MFA (Media Federation of Australia) Award finalists for 2019 include 51 from 16 agencies, with PHD gaining the highest number at 10, OMD second with seven, followed by Mindshare with six.
Initiative and Bohemia each have five finalists, followed by Wavemaker with three. Zenith, AFFINITY, UM, Havas, Starcom, Carat, Spark, Innocean, The Media Store and News Corp round off the finalists list.
The judges, drawn from agencies, client side, industry bodies and MFA Awards sponsors, assessed entries online before a round of live judging.
The MFA Awards, which returned this year after a pause in 2018, are focused on effectiveness; recognising and rewarding work that has delivered tangible brand and business results for clients in the short and long term.
The categories are split into three pillars – Outcomes, Execution and People and Community – and cover Brand Impact, Business Impact, Behaviour Change, Bravery and Long-Term Results among others.
A Grand Prix (presented by Seven Media), and awards for NGEN, Industry Contribution and Hall of Fame will also be awarded at the MFA Awards 2019 presentation event on Thursday 17 October at Carriageworks Sydney.
MFA CEO Sophie Madden said: “The aim of the MFA Awards has always been to recognise the most creative and effective media thinking in Australia. Following widespread consultation across the industry, the revamped awards now have a greater emphasis on media effectiveness, applying a minimum 50% weighting to demonstration of effectiveness.”
Joe Lunn, Chief Strategy Officer of Mindshare and MFA Awards Chair, said: “It’s been incredibly encouraging to see the quality of strategic thinking and innovative solutions being deployed by the Australian media agency industry in delivering tangible, long-lasting results for clients. We can’t wait to celebrate with the worthy winners on 17 October.”
The 2019 MFA Awards finalists:
Agency Talent & Culture
The Media Store
PHD Media
OMD Australia
Initiative Australia
Behaviour Change
Fox Sports: Monty’s Wicket Warnings, Mindshare, Foxtel
Maccas 30 Days 30 Deals: Get the “daily” with MyMaccas, OMD, McDonald’s
Complacency Kills, Wavemaker, South Australian Country Fire Service
Brand Impact – Presented by SBS Media
Get back to your Asian adventure, Bohemia Group, Aspen Pharmacare
GSK Children’s Panadol: First Timers, PHD, GSK Panadol Australia
From Couch to Coast: Using media as an intelligence tool for the Central Coast, AFFINITY, Tourism Central Coast
Thrush The Musical, PHD, Bayer
Omtanke: Rethinking Volvo, Mindshare
Bravery
Leveraging scars as a media channel: Pay with pain, Bohemia Group, Ozmosis / Rip Curl
Thrush The Musical, PHD, Bayer
Business Impact – Presented by Google
GSK Children’s Panadol: First Timers, PHD, GSK Panadol Australia
Omtanke: Rethinking Volvo, Mindshare, Volvo Australia
The Test Experts, Initiative Australia, Specsavers
Pet Search, UM Australia, RACQ
The DNA of shared milestones, OMD Sydney, AncestryDNA
Content – Presented by Ad Standards
Find your true north, Havas Media, Emirates
Thrush The Musical, PHD, Bayer
Bond: Founders University, Wavemaker, Bond University
From IT to the boardroom, Starcom, Samsung Australia
The DNA of shared milestones, OMD Sydney, AncestryDNA
Data & Analytics – Presented by OzTAM
GSK Children’s Panadol: First Timers, PHD, GSK Panadol Australia
From Couch to Coast: Using media as an intelligence tool for the Central Coast, AFFINITY, Tourism Central Coast
From cookies to consoles: how Carat helped Xbox measure the un-measurable, Carat, Microsoft
Setting a new benchmark for effective media measurement, OMD, Coles
Securing the road forward for NRMA, Spark Foundry, NRMA
Innovation in Media – Presented by OMA
Leveraging scars as a media channel: Pay with pain, Bohemia Group, Ozmosis / Rip Curl
Bacardi #MojitoMoment, OMD Australia, Bacardi-Martini Australia
Fox Sports: Monty's Wicket Warnings, Mindshare, Foxtel
Long-term results
Creating Travel FOMO drives long-term growth for Gastro-Stop, Bohemia Group, Aspen Pharmacare
Driving Australia to hybrid, The Media Store, Toyota Motor Corporation Australia
The Australian Open 2017-2019: Hitting the Winning Serve, Zenith, Tennis Australia
Make Bigger Things Happen, Initiative Australia, Officeworks
Partnerships
Breaking records by getting mean: invigorating a barely known brand in a plummeting market, Innocean Worldwide and Nine, Kia Motors Australia
The Test Experts, Initiative Australia, Specsavers
Pepsi MAX: MAX Your Summer, PHD, PepsiCo
Coles & Taste Partnership, News Corp, Coles Group
Pro Bono/Cause Marketing Incentive – In recognition of Pam Lane
AIME: the Hooded Hustle, Initiative Australia
ALDI Mamia & Tresillian: an alignment of values to benefit families, Zenith Media
OMDonate continues!, OMD Australia
The Koala Museum EST. 2050, Starcom
Real-time Marketing
The news in colour, Bohemia Group, News Corp
Fox Sports: Monty’s Wicket Warnings, Mindshare, Foxtel
More than a chatbot, Zenith, Heineken
Technology
GSK Children’s Panadol: First Timers, PHD, GSK Panadol Australia
VOTE, PHD
Fox Sports: Monty’s Wicket Warnings, Mindshare, Foxtel
All Eye Want For Christmas, Wavemaker, Jetstar
The MFA sponsors for the 2019 MFA Awards: Grand Prix Sponsor: Seven Media; Major Sponsors: Ad Standards, Facebook, Google, OMA, OzTAM, SBS Media; Activation Sponsor: IAB Australia; Supporting Sponsors: ARN, Nielsen, UnLtd
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