The glue that binds an organisation together, the new channel that employees rely on, the voice of a corporate identity… internal communication builds relationships, delivers return on investment and shapes the conversations happening about the organisation. The best examples are highlighted in this category.
With the pandemic driving a shift towards remote work, companies that offer leadership, support and easy connectivity are winning. Coordinating and informing employees, whether in-house teams or non-desktop workers with little or no access to intranet or even company email, is a greater challenge than ever before.
Sophisticated technological tools mean that events and experiential marketing can be more immersive than ever before. Whether offline or online, events and experiences are becoming more sophisticated, and appeal to diverse array of brands and industries. The most memorable will be highlighted in this category.
For now, the migration of events to online – whether conferences, launches, cultural events or marketing experiences – is the new normal, presenting many organisations with a steep learning curve when it comes to adapting their events to online, or even creating new ones to respond to the changing demands of socially-distanced audiences.
Today’s integrated word needs a 360-degree monitoring of risks and issues, and no one leads that better than the communication function. If reputation is the most prized asset of any organisation, remaining aware, sensitive and responsive to issues which might affect that reputation is key, and will be celebrated in this category.
Change – whether new additions to the team, evolving business directions or social disruption – can easily overwhelm organisations. Which is why resistance to change is deeply embedded. Successful change communication inspires, motivates and reassures: the best will succeed in this category.
Sending the right message, at the right time, via the right channel: an integrated use of communication channels creates a robust 360 -degree relationship with stakeholders, and the award in this category will be given to a campaign or a project that uses its diverse tools for coherent and cohesive communication with different segments of the public.
In an era of information overflow, it has become vital for brands to engage stakeholders through honest and authentic stories, as well as to encourage employees to live and breathe the corporate narrative. That is the challenge for communicators – and this category recognises campaigns or projects that use storytelling in all its facets.
With recent trends in content marketing including artificial intelligence-driven insights, more interactive content thanks to the internet of things, and ever-closer alignment with strategy, this category recognises award-worthy content that clicks with bloggers, brand ambassadors and other influencers and inspires them to spread the word.
Influencers are those individuals inside and outside the organisation that move the dial: they set the agenda and bring other audiences along with them. Establishing the ROI of influencer relations is notoriously tricky; however, those projects that clearly demonstrate a strategic and effective use of digital media and communication will triumph in this category.
Communications that stand apart from the status quo in your field or industry, and/or that revolutionise your approach to communications, are celebrated in this category.
Employer branding is about how the individuals who work for an organisation view and help shape its identity as a place of work – it is a highly sensitive and constantly evolving process . Communication is also an integral part of any recruitment drive, and this category celebrates the best in these vitally important areas.
Data is new oil, enabling communications to have impact on scale, driving meassurement and analysis and enabling messages to be targeted and personalised like never before. This category is open to a company or agency (and their client), that has creatively and successfully used data throughout all stages of a campaign or project.
Trusted brand relationships are the bedrock of strategic success; authenticity, innovation and added benefit are the tried and trusted watchwords behind building and strengthening relationships year after year. However, with audiences increasingly wanting to see purpose as a key brand differentiator, this category celebrates new strategies that go beyond the well-trodden paths and explore new territory.
Integrated communications is critical for a successful product launch in your business. It involves the consistent communications of information about a product, using channels, sources and programmes that deliver effective and timely messages to consumers. The best examples are celebrated in this category.
The necessity of communicating an organisation’s corporate social responsibility initiatives has never been so urgent; socially-conscious organisations that prove purpose and value are highly-desirable to millennial workforces, and increasingly act as a key differentiator in crowded markets. Stand-out examples of corporate social responsibility communications will be highlighted in this category.
From lobbying to external relations, trade deals to laws and rights, modern public affairs is an integral part of the process of keeping an organisation aligned with societal values, and is an absolutely vital tool to help organisations navigate the stringent regulatory landscape. This category celebrates the champions of the field.