rely on content to push people down the funnel and rely on its shareability to contribute to audience expansion.

 

With a recession potentially on the horizon, do you think now is the right time for brands to invest more heavily in marketing or will we see the industry cutting back?

Typically, with any signs of economic contraction and lower revenues, most businesses respond with cost-cutting measures. Some will go further and reduce or delay investments. What appears to be financial prudence could actually be the corporate equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to marketing.

With every crisis or downturn marketers go through the same debate, should we/shouldn’t we, with agencies and industry associations trying to convince the others about what course to take. There is ample evidence that short-term budget-cutting reactions are never as effective as long-term investments for brands – or the economy. Brands that keep on investing through a crisis bounce back better and maintain or grow their share better than those that cut budgets

A downturn also presents opportunities to invest in your brands with better commercial conditions and less competitive pressure. I am not advocating recklessness of course, just looking outside the box and a bit of bravery. Call it a leap of faith.

 

What do you think the specific challenges will be for your sector in the year ahead?

Besides a general contraction in revenues and therefore budgets, possibly, we’re likely to see a lower appetite for international investments and possibly tourism, with inflation cutting into budgets. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before though, and certainly not as unexpected as the pandemic. We have a built-in resilience, I feel, in our economy. Every time, we’re returning to pre-crisis levels faster than the previous downturn. We may get bruised, but we don’t get scars, which is a good thing.

In terms of communications, as tech makes everything immediate and accessible, government communications need to become much more two-way, fast and effective. This is particularly true for Gen Z consumers. Rather than campaign-based, we’re adopting always-on more and more.

 

One of the reasons you were nominated for the award was because of the transformative way you approach communications, behaving more like a brand than an institution. What’s the one piece of advice you would give to your peers in other government institutions?

Creativity is not just for commercial brands but also for public sector brands, which often have a greater purpose to fulfil. From nation-building to branding, from philanthropy to public diplomacy, from small trips to interstellar missions, we’ve transformed the way the UAE Government communicates. And it’s won multiple awards at some of the most prestigious festivals. How did we achieve this? We went All Out.

First, we OutEmphathised: we became people-centric to always humanise our communications and ensure they are meaningful. Second, we decided to OutThink: we became bold, unique, distinctive and brave enough to test, experiment and dare to truly innovate and capture attention. We also OutCared: we found and pushed a greater purpose in our work. Finally, we OutCollaborated: we developed many collaborations with partners, not suppliers, who share your vision and contribute multiple perspectives for better results.

At the UAE Government Media Office, we ensure the strategic communication needs of the government are met, helping it communicate with its domestic and international audiences on a broad range of challenges and initiatives. This includes working on the Emirates’ nation brand. We’re particularly focused on soft power and public diplomacy strategies, managing the visual media identity, and managing media campaigns for strategic national projects and official events. At the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, we ensure the success of philanthropic and developmental campaigns through smart media ideas and activations.

 

Finally, what campaign are you most proud of and why?

I have a soft spot for the World’s Tallest Donation Box. The idea was to sell each LED light on the façade of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, to raise money for the 10 Million Meals campaign. We gamified the humanitarian campaign by putting the Burj Khalifa on sale. Each one of the 1.2 million lights was sold, providing 1.2 million meals to people directly or indirectly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak across the country. This shining display of social solidarity and cohesion brought hope and smiles to people who needed it the most.

Institutions, companies and the general public bought one or more lights for 10 AED ($2.7) each. One light would provide one meal. The skyscraper’s 1.2 million lights turned it into a beacon of generosity. This got global attention and the media around the world featured the story and images of Burj Khalifa powered by kindness. This is marketing as a force for good.

This campaign has been a massive success, providing meals for the needy, positive PR for the UAE, contributing to building the nation brand, and gaining an impressive number of awards (70 in total). More importantly, it helped the 10 Million Meals campaign exceed its goal by over 50%, raising enough funds to provide 15.3 million meals to low-income families and individuals impacted by the pandemic.

 

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A showcase of the best campaigns entered into the World Media Awards

Brands including Accenture, Citi, De Beers, Forbes, Hyundai, Lombard Odier, Mærsk, Reuters, Samsung / Samsung Galaxy, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Visit Sweden and Volkswagen were amongst those receiving accolades for their impressive category entries this year during the awards celebration at the Ham Yard Hotel in London.

