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.
More in Awards

Twitch, iHeartMedia and Priceline are among the 2023 Digiday Award winners
The 2023 Digiday Awards highlighted a surge in different techniques to gain customer engagement, from multisensory encounters to infusing cutting-edge technologies and more. This year’s winners also focused on collaborative partnerships to access untapped markets, craft distinctive offerings and spur innovation. One program that touches upon all these themes won Best In-Game Advertising Strategy — […]

Edelman, Procter & Gamble, The Atlantic and Popeyes are finalists for this year’s Digiday Awards
This year, immersive brand journeys and multi-platform campaigns have become essential strategies for brands to tap into new markets and diverse audiences with innovative and unique offerings. Finalists for the 2023 Digiday Awards have also leaned on influencer marketing, brand collaborations and visual storytelling to foster deeper connections with their audiences. For instance, in the […]

LivePerson, Virgin Media, Papercup and Seismic are 2023 Digiday Technology Awards winners
The full roster of 2023 Digiday Technology Awards winners highlighted how companies are adopting new technologies in pursuit of highly effective personalization balanced with data privacy. Among the prevalent themes this year were micro-personalization with AI, e-commerce technology as well as privacy compliance and partnerships. Putting artificial intelligence at the forefront was LivePerson, winner of […]