World Media Awards 2023 shortlist announced

The World Media Group says its awards drove strong international interest across APAC, EMEA and the Americas attracting entries from Belgium, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Ireland, Singapore, Turkey, UK and the USA, UAE to highlight a few.

This year, entries increased by 100% in the Corporate Influencer category and 63% in the Financial Services category compared to last year. Entries for the Rising Star category – introduced last year to recognise talented individuals who are making an impact to the creativity and effectiveness of content-led advertising strategies early on in their careers – have more than doubled.

The organiser says the shortlist, which includes a wide variety of renowned brands, was decided by an international team of 39 jurors from advertisers, agencies and publishers. The jury’s make up reflects the vital importance of collaboration between all three parties when creating effective content-driven marketing campaigns. This year’s co-chairs are Jerry Daykin, head of global media, Beam Suntory and Natasha Byrne, managing partner, UM. You can see the full list of judges here.

“I was delighted to see so many high-quality entries which were insight-led and data-driven across all categories, but it was particularly interesting to see such an increase in strong campaigns from the Financial Services sector, perhaps a reflection of the need for financial institutions to set themselves apart from the competition in the current economic climate,” said Natasha Byrne, managing partner, UM.

“The number of strong candidates competing for this year’s Rising Star award blew me away,” said Jerry Daykin, head of global media, Beam Suntory. “Shortlisting this impressive list of entries was tough, but it gives me confidence that brands are in safe hands for years to come. This next generation of savvy marketers are already showing such innovation with their contributions to international, content-led, advertising, it’s truly inspiring.”

World Media Awards Event: The final category winners will be announced during an exclusive live ceremony at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on Thursday 7th September 2023. The winner of this year’s Grand Prix Award will also be announced on the night, joining brands such as Johnnie Walker, London & Partners, Malaria No More, Shell, Sonos and Tata Motors, who have taken home the prize in previous years.

Winners’ Perks: The organiser says the Awards are unique in that all winners not only walk away with a trophy and kudos on the night, but will also see their work celebrated in an exclusive worldwide advertising campaign valued at €750k+ which will run across the World Media Group’s leading international media brands comprising The Atlantic, BBC News, Insider, The Economist, Forbes, Fortune, National Geographic, Reuters, Politico Europe, The New York Times, The Smithsonian, TIME, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

The 2023 shortlist is as follows:

AUTOMOTIVE

Brand / Campaign: Audi – Audi Future | 4ward | Sustainability. Entered by: TIME.

Brand / Campaign: Volkswagen – The Force Is Strong, United! Entered by: HD Germany.

Brand / Campaign: Volkswagen Group – MMP: Multi Brand Activation. Entered by: Omnicom Group.

Brand / Campaign: Volkswagen ID. Buzz – Feeling The Force Of A Perfect Partnership. Entered by: PHD and Scholz&Friends.

CORPORATE INFLUENCER

Brand / Campaign: Brand Scotland – Scotland: More Than You Thought. Entered by: BBC StoryWorks.

Brand / Campaign: Haleon – The Health Inclusivity Index. Entered by: Economist Impact.

Brand / Campaign: Iberdrola – The Power Playbook: How Leaders Use Renewables. Entered by: The Trust at The Wall Street Journal | Barron's Group.

Brand / Campaign: Iberdrola – Building A Green Energy Major. Entered by: Headland Consultancy.

Brand / Campaign: Maersk – Discover New Paths. Entered by: Havas Business.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Brand / Campaign: Invest Europe – A Different Angle: Funding people, With Purpose. Entered by: Invest Europe.

Brand / Campaign: iShares by BlackRock – Index More. Entered by: Mindshare.

Brand / Campaign: PGIM – OutFront. Entered by: Reuters.

Brand / Campaign: Visa – Protecting Gamers Protects Visa. Entered by: Starcom Worldwide.

Brand / Campaign: Visa – Visa: The Right Way To Right Attention. Entered by: Starcom Worldwide.

LUXURY & LIFESTYLE

Brand / Campaign: adidas – Ozworld. Entered by: EssenceMediacom.

Brand / Campaign: Birkenstock – Birkenstock & The New York Times Advertising "Ugly for a Reason". Entered by: The New York Times Advertising.

Brand / Campaign: Boucheron – Media Beyond Gender. Entered by: iProspect Global.

MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

Brand / Campaign: Bumble – Brand Anthem. Entered by: Havas Media Group London.

Brand / Campaign: PlayStation – #GameTok. Entered by: EssenceMediacom.

Brand / Campaign: Reuters – Reuters NEXT. Entered by: Thomson Reuters.

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMS

Brand / Campaign: Dell – Dell x VMware x CIO: Be Ready For The Future. Entered by: Foundry, an IDG, Inc. company.

Brand / Campaign: Deutsche Telekom AG – #WhatWeValue: Embracing Volunteerism With Gen Z. Entered by: Mindshare GmbH.

Brand / Campaign: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 – Samsung Galaxy: Flipping Perceptions With StemDrop. Entered by: Starcom Worldwide.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Brand / Campaign: Abu Dhabi Tourism – Abu Dhabi Unwrapped: A Sonic Travel Guide. Entered by: BBC StoryWorks.

Brand / Campaign: Cymru Wales (Welsh Government) – Wales To The World. Entered by: Orchard Media and Events.

Brand / Campaign: Let’s Do London 2022 – Let’s Do London. Entered by: Wavemaker Global.

Brand / Campaign: Travel Manitoba – Canada’s Heart Is Calling. Entered by: Travel Manitoba.

Specialist Categories:

BRAND & MEDIA OWNER PARTNERSHIP

Brand / Campaign: Birkenstock – Birkenstock & The New York Times Advertising "Ugly for a Reason". Entered by: The New York Times Advertising.

Brand / Campaign: DP World – Trade In Transition. Entered by: Economist Impact.

Brand / Campaign: Kyndryl – Profiles Of Progress. Entered by: Economist Impact.

Brand / Campaign: Target – Remezcla + Target. Entered by: Remezcla.

RISING STAR

Name: Tilman Henschke. Company: Crossmedia.

Name: Teodora Tepavicharova. Company: Condé Nast.

Name: Sakshi Bhambhani. Company: OMD EMEA.

Name: Rosie Duckworth. Company: UM

Name: Obinna Iwuji. Company: Wavemaker.

SOCIAL GOOD

Brand / Campaign: Deutsche Telekom AG – #WhatWeValue: Embracing Volunteerism With GenZ. Entered by: Mindshare GmbH.

Brand / Campaign: Haleon – The Health Inclusivity Index. Entered by: Economist Impact.

Brand / Campaign: Leaps by Bayer – Crossing The Line. Entered by: BBC StoryWorks.

Brand / Campaign: Samsung – Putting Samsung Live Recommerce At The Heart Of World Environment Day. Entered by: Starcom Worldwide.

For full details of shortlisted entries click here.