The shortlist for the inaugural Northern Digital Awards 2015 is revealed today. Over 200 entries were received ahead of the awards dinner in Leeds on Thursday 22 January 2015.
Entries were submitted by a wide variety of companies, organisations, institutions and agencies from across the North and include many of the UK’s and the region’s best-loved brands.
Unfortunately, given such a large number of entries, a number of companies and organisations will be disappointed not to have been shortlisted and we’d like to thank those concerned for their time and interest.
The Northern Digital Awards has been created by Don’t Panic Event Management and Prolific North.
The awards recognise the very best in digital campaigns, e-tailing, apps, video and, most importantly, the talent in the North as well as rewarding websites across a number of sectors to reflect the ever-expanding online world that we trade and communicate in.
The evening in Leeds on Thursday 22 January will be a celebration of Northern Digital Talent. It is the first time we’ve hosted a major event in Yorkshire in recognition of the fact that the North’s leading digital agencies are based across the breadth of the M62 and over to Newcastle and down to Sheffield.
For further information about the evening or to book tickets, please visit our dedicated site or contact Don’t Panic on 01706 828855. Any other enquiries should be addressed to nick@prolificnorth.co.uk.
We’d like to thank our outstanding panel of judges for all their hard work and patience working through such a number and variety of quality entries. The list of this year’s judges is detailed following the shortlist at the end of this article.
The Northern Digital Awards 2015: the shortlist
Best Affiliate campaign
• R.O. EYE & Protect your Bubble – Good old fashion affiliate management
• Silverbean, Aphrodite 1994 & SneakerFreaker – Adidas Competition Collaboration
• twentysix & Direct Blinds – Affiliate Campaign
Best App
• Apposing & Nestle – Nestle Choose Wellness App
• Bolser & Channel 5 – Big Brother App
• Brass Agency & North Yorkshire County Council – Open Harrogate
• Code Computerlove & Chester Zoo – App Is A Roaring Success
• Gospelware & Soundbite Learning – GCSEPod is the “Spotify for education”
• National Museums Liverpool – My House of Memories
• Orange Bus & Aston Martin Racing – Aston Martin Racing Mobile App: Bringing Racing Fans Closer to the Action
• RE:SYSTEMS & HarperCollins – The 1D Official Book App by HarperCollins
• Red Ninja Studios & Innovation Labs – Mental Health – it’s IN HAND!
Best digital marketing campaign – Entertainment / Sports
• ICS-digital LLP & Betfair – Betfair Blogger PR Day: Perfect Penalty Masterclass with Peter Shilton
• Rule 5 – The UCI Track Cycling World Cup
• Umpf – The UK’s First Ever Sport Social Media Index
Best digital marketing campaign – Finance
• Branded3 & City Index – Education and Expert Analysis
• Fusion & NatWest – Digital Performance at its NatBest
• MBNA – MBNA Summer Travel Services
• Mediaworks & Imprima – Digital Marketing Campaign
Best digital marketing campaign – Public Sector
• Diva Creative & Centre for HIV and Sexual Health – 10 Ways A Condom Can’t Protect You
• Mosquito Digital & Living Streets – Living Street’s Travel Tracker
• mycleverAgency & Visit England – Showcasing the ‘great & good’ England has to offer in ‘England’s Hall of Fame’
• Orange Bus & Teachers’ Pensions – Getting teachers to register for My Pension Online
• PH.Creative & Liverpool Vision – ‘Opportunity’ at IFB 2014
• Tangerine & North West Ambulance Service – #Team999
Best digital marketing campaign – Retail: sponsored by MET Marketing
• Brother UK & Metia – Brother Retail Video Cards deliver 71:1 RoI
• Extreme Creations & Nisa Retail – Nisa Locally – Transforming convenience
• Mediacom & Cooperative Electricals – Building on a record Year to drive 150% increase in revenue
• Mediaworks & Charles Clinkard Digital Marketing Campaign
• Mosquito Digital & Jerome Russell Bblonde – JR Bblonde ReLaunch
• Quantcast & Misguided – Truly Personalised Retargeting for Missguided
• RO.EYE & Harveys the Furniture Store – Delivering a fully furnished affiliate program for Harveys the Furniture Store
• Savvy Marketing & Morrisons – Morrisons and Ant & Dec Partnership – sponsoring of Saturday Night Takeaway
• WMG & Chisholm Hunter – #FriendshipGrows
Best digital marketing campaign – Third Sector
• Hit Search & Alder Hey Children’s Charity – Alder Hey in the Park Online Marketing Campaign
• Pixelbuilders & Martin House Children’s Hospice – Martin House Children’s Hospice Website
Best digital marketing campaign – Travel / Leisure
• Branded3 & Virgin Holidays Cruises – The Virgin Holidays Cruises Guide to Cruising
• Cunning Plan & Hallmark Hotels – Hallmark Hotels Digital Marketing 2014
• Eleven Design & Sheffield Culture Consortium – Our Favourite Places: Sheffield Culture Guide
• Enjoy Digital & Park Leisure – The Best Digital Marketing Campaign 2014-15
• KMP Digitata & Trek America – Trek Toons: A targeted, mobile-friendly Facebook competition
• MEC Manchester & First Great Western – #FGWFrameYourTrain competition
• Prodo Digital & Portmeirion – Portmeirion ask “Where Are You?”
