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New York Times Advertising , e.l.f. and Business Insider are 2025 Digiday Content Marketing Awards winners
This year’s Digiday Content Marketing Awards winners embraced video content, in its various forms, to craft compelling narratives that successfully connect with audiences. As brands work to build long-term consumer relationships, tailoring content to individual preferences has become mission-critical.
For instance, L’Oréal Groupe partnered with New York Times Advertising and T Brand Studio to launch “This Is Not a Beauty Story,” a global media campaign rooted in the Essentiality of Beauty research study. At its center was “This Is Not A Beauty Podcast,” winner for Best Branded Podcast. Hosted by Isabella Rossellini, the six-episode series explored beauty’s hidden role in industries like sports, politics and business. The podcast leveraged The New York Times’ audio journalism style and was distributed across major platforms, including Apple, Google, Spotify and NYTimes.com. The campaign sparked conversations and helped L’Oréal Groupe strengthen its role as a thought leader across new and influential audiences.
To engage Gen Z and millennial beauty lovers, e.l.f. Cosmetics partnered with BDG Studios for the winning effort in the Most Innovative Use of Content category. “The Beauty Hotline” campaign leaned on a retrofuturistic ’90s and Y2K aesthetic, merging real-world utility with a nostalgic digital experience. A unique LLM was trained on e.l.f.’s top products to provide personalized recommendations, boosting awareness and driving purchases for e.l.f.’s priority products while rewarding loyal Beauty Squad members. The collaboration successfully positioned e.l.f. as a disruptive force in the beauty industry, setting a new standard for innovation in beauty marketing.
In the new Best Use of Brand and Performance Marketing category, Business Insider and Dell Technologies are winners for “Generation AI,” a custom content program aimed at raising brand awareness and generating leads in the competitive AI space. The program, which combined storytelling with Dell’s branding, featured interactive articles and virtual programming exploring the opportunities and risks of generative AI. The campaign blended brand marketing with lead generation by strategically using Business Insider’s platform and publishing content that resonated with industry leaders. This full-funnel approach raised awareness and provided Dell with valuable insights into target domains, directly influencing sales opportunities and increasing engagement with decision-makers.
Explore all the 2025 Digiday Content Marketing Awards 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.
Advertising Agency of the Year
January Digital
Best Agency/Client Collaboration
Movers+Shakers x e.l.f. Cosmetics
Best Brand/Influencer Collaboration
Surviving A Quiet Place: Day One – QYOU Media x Paramount Pictures
Best Branded Content Series – B2B
Bizzabo and the swaggers disrupt the event software industry
Best Branded Content Series – B2C
Celebrity Substitute – Amazon
Best Branded Content Site – B2B
Esri & GIS: The Technology That’s Quietly Changing the World
Best Branded Content Site – B2C
AllGear Digital x Fjällräven: Guide to Outside
Best Branded Podcast
L’Oréal Groupe x T Brand Studio—This is Not a Beauty Podcast
Best Community Building Campaign
How Audible Brought Audiobooks to #BookTok
Best Content Marketing Platform
Planoly
Best Event
The Outside Festival and Summit 2024
Best Experiential Marketing Campaign
Weber Shandwick x Trigger(House: Cheez-It “Cheez-In Diner”
Best In-House Content/Brand Studio
Big Think and Unlikely Collaborators: Perception Box
Best Interactive Content Piece or Series
Atlas Obscura & Maine Office of Tourism – Interactive Guide
Best Multi-Channel Strategy
CO Tourism Office x Atlas Obscura: Blue Apron Partnership
Best Multi-Platform Video Campaign – NEW
theSkimm & the NAR Present Video Series: “Making THE Move”
Best Personalization Strategy
Unifying Personalization Across the Home Depot Universe
Best Product Launch Campaign
MAC Cosmetics – I Only Wear M·A·C – M·A·C New Nudes Launch
Best Use of AI Generated Content
Deloitte Stories Gallery – Storytelling with AI-Enhanced Art
Best Use of Brand and Performance Marketing – NEW
Business Insider and Dell Technologies – Generation AI
Best Use of Data
The Telegraph and Sage, enhancing game time for rugby fans
Best Use of Influencer Marketing
Adolescent Content – Never a Bother Suicide Prevention
Totino’s Fever Dream Influencer Roster
Best Use of Live Video
The Worldwide Toast to Kentucky Bourbon
Best Use of Long Form Video
Celebrity Substitute – Amazon
Best Use of Native Advertising/Sponsored Content
Jefferson’s Bourbon Partners with “The Penguin”
Best Use of Shoppable Content
e.l.f. Cosmetics x Movers+Shakers – Mt Rushmore Pimple Patch
Best Use of Short Form Video
Atlassian Creative Studio x Noble People: Zach Woods & Jira
Best Use of Social
Dunkin’ and Cornelia Creative: Spider Donut Social Takeover
Best Use of TikTok
eos Lotion Lock Campaign
Brand Publication of the Year
Starling brings money storytelling to life with Noteworthy
Content Marketing Partner of the Year
Movers+Shakers
Most Effective/Measurable Campaign
Guild x Extra x Nexxen
Most Innovative Content Marketer – NEW
Blad Norman, Global Head of Marketing, Wondery
Most Innovative Marketing Team – NEW
The Worldwide Toast to Kentucky Bourbon
Most Innovative Use of Content
BDG Studios and e.l.f. Beauty: “Beauty Hotline”
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