The awards, presented by the World Media Group, an alliance of global media organisations united in championing trusted journalism, 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, added the organisation.
Brands including Adidas, Birkenstock, Bumble, Deutsche Telecom AG, DP World, Maersk, PGIM, Visa and Volkswagen were amongst those receiving accolades for their category entries this year during the awards celebration at the Ham Yard Hotel in London.
Cymru Wales’ Grand Prix-winning campaign, ‘Wales To The World’, which also won the Travel & Tourism category, capitalised on the opportunity to showcase their nation to an international audience when Wales qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals for the first time in 64 years.
‘This is Wales, C’mon in’ invited the world to get to know more about Wales in an authentic, people-led campaign that communicated Wales’s brand proposition and embodied the nation’s values. The people of Wales became messengers — telling their nation’s stories, and championing its values, culture and traditions in an engaging, unscripted and authentically Welsh way.
Belinda Barker, chief executive of the World Media Group said: “While the standard of all our finalists was impressive, the jury agreed that ‘Wales To The World’ sums up what is at the core of the World Media Awards’ ethos. It truly demonstrates how a powerful content-driven campaign in the right media environment can bring a story to life without compromising on authenticity.
“The Welsh Government did an amazing job bringing together different cultures and values in an integrated campaign that showcases Wales as a progressive nation with so much to offer. We can’t wait to come and visit!”
Heledd Owen, Director of Marketing, Cymru Wales said: “The World Media Awards showcases the best in international content-driven marketing so it’s an honour to be listed amongst such a high calibre of finalists.
“We’re delighted to be awarded this year’s Grand Prix for ‘Wales To The World’. It means a lot to know that this campaign, which is just the beginning of our long-term strategy to raise the profile of Wales internationally, has been recognised by the industry. We look forward to sharing more stories from the heart of our nation in the next chapter.”
A panel of 39 jurors from international advertisers, agencies and publishers, co-chaired Jerry Daykin, head of global media, Beam Suntory and Natasha Byrne, managing partner, UM, were tasked with selecting winners from the many global submissions. The full list of judges can be seen here. The World Media Awards says the ceremony was supported by Smartology.
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 World Media Group says winners of the World Media Awards 2023 are as follows:
AUTOMOTIVE
ID. Buzz – Feeling The Force Of A Perfect Partnership
Brand: Volkswagen ID Buzz
Entered by: PHD and Scholz&Friends
Judges’ comments: Volkswagen chose a great brand ambassador in Ewan McGregor based on the insight that there was a strong link between their audience and the Star Wars audience, and the relaunch timing for both iconic brands. But more than that – the campaign had strong results, with a reach of over 5.7 billion and 20,000 preorders – a capacity order book.
CORPORATE INFLUENCER
Discover New Paths
Brand: Maersk
Entered by: Havas Business
Credits: &Co, Copenhagen
Judges’ comments: This campaign used every touchpoint to create a truly global impact. The jury loved the involvement of the employees – creating internal ambassadors. Maersk tackled negativity about logistics head-on and succeeded in injecting emotion into B2B marketing. Plus, it achieved great results – two thirds of people who saw it went on to connect with Maersk.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Protecting Gamers Protects Visa
Brand: Visa
Entered by: Starcom Worldwide
Credits: Roblox, Venatus Media
Judges’ comments: Visa had a clear objective to reach a Gen-Z audience, and the insightful analysis of Gen-Z audience behaviour in the gaming world meant a true value-led campaign could be created.
The judges also felt that Visa succeeded in brilliantly transforming the brand value of ‘security’ into a suit of armour for gaming avatars. And all of this executed in just eight weeks – very impressive!
Highly Commended:
OutFront
Brand: PGIM
Entered by: Reuters
Credits: Ptarmigan Media
Judges’ comments: In a sea of long format articles, blog posts and graphs that define this category, the judges highly appreciated the creative direction and craft of the creative execution of this strategy.
LUXURY & LIFESTYLE
Ozworld
Brand: adidas
Entered by: EssenceMediacom
Credits: Jam 3
Judges’ comments: The adidas team identified the ideal platform to connect with this unique audience, and came up with a strategy that reinforced the perceptions of the adidas brand as innovators.
This campaign turned a product range with historically declining sales into top-selling products -results which testify to the success of the campaign.
MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
Brand Anthem
Brand: Bumble
Entered by: Havas Media Group London
Judges’ comments: This campaign is a great example of a well-executed, international marketing strategy that also requires localisation of messaging – the Bumble team showed that they could deliver on complex coordination and delivered impressive results.
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMS
#WhatWeValue: Embracing Volunteerism With Gen Z
Brand: Deutsche Telekom AG
Entered by: Mindshare GmbH
Credits: emetriq GmbH, Publicis Sapient, Saatchi & Saatchi London, Proud Robinson & Partners
Judges’ comments: A meaningful and purposeful campaign built on the strong insight that Gen-Z want to give back and do something for each other – and that they have a particular focus on the future of the planet. The campaign engaged with the audience across multiple Gen-Z focused platforms with excellent results and also made a real difference – supporting 108 projects to help to make the world a better place.
TRAVEL & TOURISM & GRAND PRIX WINNER
Wales To The World
Brand: Cymru Wales (Welsh Government)
Entered by: Orchard Media and Events
Credits: iCrossing UK
Judges’ comments: The passion came through in this entry and the jury felt that the Welsh Government team did more than just make the most of this World Cup moment. They addressed the difficulties arising from a clash of values, they embedded local storytelling into different cultures, and the modular creative approach enabled many stories to be told on the creative journey. Plus, there was a sense that this was the beginning of a strategy for Wales – the start of things to come.
Specialist Categories:
BRAND & MEDIA OWNER CATEGORY
Birkenstock: Ugly for a Reason
Brand: Birkenstock
Entered by: The New York Times Advertising
Judges’ comments: This was an example of two brands coming together to achieve a mammoth task, to explain why Birkenstocks are the way they are. Birkenstocks, yes, are ugly but for a really good reason! And the New York Times with their reach and journalistic integrity were the perfect partner to explain that. The judges also loved the extensions of activity into social and events that kept the conversation going and benefitted both brands.
Highly Commended:
Trade In Transition
Brand: DP World
Entered by: Economist Impact
Judges’ comments: The judges were impressed by the cut through that this research-based campaign achieved – and the strength of the results was reinforced by the fact that it was quoted by global influencers such as Christine Lagarde.
RISING STAR
Obinna Iwuji
Wavemaker
Judges’ comments: Obinna demonstrated an authentic approach and attitude to his work (no marketing speak), as well as an enthusiasm for the industry, and a passion to go the distance. He’s clearly excelling in his own right whilst also creating a legacy and carrying out amazing work outside of his day job.
Highly Commended:
Teodora Tepavicharova
Condé Nast
Judges’ comments: Teddy impressed the judges by, even at this early stage in her career, giving on to the next generation through mentoring.
SOCIAL GOOD
#WhatWeValue: Embracing Volunteerism With GenZ
Brand: Deutsche Telekom AG
Entered by: Mindshare GmbH
Credits: emetriq GmbH, Publicis Sapient, Saatchi & Saatchi London, Proud Robinson & Partners
Judges’ comments: This was more than a marketing campaign – real actions came out of it. The brand demonstrated its support for young people’s commitment to change and promoted volunteerism – even flipping an NFT into a tool for enablement. Deutsche Telekom knew their audience well and put money into the projects post-campaign.
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