• R//Evolution & Visit County Durham – Virtual Lumiere
Best digital tool or software
• Blueclaw Media – MarketScout
• Formisimo – understand why your customers don’t complete your online checkout and online forms, use our insight to improve them and see conversion rates skyrocket.
• MadeByPi & Willmott Dixon – MadeByPi
• Marketecture & Hydro International – The surface water treatment selection tool
• MBNA – MBNA Digital Comms Hub
• Mi & BBC – Interactive Drama Tech- BBC Our War World War One
• Ruler Analytics & Epic New Media – Ruler Analytics
• Venn Digital – MyEvolve CMS 3
Best e-commerce Website
• Fluid Digital & Devote Associates – Help Moda Furnishing’s Launch Down Under
• Mosquito Digital & ADDIS HOUSEWARES – ADDIS e-commerce
• R1 Digital Media – Fun and exciting Magento eCommerce solution for delightful confectionary brand Eat Me Sweets.
• RedStar Creative – Swifty Scooters Web Relaunch
• Webtise & Little Black Dress – Magento design and build of leading online fashion retailer new look website – Little Black Dress.co.uk
Best integrated campaign
• Brass Agency & North Yorkshire County Council – Open Harrogate
• deWinter & CH1ChesterBID Company – Establishing a Business Improvement District (BID) in Chester
• MBNA – MBNA Summer Travel Services
• One Marketing Communications & Franke UK – Franke More in Store
• Prodo Digital & The Aspinall Foundation – Prodo Digital reinvigorate The Aspinall Foundation’s online presence
• Stein IAS & Trelleborg Marine Systems – Fastest path from first click to sale
• Stein IAS & Trelleborg Marine Systems – Rubber Stamped!
• Tangerine & North West Ambulance Service – #Team999
Best low budget campaign
• AHOY & Barney & Taylor – Bee In The City – building buzz for a luxury brand on a shoestring budget
• Integrity Search & ER Media – pixaprints.ie – SEO, Social Media & Content Marketing Campaign
• Marketing Cheshire & Bolesworth International – Bolesworth International Marketing Campaign
• MBNA – MBNA Email Triggers
• MEC Manchester – First Great Western Glastonbury Checklist
• Natural Ranks & Silver Tree Jewellery – Search & Social Visibility Campaign
• Prodo Digital & The Rayware Group – Kilner Jars Go Social
• The Reporters’ Academy & Oceania National Olympic Committees – Glasgow 2014 – Where Youth Produced!
• Umpf – The UK’s First Ever Sport Social Media Index
Best PPC campaign
• Enjoy Digital & Mattress Online – Best PPC Campaign
• Epiphany & Pandora UK – Sparkling PPC results
• I-COM – Christy Towels PPC Campaign
• MediaCom i-LAB & Tyre Shopper – Using Customer Segmentation and Local to drive Efficiency in overcrowded marketplace
• MediaCom i-Lab & Betta Living Kitchens – Improving CTR through creative implementation
• MediaCom Leeds & Musicroom – growth & efficiency in declining market
• Mediaworks & Newcastle College – PPC Campaign
• Silverbean & ScS Sofas – The ScS Boxing Day Sale: PPC Campaign
Best SEO campaign
• Blueclaw Media & Mobile Phones Direct – SEO Migration Mastery
• Branded3 & City Index – Education and Expert Analysis
• Branded3 & Transform – Brits, Boobs & Botox
• Branded3 & Virgin Holidays Cruises – The Virgin Holidays Cruises Guide to Cruising
• fusion unlimited & Ronseal – An SEO strategy that does exactly what it says on the tin.
