The World Media Group has unveiled the shortlist for the 2018 World Media Awards, revealing the world’s best content-driven, cross-border advertising campaigns. The Awards attracted interest from across the globe, with entries coming in from Austria, Botswana, Canada, Finland, Malta, the Netherlands, Israel, Pakistan and the USA amongst many others – targeting global audiences in APAC, EMEA, LATAM and the Americas.
This year saw a record number of entries, up 150% since their launch three years ago, competing across eight categories. The shortlist includes entries from a broader spectrum of sectors and organizations than ever before, with brands such as Porsche, the International Association of Athletics Federations, UK DIT (UK Department for International Trade), HSBC and Tiffany & Co making the grade this year.
The entries were shortlisted by an international team of 26 senior jurors from leading advertisers, agencies and publishers, headed up by co-chairs Arif Durrani, executive editor for EMEA at Bloomberg Media Group, Jodie Stranger, chief executive officer, UK Group and president – Global Clients EMEA at Starcom, Publicis Media, John Rudaizky, partner, Global Brand and Marketing Leader at EY and Jon Gittings, chief strategy officer, Americas at MediaCom.
According to Rudaizky, “This year there have been fantastic entries from around the world, with many showing that great things happen when brands, agencies and the media collaborate. It has been inspiring to see such great storytelling across all platforms but particularly exciting for me has been to see those entries that have pushed the boundaries of technology and creativity in content through gaming and VR.”
Emma Winchurch-Beale, international sales director at The Washington Post and president of the World Media Group, adds, “For the World Media Group great journalism and excellent writing, using authentic voices from around the world, are at the heart of what we do. It’s therefore really exciting to see the same values and qualities also reflected in this year’s entries. Both traditional and non-traditional brands have now recognised how powerful content can be for engaging with international audiences.”
The final category winners will be announced at the exclusive World Media Awards Reception at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on Thursday 22nd March. The winner of this year’s prestigious Grand Prix Award will also be announced on the night, joining previous years’ Grand Prix winners, London & Partners and Tata Motors, as the ‘best of the best’. All shortlisted entrants will receive three free tickets to join the celebration as guests of the World Media Group, and additional tickets are now available for purchase at https://www.eiseverywhere.com/wma2018.
In addition to receiving a prestigious World Media Awards trophy on the night, all the winners will see their work celebrated in an advertising campaign valued at € 500K, which will run across the World Media Group’s leading international media brands: The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, The New York Times, National Geographic, Fortune, Forbes, The Economist and the Bloomberg Media Group.
The 2018 shortlist is as follows:
Automotive
Michelin: Drivestyle Season 02 – Wavemaker
Porsche: Cayman vs Drones – PHD Germany
SEAT Ibiza: The Most Danceable Campaign – PHD Germany
Brand & Media Owner Partnership
Coca-Cola Western Europe: FantaXYou: FantaXEurope – UM
International Association of Athletics Federations: You Can’t Beat Them, But You Can [Emoji] Like Them! – Storyful
Samsung: Samsung Gear S3: The Ultimate Survival Companion – StarComWW
Shell: Make the Future – Fox
Star Alliance: Connecting Cultures – Wall Street Journal [WSJ Custom Studios]
The Barilla Foundation: Food Sustainability Index – The Economist
Corporate Influencer
GE: Launching ‘Baker Hughes, A GE Company’: The Opening Bell for The Next Wave Of The Energy Revolution – Wavemaker
HSBC: C-Suite Thought Leadership – Mindshare
Shell: Shell Brand Gravity Light & Bedtime stories – MediaCom
UK DIT: Believe In The UK – Gyro
Financial Services
Credit Suisse: What happens In Davos, Shouldn’t Stay In Davos – Credit Suisse
HSBC: Leveraging Agency Partnership In Driving Digital Acquisition – Mindshare
S&P Global Ratings: Global Green Evaluations Launch – EI Advisory
UBS: Driving Business Objectives: Impact Investing and Innovative China – Spark Foundry
Luxury, Lifestyle & Fashion
Hennessy XO: A New Perspective Of The Silk Road – KR Media France [GroupM]
Tiffany & Co.: HardWear Launch – Wavemaker
Timberland: Flex In The City – Vizeum
Vente Privee: You Are The Stylist – IdeasforMusic
Media & Entertainment
The Walking Dead: The Walking Dead Euro Tour – Fox
Universal Pictures – Despicable Me 3 – MediaCom
Warner Bros: Wonder Woman Project – Warner Brothers
Technology & Telecoms
Canon: Live For The Story – PHD Media
Deutsche Telekom: The Lenz – MediaCom
E.on: Tomorrow Is .On – Vizeum
Samsung: Samsung Gear S3: The Ultimate Survival Companion – Samsung
Workplace: Workplace By Facebook Quartz Partnership – Gyro
Travel & Tourism
Botswana Tourism: Botswana Tourism Rhino Project At ITB 2017 – Botswana Tourism
Faroe Islands Tourism: Faroe Islands Translate – Sansir and Mensch
Finavia Corporation: #LIFEINHEL – Dagmar
Star Alliance: Connecting Cultures – Wavemaker
Tel Aviv Lifeguard Tower Hotel – The City of Tel Aviv