The full case studies for this year’s winning entries, along with the winners of previous years, are available to read in the World Media Group’s Creative Vault here.

Johnnie Walker strides past the competition at the 2022 World Media Awards

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‘The Ones Who… Keep Walking’ campaign wins this year’s Grand Prix

The 2022 World Media Awards Ceremony last night was shadowed by the sad news of the death of Her Majesty The Queen. WMG President Damian Douglas began the event by offering condolences on behalf of the World Media Group and invited the audience to take part in a minute’s silence to reflect on the news.

Despite the difficult circumstances, we felt it was important to celebrate the amazing work of all our finalists, and we are pleased to announce Johnnie Walker as the Grand Prix winner of the 2022 World Media Awards.

The awards, supported by Smartology this year, are the only global awards to recognise brands, agencies and media partners who, together, create the most effective cross platform, cross border, content-driven advertising campaigns.

Brands including Accenture, Citi, De Beers, Forbes, Hyundai, Lombard Odier, Mærsk, Reuters, Samsung / Samsung Galaxy, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Visit Sweden and Volkswagen were amongst those receiving accolades for their impressive category entries this year during the awards celebration at the Ham Yard Hotel in London.

The Grand Prix-winning campaign from Johnnie Walker, which also won the Luxury & Lifestyle category, was built around a feature documentary directed by Amarachi Nwosu, which sets out to explore what the spirit of Keep Walking means for creative and change makers in Africa. The film features more than 20 defiantly optimistic voices from the artists, designers and musicians shaping the cultural scene in Africa today. It delivers an insight into how fresh creative energy, sheer determination, and a pioneering spirit is bringing authentic African expression to the world.

“Despite a raft of strong contenders, the judges were unanimous when it came to voting for the Grand Prix. This disruptive campaign demonstrates the power of storytelling through content-driven advertising in the right media environment,” said Belinda Barker, Chief Executive of the World Media Group.  “It uses storytelling to reimagine how we see Africa and the creative renaissance taking place there, highlighting those who embody the spirit of Keep Walking by igniting collective progress across Africa.”

A panel of 37 senior jurors from leading international advertisers, agencies and publishers co-chaired by Hamish Goulding, Head of Global Brand Strategy for HSBC and Ritu Lakhanpal, Managing Partner, IPG MEDIA BRAND, were tasked with selecting winners from the many global submissions. The full list of judges can be seen here.

The full case studies for this year’s winning entries, along with the winners of previous years, are available to read in the World Media Group’s Creative Vault here.

The winners of the World Media Awards 2022 are as follows:

 

AUTOMOTIVE  

Winner – The New Polo Challenger Series: Conquering New Stadiums
Brand: Volkswagen
Entered by: PHD Germany
Credits: Twitch, DDB/Voltage

Judges’ comments: The campaign addresses the issue of ad-blocking by its target market by going to where the younger audience is concentrated; the product is at the heart of the campaign.

CORPORATE INFLUENCER

Winner – The Upside Of Integrated Logistics
Brand: A.P. Moller – Mærsk,
Entered by: Havas Business
Credits: Creative Agency: &Co.

Judges’ comments: A creative use of media, beautifully integrated with an elegant internal and external application. The campaign demonstrates humour in a potentially dry category and achieves excellent results.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Winner – Revealing The Unexpected Value Of Nature
Brand: Lombard Odier Group
Entered by: Banque Lombard Odier & Cie SA
Credits: VMLY&R, Wavemaker, RS Solutions

Judges’ comments: A nice concept brought to life making the financial services category beautiful and interesting. The campaign stands out in the sea of the sameness; the choice of media highlighted the campaign and delivered results.

Highly Commended – Treasury & Turbulence – Sanctions: The Makers & The Breakers
Brand: Citi
Entered by: Euromoney Institutional Investor  

Judges’ comments: This campaign creates emerging content for a niche audience but transferable to others and leveraged audio as distribution strategy.  

LUXURY & LIFESTYLE  

Winner – The Ones Who… Keep Walking
Brand: Johnnie Walker
Entered by: OMG Africa

Judges’ comments: A meaningful and disruptive campaign; a smart way to navigate regularity challenges and a strong brand alignment.

MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT   Winner – The Source
Brand: Reuters
Entered by: Reuters
Credits: VMLY&R

Judges’ comments: A highly competitive strategy. A strong sense of authenticity, a smart media mix based on strategy, using simple visuals, propelling the brand into the future.

Highly Commended – Spider-Man Swings To Global Success
Brand: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Entered by: OMD EMEA   Judges’ comments: A strong targeted strategy with a clear impressive result of being the most viewed trailer.

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMS

Winner – The Phone Of The Year Captures The Man Of The Year
Brand: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Entered by: Starcom Worldwide
Credits: Conde Nast, Edelman

Judges’ comments: Smart integration of premium editorial and premium commercial strategy; strong distribution across all platforms.

Highly Commended – Creating Sustainably
Brand: Samsung
Entered by: T Brand, the content studio of New York Times Advertising

Judges’ comments: They found a unique angle to launch the campaign. A robust audience strategy as the backbone of the campaign and smart use of targeting.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Winner – Discover The Originals
Brand: Visit Sweden
Entered by: Mindshare
Credits: Forsman & Bodenfors, Hill+Knowlton, B-Reel Films, Ljudbyrån

Judges’ comments: A clever device that made people engage, comment and amplify the campaign, and possibly add Sweden to the bucket list! A real crowd pleaser and perfectly on brand.

GRAND PRIX

Winner – The Ones Who… Keep Walking Brand: Johnnie Walker
Entered by: OMG Africa

SPECIAL CATEGORIES:

BRAND & MEDIA OWNER PARTNERSHIP  

Winner – Okavango Eternal
Brand: De Beers Group
Entered by: National Geographic Judges’ comments: Brave and innovative way to talk about addressing brand perception head on, potentially a controversial issue. Highlights a new topic and is educational. Played to strong sustainability.  

Highly Commended – Accenture Exchange Series And Partner Content
Brand: Accenture
Entered by: Financial Times
Credits: UM

Judges’ comments: A thoughtful insight-led, multiplatform strategy with longevity.  

SOCIAL GOOD

Winner – Journey To Ithaca
Brand: Hyundai
Entered by: BBC Studios (BBC StoryWorks)
Credits: Havas Media Germany, Innocean Worldwide

Judges’ comments: A well-considered, well-executed campaign that generated a genuine positive and demonstratable impact for Hyundai and Ithaca. The project paves the standard for sustainable short-form content production at the BBC.

Highly Commended – State Of Black Entrepreneurship
Brand: For(bes) the Culture
Entered by: Forbes

Judges’ comments: The project is highly commended for its ambition to rewrite history through the use of media today and going forwards.  

RISING STAR

Winner – Ella Solomon
Wavemaker

Judges’ comments: Ella really impressed us with her entrepreneurial and sustainable efforts. She behaves as a leader in her agency and community. As such, we are keen to see where this takes her and expect Ella to help our industry progress on her net zero agenda.  

Highly Commended –  

Aimee Carpenter
Carat UK

Cristina Correa POLITICO Europe

Georgina Marshall
BBC Studios (BBC Global News Advertising Sales)

Judges’ comments: All highly competent and an asset to their organisations. We fully expect to hear more about all over the next few years.  

CONTENT LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION  

This award is for the individual recognised by peers for their talent in creating exemplary content-driven campaigns with brand bravery, creativity and innovation.

Winner – Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication for the UAE Government Media Office

#ENDS#

About The World Media Group – Championing International Trusted Journalism

The World Media Group is an alliance of leading global media organisations united in providing trusted and renowned journalism. Its members include The Atlantic, BBC Global News, Bloomberg Media, The Economist, Forbes, Fortune, Insider, National Geographic, Politico Europe, Reuters, The New York Times Company, The Smithsonian, TIME, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, and associate member Euromoney, and partners Permutive and Smartology. To find out more about the World Media Group, please visit www.world-media-group.com.

 

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Sustainability, Collaboration and Data: Themes dominating this year’s WMA Shortlist

Although the World Media Awards are now in their seventh year, I never fail to be surprised by the increasing quality and creativity of the submissions every time we begin the shortlisting process. Our panel of 39 judges spent hours poring over the entries to select this year’s finalists, whose campaigns represent the very best in international content-driven, cross-border advertising.

