Clinch, BDG Studios and The Atlantic are among 2022 Digiday Media Award winners

One such company making innovation their focus also won big in a crowded category — Best Ad Tech Platform. Clinch’s revolutionary new SaaS platform, Flight Control, was built to solve major problems facing the advertising industry, such as the difficulty of collaborating when using tools that weren’t built for advertising or working in channel-based silos. The overall goal was to simplify complex workflows associated with omnichannel DCO/personalization campaigns, thereby simplifying all campaigns. And so, Flight Control makes the process of conceiving, planning and running complex campaigns easy by unifying all activity into one platform, eliminating the industry practice of patching problems and tackling them systemically. 

The next winner, BDG Studios, was also a standout in another crowded category — Best Branded Content Program, B2C — and focused their campaign around community. 

Haircare brand, Aussie, partnered with BDG to promote the launch of its new Aussie Kids line with the desire to lean into bath time as a bonding moment and a prime opportunity to have important everyday conversations about self-acceptance for multicultural parents and their children. 

BDG Studios generated excitement for the new haircare line throughout social media and even created an original illustrated children’s book, ‘BeYOUtiful Hair.’ The book was distributed to kids and families nationwide, with a focus on reaching multicultural parents between the ages of 18 and 34 with children between 4 and 9 years old. The campaign not only established Aussie as a trustworthy leader in diversity and inclusion in the kids’ marketplace but also helped start a conversation with parents about hair inclusivity and hair care. 

One winner that touched on each theme seen throughout this year’s submissions was The Atlantic for Publisher of the Year. Through The Atlantic’s diverse reporting, from offering a definitive look into the unwritten rules of Black TV to exposing the secretive hedge fund gutting America’s newsrooms and the crushing rise of global autocratic power, the media company’s commitment to community was clear as day. And at a time when uncertainty was looming for many publications, The Atlantic remained innovative, reaching record-high circulation and growing subscriber revenue by investing in new channels to connect to its audience and expand its mission. 

The Atlantic’s continued commitment to extraordinary journalism is evident in the range of stories told and the new products being offered, with new podcasts and limited series drawing the attention of subscribers and earning coveted awards such as the Peabody and Pulitzer. 

Explore all the winners of the 2022 Digiday Media Awards 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 DMA winner list below:

Ad Operations Team of the Year

• Media Tradecraft

Best Ad Tech Platform

• Flight Control – Clinch’s Revolutionary New SaaS Platform

Best Brand Partnership – B2B

• WP Creative Group and AT&T Business – 5G Partnership

Best Brand Partnership – B2C

• Google Pixel 6 x New York Times Advertising: Picture Progress

Best Branded Content Program – B2B

• Billboard & Samsung

Best Branded Content Program – B2C

• BDG Studios & Aussie Kids – “BeYOUtiful Hair”

Best Content Studio

• Vox Creative

Best Contextual Targeting Offering 

• AccuWeather

Best Custom Advertising

• Forbes & Webex by Cisco – Work Reimagined

Best Digital Product Innovation

• First Media – So Yummy & Walmart 360º Social Commerce Campaign

Best Editorial Package

• Insider Staff – Insider Inc.

Best First-Party Data Strategy

• ActionIQ – global media company delivers personalized, consistent customer experience across all its brands to shift from advertising to subscription model.

Best Newsletter

• Amazon Music’s Hyper-Personalized Newsletter, Powered by Movable Ink

Best Podcast

• More Than This: Vox Creative x Straight Talk Wireless

Best Publisher Platform

• DoubleVerify

Best Story

• In The Know by Yahoo – 7 Indigenous-Owned Etsy Shops That Need To Be On Your Radar

Best Subscription or Membership Product

• The Economist Group

Best Use of Audience Insights

• DELVE Helps UNICEF USA Achieve 200% ROAS with Google Marketing Platform

Best Use of Social

• Billboard & Samsung

Best Use of Video

• How Ford Maximized User Attention in Their Video Ads With Sharethrough’s Dynamic Captions Technology

Best Video Campaign 

• LEARFIELD – Samsung ‘Shrines of Glory’

Best Video Distribution and Programming Strategy 

• Loop Media, Inc. – Digital OOH

Best Video Platform

• STN Video, Inc.

Best Virtual Event

• Apartment Therapy’s Small/Cool Experience 2021

Best Virtual Event Series

• The Wall Street Journal

Editorial Team of the Year

• In The Know by Yahoo

Journalist of the Year 

• Madison Hall – Insider Inc.

Media Brand of the Year

• Apartment Therapy

Most Engaged Community

• Refinery29’s Unbothered

Publisher of the Year

• The Atlantic

Publishing Executive of the Year

• Rob Schneider, Chief Strategy, Content & Development Officer, Learfield

Video Team of the Year

• PinkNews