• Lakestar McCann & GO Outdoors – Get Set for Summer
• Search Laboratory & Tiger Box – The World’s First Zombie Fortification Cabin
• Twentysix & DFDS Seaways – The Smart Way to Travel
Best Use of Social Media
• Blueclaw Media & Sky Bet – Transfer Trends
• Brass Alt & Haribo – Creating a world of social mischief with the despicably delicious HARIBO MINIONS
• Carat Leeds & Chester Zoo – Our Zoo: Engaging TV viewers on a second screen
• Engage & Beefeater Grill – Mr Men & Little Miss for Beefeater Grill
• KMP Digitata & Trek America – Trek Toons: A targeted, mobile-friendly Facebook competition
• mycleverAgency & Visit England – Showcasing the ‘great & good’ England has to offer in ‘England’s Hall of Fame’
• Rule 5 – The UCI Track Cycling World Cup
• Rule 5 & Royal Albert – Tea With Miranda
Best Use of Video – sponsored by Screen Yorkshire
• Diva Creative & Centre for HIV and Sexual Health – 10 Ways A Condom Can’t Protect You
• Fridge Productions & Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority – Cycling in the Yorkshire Dales – A Tour de France Great Day Out
• Mi & Spiral House and SCEE – Playstation Vita Pets Game Trailer
• mmadigital – Compare My Firm & The White Video
• Orange Bus & House of Lords – Educating the Public about the House of Lords Select Committees
• Parker Design & AstraZeneca – ‘Return to Growth’
• Rule 5 – The UCI Track Cycling World Cup
• Savvy Marketing & Britvic – Britvic Glitterberry – YouTube and Facebook backed shopper campaign
Best Website
• BBC – BBC Sport Website – Summer of Sport
• CTI Digital & London Gatwick – Gatwick Obviously Campaign Website
• de Winter – Deafness Support Network Website
• Forepoint – AWE Website
• Forepoint – Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Website
• One Marketing Communications – Moduleo Website Development
• Rocket & Eleven Design & Sheffield Culture Consortium – Our Favourite Places: Sheffield Culture Guide website
• Sigma & FACT – Improving the User Experience for Fact.co.uk
Digital Large Agency of the Year – sponsored by Orchard
• Code Computerlove
• Enjoy Digital
• Leighton
• Mediacom i-lab
• Mediaworks Creative Search Agency
• Orange Bus
• Silverbean
• Stein IAS
• theEword
Digital marketing in-house team of the Year – sponsored by Network Marketing
There is no shortlist in this category; the winner will be announced on the evening.
Digital Small Agency of the Year
• INK Digital Agency
• Mosquito Digital
• R1 Digital Media
• RO.EYE
• Rule 5
Digital Transformation – sponsored by Leeds And Partners
• Bloom Agency & Leeds City Council – Leeds Data Mill
• MBNA – MBNA Digital Comms Hub
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday 22 January at the Royal Armouries in Leeds
Meet the judges
Martin Bryant, Editor-in-Chief, The Next Web
The Next Web, a global technology news website. Based in Manchester, he is also part of the founding team behind SpaceportX, a workspace and events venue for tech entrepreneurs and startups. He is a member of Manchester Digital‘s council and regularly discusses technology on the BBC and Sky News
Tom Cheesewright, Founder of applied futurism practice Book of the Future
Tom Cheesewright is the founder of applied futurism practice Book of the Future, helping organisations to see, share and respond to a coherent vision of tomorrow. Tom followed a degree in Mechatronic Engineering with 14 years in the tech industry, working with global brands such as BT, EE and IBM, and subsequently founded a series of technology-driven companies. Most recently he co-founded venture-backed big data analytics start-up CANDDi, of which he remains a shareholder
Jeff Coghlan, Founder, Creative Director, Matmi
Jeff is the creative force and visionary behind our award-winning agency, recently ranked in the Develop 100 list as one of the leading games agencies in the UK. Also the founder and director of Matmi, he has over 25 years’ experience in the games and digital market and his creative vision has helped clients achieve their goals whilst winning Matmi win a host of awards
Mike Deyes, Head of Digital Communications at the University of Liverpool and a Chartered Marketer
Mike joined the University in 2008 from Manchester Metropolitan University where he was the Internet manager, responsible for all digital activity. Prior to joining MMU, Mike spent a number of years at two national charities working on award winning fundraising and media relation campaigns
David Edmundson-Bird, Principal Lecturer, Digital Marketing and Enterprise, MMU Business School
David Edmundson-Bird is a proper old-school dot-com casualty from 2001. Currently Principal Lecturer in Digital Marketing Communications and Director of the Econsultancy Masters Programme at MMU Business School, David is also the founder of MMU Agency Life. He has enjoyed several spells in UK academic institutions as well as senior management and non-executive roles in the private digital media sector
Paul Fabretti, Digital and Social Media Lead, Telefónica
Paul’s role is to define and deliver the social media vision for Telefonica and ensure their local businesses remain an example of social media best-practice.
