Digiday Awards Winner’s Circle: ‘New Orleans At Your Fingertips’ and Condé Nast’s Food Innovation Group

Digiday’s awards honor the best work in marketing, video, content marketing, publishing and advertising. They are handed out at lavish galas where the winners take home trophies in recognition for their work. Winner’s Circle is a series that puts the spotlight on Digiday Awards winners: After the ceremony is finished and all the champagne is gone, we ask each winner questions about the campaign that won them their top honor.

Legacy publishers with print magazines and robust digital presences are better-poised than most to deliver effective print digital integrations. At the 2016 Digiday Content Marketing Awards, Condé Nast’s Food Innovation Group won Best Print to Digital Content Integration for the series “New Orleans At Your Fingertips” to raise awareness for nail polish brand OPI’s New Orleans-inspired spring/summer 2016 collection. The campaign was a mixture of print advertising featuring both influencers and models, influencer-created content on blogs, online recipes and a live press event.

In this edition of Winner’s Circle, Christin DeMaria, senior manager of integrated marketing at Bon Appétit and Epicurious.com, answered our questions about how the program came to life.

What was the “ah-ha!” moment that led to the creation of this campaign?
It wasn’t as much as an ah-ha moment as it was a collaboration between our two brands on the best way to make this collection come to life. Food and hands are a fit naturally, but The Food Innovation Group wanted to bring more than what was obvious to the table.

What was the most fun part of working on this campaign?
So many elements! This program was truly 360, featuring influencer-created content, a custom recipe and photoshoot, and a collection launch party in the BA Kitchen [Bon Appétit’s private kitchen in Condé Nast’s 1 World Trade Center offices] which featured custom-created recipes from New Orleans chef Kristen Essig of Meauxbar and Cavan. I think what made it truly remarkable was the authenticity of all those involved. Our influencer, Juley Le, of the lifestyle blog Upperlyne & Co., hails from New Orleans as well, so it was true to the essence of the city.

What about this project kept you up at night?
The turnaround! This project had a few scheduling challenges at the onset, with conflicts right before the December holiday. I believe it was the day before Christmas Eve and we were still hammering down the best choice of who would capture content in New Orleans before the New Year. But it all worked out beautifully.

What did you learn during this campaign that you will apply to future work?
It’s all in the details and communication. This is something every marketer knows, and I think with every campaign this statement rings more true – especially when it comes to branded content. When both publisher and brand have a clear understanding of the goal, what it takes to get there, and are true partners, the result is magic.

Learn more about our awards programs by clicking here.

https://digiday.com/?p=185420

More in Awards

Digitas, Wpromote, Known, Critical Mass and Juice Media are 2024 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards finalists

The Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards recognize the most successful companies, campaigns and technologies in the modern media landscape. This year’s finalists focused on data-driven decision-making, innovation and technology, client collaboration and partnerships, and — perhaps most importantly — adaptability and agility.  A standout for one of several new categories this year — Best […]

Bloomberg Media, MG OMD, UM and Woo are 2023 Digiday Awards Europe winners

This year’s Digiday Awards Europe winners focused on incorporating new technologies and formats into campaigns, transcending traditional advertising and tapping into partnerships that unlocked desired audiences. Themes across the 2023 winners centered on maximizing the use of social media, amplifying brand engagement with tech and establishing synergistic brand partnerships.  Bloomberg Media secured the award for […]

Pepsi MAX, MiQ, Gamelight, Tripadvisor and Netflix are 2023 Digiday Awards Europe finalists

The focus for this year’s Digiday Awards Europe finalists centered on tech innovations, brand partnerships and collaborations, as well as creating compelling narratives. The shortlist entries share a common theme: creating content that resonates with audience interests and investing in partnerships to reach new markets. For example, Pepsi MAX secured a nomination for Best Use […]