SINGAPORE – Unilever was named Marketer of the Year while Mindshare Asia-Pacific was named Agency Network of the Year after both earned a slew of awards across categories at the second annual SMARTIES APAC.
The awards, held last September 5 in Singapore, also saw Mindshare Indonesia being named Agency of the Year.
Other winners of industry awards include Mobilewalla as Enabling Technology Company of the Year, Facebook as Publisher/Media Company of the Year, KIA ‘Game On’ as Best in Show, and Unilever as Marketer of the Year.
A global contest that showcases the ‘best of the best’ in the industry, the SMARTIES Awards honor solid mobile strategies that address specific business challenges through the creative use of mobile technologies.
Winners were declared in 21 categories, including two new creative categories: Best Brand Experience in Mobile Rich Media and Most Engaging Mobile Creative.
“Today, mobile is not simply a nice-to-have or must-have. Mobile is a must-do-well for brands and their agencies. Our winners tonight have demonstrated their ability communicate their brand’s story with mobile using creative concepts that lead to market performance,” said Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association Asia Pacific.
“The SMARTIES Awards are our way of recognizing key players that are doing their part for the industry. We hope by sharing their campaigns and stories, we can inspire marketers to make full use of what is in the palm of their hands: mobile.”
An analysis of the winning entries, presented at the event by research agency and Knowledge Partner, Millward Brown, found that successful brands and marketing strategies had well-defined clarity of purpose with 70 percent of winners identifying a specific objective of increasing sales. 80 percent of the winners also had a precise role for mobile using the channel’s unique strengths such as location, payments, and targeting. 86 percent of winners at the SMARTIES APAC 2014 Awards used multiple channels to boost the impact of their campaigns.
Winners were selected following a rigorous process involving over 80 senior marketers and agency leaders. This year’s awards saw a 40 percent increase in the number of entries, and judges reviewed campaigns from 15 countries across Asia-Pacific before choosing winners.
“I’d like to thank all my fellow jury members for their time and valuable insight. We selected the winners after eight hours of extensive debate, and were impressed by the results achieved by some of the campaigns,” said Jury President Ashutosh Srivastava, Chairman & CEO Asia-Pacific and Global Growth Markets, Mindshare. “We hope see a creative evolution in the industry in the years to come, as marketers become more fearless in their approach to mobile. Innovative creative work is the only way we can harness the full potential of the mobile medium.”
The SMARTIES is the only global awards program dedicated exclusively to mobile marketing. Country editions of the SMARTIES Awards will also be held in India on September 11 and in Vietnam on October 30.
For the full list of winners, visit the Mobile Marketing Association website.
