This past April 19th, the 2012 IAB Conecta Awards recognized the best in interactive marketing in Mexico. Portada was at the event, which brought together the brands and agencies behind the best Mexican digital marketing campaigns.
The 27-member jury was called upon to judge the best among the 197 campaigns submitted. "The jury’s goal was to raise the bar in terms of what the industry, advertisers and agencies should expect from interactive communications in Mexico," said Gabriel Richaud, IAB CEO. Reflecting upon the high quality of the winning campaigns, Pablo Pozo, IAB Director of Marketing, said that "it is really possible to make campaigns that are very interesting, innovative and creative, and that initiate and generate a conversation with people, without sidelining the attainment of specific objectives."
Portada also talked with Hernando Cortés, a member of the jury and Director of Digital Marketing at Makken, who noted the importance of these awards: "Events like the 2012 IAB Conecta Awards are critical to the industry’s growth (…). As part of the jury, I can emphasize that digital marketing is evolving very fast. In Mexico we’re finding very good campaigns and increased participation."
The jury rated the 197 campaigns in contention, choosing the top 20% with the highest scores as finalists for Gold, Silver, Bronze or Honorable Mention awards. Not all campaign finalists ended up winning an award or mention, but being named a finalist was considered an important recognition in itself.
Gold: The big winners’ numbers
The jury at the 2012 IAB Conecta Awards awarded the Gold prize, defined as a work of excellence in all criteria and meeting international quality standards, to only 3 of 44 finalists. The Gold-winning campaigns and their figures are the following.
Cinépolis invades apps for smartphones
Name : Cinépolis Móvil
Category : Mobile Platforms
Client/Brand : Cinépolis
Agency : IA Interactive
Downloads : 250,000+ for iPad and 800,000+ for iPhone
Rating on iTunes : 3 out of 5 stars (by users)
Having reached the top spot of iTunes free apps for iPhone list, it was later rated 4th (iPad) and 7th (iPhone) in Apple’s iTunes Rewind. Cinépolis’ mobile application not only won Gold awards from the IAB, but has also garnered more than one million users who have used it on any IOS device.
The app lets you browse movies listings, purchase tickets and access exclusive content such as special trailers and film synopsis. It also allows comment sharing and social networking activity. The app hit its peak in March 2012, when it was ranked 4th and 6th in iTunes top 25 all-time apps.
A handbook with advice and tips for moms
Name : Manual de Mamá (The Mom Handbook)
Category : Positioning and Brand Awareness
Client : Sanofi Aventis
Brand : Histiacil/Aderogyl
Agency : Residencia
Views : 115,000+ in 2 months
Signups : 15,000+
Facebook fans : 159,000+
Sales increase : 12% at Histiacil and 15% at Aderogyl
In the highly competitive market of flu and cough medicines, where generic medications are increasingly invading this segment, Sanofi and the Residencia agency set out to position Sanofi’s Aderogyl and Histiacil products, achieving a sales increase of 12% and 15%, respectively.
The effort was initially 100% digital, with the creation of a website (elmanualdemama.com.mx) with advice and tips for moms where the content was generated by the mothers themselves, who exchange tips and questions with other users?a virtual simulation of what happens every day in real life. With a 'Symptom of the Week' feature and a simple signup, moms shared their tips on how to help their families. The mom offering the best tip was awarded a new computer.
Finally, the online effort translated to offline gain in two ways: the first was through points of sale which gave free consultations to mothers and memberships in the Ayudando a Mamá (Helping Mom) program; and the second was creating a print version of El Manual de Mamá (The Mom Handbook), a collection of the best tips and advice generated by the site’s community.
A commercial… in PDF
Name : The first PDF commercial in history
Category : Social Responsibility and Public Service
Client/Brand : Naturalia, A.C.
Agency : Ogilvy Mexico
Downloads : 52,803
Signups : 25% increase in database
Donations : 20% increase
Facebook growth : From 2,501 to 3,680
Other prizes : Jade 2011 (Bronze), Ojo de Iberoamérica 2011 (Silver), and Círculo de Oro 2011 (Bronze).
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsTEPNryqI0&w=350&h=267]
When funds are scarce, creativity can be a deciding factor. Naturalia, an NGO that protects wildlife in Mexico, found itself with a drop in donations in 2011 and few resources to start a campaign to increase them. With just a database, a website and a couple of thousand followers on social networks, it launched ? together with Ogilvy Mexico ? the first advertising campaign in PDF format. The interactive and animated ad worked by clicking the up or down arrows on the user’s computer keyboard, navigating through 365 slides and creating the same effect as a flipbook. With an average speed of 4 slides per second, the spot lasts about a minute and a half on the user’s computer.