As we’ve all adjusted to life after Covid, priorities have changed, and so has the popularity of certain categories this year. Entries doubled in both the Automotive and Social Good categories, while Technology & Telecoms submissions increased by 175% compared to the previous year. The judges also noticed some clear themes emerging across all categories.

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Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication for the UAE Gov Media Office wins the World Media Award for Content Leadership & Innovation

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]London – 2nd August, 2022 – The World Media Group today announced that Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication for the UAE Government Media Office, is the winner of the World Media Award (WMA) for Content Leadership & Innovation for 2022. This honour is awarded to the individual recognised by peers for talent in creating exemplary content-driven campaigns that demonstrate brand bravery, creativity, and innovation. AlShehhi will receive his special award at this year’s WMA celebration in September.

Both Co-Chairs, Hamish Goulding, Group Head of Brand Strategy at HSBC and Ritu Lakhanpal, Managing Partner at McCann Worldwide, along with Belinda Barker, Chief Executive of The World Media Group, agreed that AlShehhi had upended the rules of government communication by placing creativity at the essence of his leadership to deliver a level of impact and effectiveness not often seen in public institutions.

AlShehhi has been at the helm of many award-winning creative campaigns including the transformation of the Burj Khalifa into the world’s largest donation box, reaching 4.6 billion people and raising over 1.2 million meals for those most affected by Covid. However, campaign effectiveness is just one part of this story; AlShehhi has transformed the way a government entity approaches communications by making creative excellence the essence of its function. It’s clear the UAE media office behaves like a brand, not an institution.

AlShehhi’s ground-breaking initiatives to support the Middle East’s first mission to Mars including ‘Double Moon’, a regional-first projection stunt, and a limited-edition passport stamp made of Martian ink for visitors arriving in the UAE, showcase this unique creative approach. Likewise, ‘A winter through my eyes’, a short video showing the beauty of UAE from the perspective of a blind person, pushes the boundaries of traditional tourism content.

“The calibre of candidates for the 2022 Content Leadership & Innovation Award, who are nominated by the World Media Group’s members, was exceptional this year. They each demonstrated innovation, creativity and brand bravery in their campaigns, so it was a tough decision,” said Belinda Barker, Chief Executive, The World Media Group. “Khaled AlShehhi impressed our judges with the sheer breadth and depth of the campaigns he has delivered, as well as demonstrating creativity, boldness and pushing the boundaries of communications and marketing in what can often be a dry sector.”

“The World Media Awards showcases the very best in content marketing, so I’m delighted to receive the award for Content Leadership & Innovation,” AlShehhi said. The UAE believes the impossible is possible and has spent the past fifty years imagining, designing, and executing a new vision for the country that is unlike anywhere else. But it takes more than policy and vision to change society.

“My goal has been to transform the way the UAE Government communicates by producing original innovative and creative content that positively impacts the lives of people locally, regionally and globally, so it’s truly an honour for me – and of course my team – to see our work recognised by our peers.”

AlShehhi will receive his award during an exclusive live ceremony at the Ham Yard Hotel in London, on Thursday 8th September 2022, where the final category winners will also be announced. The winner of this year’s prestigious Grand Prix Award will also be announced on the night, joining previous Grand Prix winners London & Partners, Malaria No More UK, Shell, Sonos and Tata Motors as the ‘best of the best’.

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About The World Media Group – Championing International Trusted Journalism

The World Media Group is an alliance of leading global media organisations united in providing trusted and renowned journalism. Its members include The Atlantic, BBC Global News, Bloomberg Media, The Economist, Forbes, Fortune, Insider, National Geographic, Politico Europe, Reuters, The New York Times Company, The Smithsonian, TIME, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, and associate member Euromoney, and partners Permutive and Smartology. To find out more about the World Media Group, please visit www.world-media-group.com.

About The UAE Government Media Office

The UAE Government Media Office has been recognized as one of the most awarded government entities winning awards at some of the most prestigious shows including Cannes Lions, One Show, The Webby Awards, New York Festivals, AME Awards, Loeries Awards, Dubai Lynx and WARC. The office prides itself on being one of the most creative marketing functions in the world, surpassing classical brands when it comes to creativity and effectiveness.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]