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

Bloomberg Media secured the award for Best Custom Advertising for its campaign with UBS. UBS sought to expose high-level business executives to Bloomberg’s authority and thought leadership in sustainable investing, aiming to address how the world can reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Bloomberg Media supplemented UBS’ climate intelligence with its robust data and reporting to create an immersive special report, ‘Taking the Journey to Net Zero.’ The report showed higher-than-average engagement with Bloomberg’s Technology and Green verticals among the UBS targets of HNWIs, affluent millennials and institutional and private investors. 

MG OMD also secured a win for Best Search Campaign for SpecsTech. Specsavers, a family-run business, works with store partners to provide customers with the best value optometry, audiology and other healthcare services. Specsavers sought a way to stand out, especially when so many people use search engines to assist their eyecare needs. To help give Specsavers a competitive advantage, the team partnered with MG OMD. The pair created SpecsTech by combining business data and knowledge with custom tools connected to buying platforms to enhance those capabilities. The company’s sunglasses and anti-glare lens collections are often triggered by weather variables. Hence, MG OMD ingested live weather signals and added that information to decide when to activate paid search campaigns for optimal performance. 

The Best Use of Emerging Technology award went to UM for its campaign with Mattel. Mattel leveraged the excitement before the ‘Barbie’ movie to remind parents and girls that Barbie remains the leading brand of girl empowerment. Amid an increasingly competitive toy market, Mattel and UM created an immersive experience in Roblox for 6–9-year-old girls to explore their dreams and realize how Barbie can empower them through innovative technology. The collaboration engaged 2.7 million young girls and was a resounding success, leading Mattel to expand these formats across its portfolio. 

Woo, a media brand making wellness discoverable, aspirational and culturally relevant, earned the win for Best Use of Video for its cultural movement redefining wellness for Gen Z. To create a new subculture through media, Woo used storytelling to create a movement built around feeling good — a new way to think about wellbeing through the lens of youth culture passion points. Woo worked with unexpected cultural icons such as Halle Baile, Kathryn Newton and Avatar’s Jamie Flatters to build a new ‘wooness’ subculture that incorporates emotional and physical impact. The campaign generated 863 million impressions against a target of 250 million. It launched multiple award-winning original shows that subverted preconceived notions of wellbeing, including ‘No Wrong Answers,’ an internet talk show starring TikTok’s most fashionable influencers.  

Explore all the 2023 Digiday Awards Europe winners below  — including a quick rundown of the campaigns and insights into why they won and what marketing teams can learn from them. Download the complete guide here.

Full 2023 Digiday Awards Europe winners list below:

Agency of the Year

• DEPT® UK

Best Ad Tech Platform

• Publica by IAS

Best Brand/Publisher Partnership

• Twisted & Pepsi MAX 

Best Branded Content Site

• WSJ – Saudi Tourism Authority

Best Collaboration

• Chelsea & Co Digital Agency 

Best Contextual Targeting Offering

• Verve Group

Best Custom Advertising

• Bloomberg Media x UBS 

Best Digital Product Innovation

• VGina

Best E-Commerce Strategy

• Havas Market Italy x Mabina Spa

Best Event

• Turkish Airlines Inc. & Inflow Network 

Best Experiential Campaign

• Sela and Newcastle United

Best First-Party Data Strategy

• News UK

Best Influencer Collaboration

• Sushi & Jollibee

Best Launch Campaign

• John Lewis and MG OMD

Best Multi-Platform Campaign

• PMG & Who Gives A Crap 

Best Podcast

• Qualitest 

Best Publisher Platform

• Outbrain 

Best Search Campaign

• MG OMD

Best Use of AI

• Gamelight

Best Use of Audio

• Gala Bingo and AMA

Best Use of Data – Advertiser

• Aspectus Group 
• VISA x Ogury

Best Use of Emerging Technology

• UM & Barbie

Best Use of Native Advertising/Sponsored Content

• Haymarket Automotive Studio

Best Use of Social

• OneFifty & iQ 

Best Use of Technology

• AIR PARFUM by Puig

Best Use of TikTok

• The Goat Agency x ODEON

Best Use of Video

• Woo

Most Effective/Measurable Campaign

• College of Legal Practice xTEAM LEWIS

Publisher of the Year

• Telegraph Media Group

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