Prior to this, he was Head of Social Media for the award-winning Telefonica UK (O2) social media team, which won the inaugural Twitter Flock award for outstanding use of the Twitter platform and recently launched Tweetserve the world’s first Twitter-based account management platform
Sally Joynson, CEO, Screen Yorkshire
Sally has been CEO of Screen Yorkshire since 2006. She was previously the company’s first Head of Business Development. Under her leadership Screen Yorkshire grew into one of the biggest and most successful of the network of regional screen agencies. When that network closed in 2011, she refocused Screen Yorkshire’s activities and re-launched the company as a specialist investor in content with a £15m ERDF-backed fund – the Yorkshire Content Fund. Screen Yorkshire’s primary focus is on financing content made in Yorkshire, but it also runs a number of bespoke, highly regarded training schemes
Herb Kim, Founder, The Thinking Digital conference
Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Herb is best known as Founder of the long-running Thinking Digital Conference. The 8th Annual Thinking Digital Conference takes place in May 2015. In addition to Thinking Digital, Herb is the founder of the TEDxLiverpool, TEDxManchester, TEDxSheffield and TEDxNewcastle. He is a Board Director for Tech City UK and an advisory board member for branded content agency Captive Minds in London
Steve Kuncewicz, Head of IP & Media – Associate, Bermans
Steve’s main areas of expertise are issues involving music, film, television, copyright, trademarks, broadcasting, domain names, confidential information, moral rights, advertising and marketing, passing off, libel, slander, malicious falsehood, breach of data protection and breach of privacy. He is a leading individual in the legal social media community and Manchester’s most followed Lawyer on Twitter
James Lawton-Hill, Head of Marketing, Brother UK
A commercially astute B2B marketing professional with experience both agency and client side across global brands throughout Europe, Asia and America including Brother, Vodafone, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft. Currently responsible for leading a team of 23 marketing professionals as well as the overall marketing strategy and deployment for the Brother brand in the UK
Katrina Michel, Marketing Cheshire
Katrina is CEO of Marketing Cheshire. Before that she worked for a number of communications agencies such as Ogilvy and JWT and was co-owner of local communications planning consultancy Planning Express for 3 years. She has won 5 IPA Advertising Effectiveness Awards
Paul Morris, Digital Lead, The Co-operative Group
Having worked in Digital Marketing for 13 years Paul has called The Co-operative Group home for the last 3 years; a shy retiring place that is never in the news 😉 The role being one of advising the Heads of Digital about Digital Media across the Group and also running an internal SEO team. Before The Co-op Paul has experience of working both client and agency side with brands including Wickes, Laterooms, Silverstone, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Cash Generator and Park Resorts
Professor Colin Pattinson, Digital Research Centre, Leeds Met
Professor Colin Pattinson is Head of School of Computing Creative Technologies and Engineering at Leeds Beckett University. The 50 members of staff in the school provide courses at undergraduate and post graduate levels to approximately 1500 students and carry out research and consultancy in the fields of computing, creative and digital technologies and electronic and electrical engineering. Colin’s own early research and teaching experience was in the area of computer network performance, for which he gained a PhD from the University of Leeds. His current research focuses on sustainable “green” IT and computer network management
Vicky Shipway, Head of Marketing, City Car Club
Marketing and IT don’t always play well together, but they do at City Car Club where Vicky heads up both departments. With the understated aim of changing the way the UK gets around, her role covers everything from digital marketing, regionally targeted guerrilla campaigns through to project managing large scale systems upgrades. Before getting involved in the transport industry Vicky spent time looking after retail websites and supporting a change management consultancy
Will Stone, Creative Communications Consultant
Will Stone is a senior brand communications expert with more than 15 years’ experience in education, B2B and start-ups. He is currently Managing Director of Stone & Co., UK Partner for ShortcutMedia, a managing editor for an international B2B trade journal and marketing consultant for a tech product start-up. He has worked with major brands and magazine titles such as Absolut Vodka, Wallpaper*, Monocle and Tom Dixon amongst others. Will is passionate about cross-media and has spoken on a number of industry panels on the subject
