The inaugural Irish Content Marketing Awards will take place on Thursday, September 20th, as those within the industry gather to celebrate and reflect on an area of marketing that is becoming more and more essential in recent years.
With the ever-increasing popularity of social media use, the internet has presented two conflicting scenarios to Irish brands; the ability to reach consumers on a larger scale than ever before but, with it, the challenge of cutting through the noise of a busy marketplace. A successful content marketing strategy allows businesses to connect with their customer base on a more meaningful level, in both an online and offline setting. The Irish Content Marketing Awards hopes to reward teams and individuals who have truly engaged the public and business audiences alike, through campaigns that have been both valuable and entertaining.
The Awards will be decided by an expert judging panel, led by Adam Clarke, founder of wawawi.co, who spoke highly about the standard of entries: "The increasing quality of content marketing in Ireland continues to surpass expectations, with this year's entries demonstrating how the discipline is fast becoming a central component of the marketing mix for most brands, big and small. Most important perhaps is how we are really turning the corner with regard to considering the needs of the customer - delivering relevant, timely branded content not only to assist commercial objectives, but in a considered manner that is also helping to build brand relevancy and affinity - something we expect to be a core feature in content strategies over the next 12 months and beyond."
The Zahra Media Group has been shortlisted for awards across various categories. Gina Miltiadou, their managing director and founder, greeted the news by saying; "A huge amount of effort and creativity goes into our work here at Zahra Media Group, so I'm beyond thrilled to have our content marketing recognised at the first year of these exciting national awards."
Rob Shine, content director at Core, reflected on their nominations; "The essence and driver of truly great content marketing is seamless collaboration within a blend of disciplines. As a testament to our 'One Core' vision of achieving more together than anyone can alone, we're extremely proud to be recognised with five nominations at the inaugural Irish Content Marketing Awards."
This year's awards are sponsored by Cpl. Their marketing manager, Gillian Owens fully appreciates the value of content marketing: "Cpl are thrilled to be involved in recognising Ireland's broad range of content marketing talent. As Ireland's largest recruitment agency and partner to some of the world's most respected companies, we know the value of useful, engaging content and are looking forward to congratulating the winners on the night."
The Irish Content Marketing Awards are run by Business River, with 21 different awards handed out on the night. The full shortlist is available below and to read about other Business River events visit their news hub.
Grand Prix
Winner to be announced on the night
Outstanding Contribution
Winner to be announced on the night
Best Content Marketing Programme
- Aviva's Customer Engagement Coup - Zahra Media Group
- cannabisMD website - Fat Fish Marketing
- Cpl Salary Guide 2018 - Cpl Resources
- Play Magazine - Virgin Media Ireland by Zahra Media Group
- Taking the Lead on Thought Leadership - Three
- Tech/Life Ireland - Core
- #TheCallUp – Three
Best Content Marketing Award - Annual Content Strategy
- Cpl.com B2B Website - Cpl Resources
- Play Magazine - Virgin Media Ireland by Zahra Media Group
- Taking the Lead on Thought Leadership – Three
Best Content Marketing Award - Automotive
- Toyota Face It Down - Core
- #VWSnapshot – Volkswagen
Best Content Marketing Award - Finance
- Aviva's Customer Engagement Coup - Zahra Media Group
- Connected Life - Irish Life by Zahra Media Group
- Sara's DIY Wedding - Bank of Ireland
Best Content Marketing Award - Travel
- ConnollyCove by ProfileTree
- Wild Atlantic Way: Star Wars Cinema Ad & Content Campaign - Fáilte Ireland by bigO
Best Content Marketing Award - Specialist
- Comfort Keepers Ireland by Castle33
- Gran Canaria - Sunrise Travel by Direct Light
- Innopharma Education - Core
- Promote, Educate, Improve - Marino Software
- Shatter the Glass - Jobbio
- Sponsor for a Day - Irish Heart Foundation by Bank of Ireland
- Tipperary Rape Crisis Centre Re-brand - The Business Fairy Digital Marketing Agency
Best Content Marketing Award - B2B
- Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Services - EY Ireland
- Startup Growth through Blogging and Video Content – Rebrandly
- Shatter the Glass - Jobbio
- Taking the Lead on Thought Leadership – Three
Best Content Marketing Award - Real-Time Activation
- Get Ireland Cooking – SuperValu Ireland
- Le Drop - Aer Lingus by Core
- Pride 2018 - Bank of Ireland
Best Content Marketing Award - Distribution Strategy
- Cpl Salary Guide 2018 - Cpl Resources
- Fusion - Travelport Digital by Imperic Media
- Play Magazine - Virgin Media Ireland by Zahra Media Group
Best Content Marketing Award - Social
- Avalanche
- Bank of Ireland Snapchat
- Fade Street Social
- Get Ireland Cooking – SuperValu Ireland
- Marathon In A Month - Irish Cancer Society by eumom
- #TheCallUp - Three
- Time Flies - Zurich Life
- #VWSnapshot – Volkswagen
Best Content Marketing Award - Single Video
- Bringing WeMo's Tech to the People of Ireland - Creators.ie by Goosed.ie
- Places to Visit in Northern Ireland - ConnollyCove by ProfileTree
- Shatter the Glass – Jobbio
Best Content Marketing Award - Video Series
- Crumlin Road Goal by ProfileTree
- #DublinOurTeam - Dublin GAA by AIG Ireland
- Live Well - Centra
- #TheCallUp - Three
- Time Flies - Zurich Life
- Wolfgang Bites - Wolfgang Digital
Most Effective Use of Print (Multi-Media)
- Garda Review
- Join the Hot Press Mission - Hot Press
- Play Magazine - Virgin Media Ireland by Zahra Media Group
Most Effective Use of Photography
- Murcom Re-brand - CDG Brand
- #VWSnapshot – Volkswagen
Most Effective Use of Content on Owned Media Channels
- AIG Family Time Quiz - iProspect Ireland
- ProfileTree
- Sponsor for a Day - Irish Heart Foundation by Bank of Ireland
Most Effective Use of Illustration
- ESB Annual Report 2017 - Zahra Media Group
- Marino Beer Christmas Campaign - Marino Software
- Tipperary Rape Crisis Centre Re-brand - The Business Fairy Digital Marketing Agency
Most Effective Use of SEO
- AIB
- Dennehy Commercials by Pay Per Click Ireland
- eumom by Zahra Media Group
Most Effective Use of Data & Insights
- 2017 E-Commerce KPI Benchmarks Study - Wolfgang Digital
- cannabisMD Website - Fat Fish Marketing
- Time Flies - Zurich Life
- #WorkHappy Index – Jobbio
Content Marketing Rising Star 2018
- Niamh Keenan - Cpl Resources
- Caitriona Lawless - Core
- Aidan O' Carroll - Avalanche
