CONNECTIONS AWARDS: Recognising creativity in UK digital marketing

With text messaging hitting an all-time high over the past year, it's no surprise that several innovative SMS campaigns are among the finalists.

One contender in the Best use of Mobile Phones/WAP category is 12Snap's work for Stella Screen on location promoting Stella Artois' outdoor film screenings in London, Bristol and Newquay. Stella delivered audio files from film soundtracks to its target audience: for example, the voice of Nicole Kidman saying 'I believe you were expecting me', promoting Moulin Rouge.

Also battling it out in this category are Mediaedge:CIA's work for ChapStick, which used MTV's database to raise the brand's profile among a youth audience with a contest to win a holiday in Ibiza; and Aerodeon's relaunch work for Mattel doll brand Fashion Diva Starz, which invited young girls to vote by text for their 'Real Life Fashion Diva', such as Britney or Kylie.

This year's finalists include some major FMCG names. Procter & Gamble's in-house team is shortlisted for Best Use of the Internet for Consumer Communications, for its Pampers.com site. Pampers wanted to deepen its relationship with parents. Its web site, which tracks the age of the user's child to tailor content, has become the biggest brand product web site in its market and Pampers' market share has grown by a 6% volume increase in a declining market.

Coty cosmetics brand Rimmel used interactive TV. OMD UK's campaign let Sky Active viewers sample lipstick colours by pressing a button. The campaign delivered a huge response rate for iTV, 3.2%.

Digital Outlook's work for online youth charity YouthNet has been shortlisted in two categories, Best Use of Technology for Viral Marketing and Best Use of the Internet for Consumer Communications.

This campaign created a desktop character that walked across the user's screen to illustrate the effects of the drug the character had supposedly taken. The aim was to raise awareness of the effects of drugs without being patronising. As a result the charity's web site attracted 1.2 million users making it one of the UK's most-visited youth sites.

This year's awards comprise 14 categories with all finalists entered for the overall Grand Prix. Last year, BT wireless portal Genie scooped top prize for its online and WAP campaign for reality series Big Brother.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday February 11, 2003 at the Hilton Metropole.

CONNECTIONS AWARDS ENTRANTS
Project Company
Stella Screen on Location 12Snap
My Man Stan 12Foot6
Fashion Diva Starz SMS Campaign Aerodeon
Platinum BlaZers txt Club Aerodeon
Kiss Hey Sexy Angel Uplifting Marketing & Flytxt
Simple Regeneration Barclay Stratton
house.co.uk Centrica
Yell Business Census Chemistry
BT Extranet CPM UK
GSK Telephone Account Management CPM UK
SMS Purchasing Channel Creation Financial Services
Weetabix House Dialogue Marketing Group
Penguin Boom Room Dialogue Marketing Group
Drugs Boy Viral Campaign Digital Outlook
Travis Fontaine Show Glide
Jaguar Cars Global Beach
Audi UK web site Good Technology
Iomega ICLP
Locate You Inbox Media
Bupa Wellness Dentistry Inbox Media
Miele Dishwasher SP Inbox Media
The iVillage.co.uk iVillage UK
Shape Up Challenge
TUI UK JDA
Lycos UK Lycos UK
www.meadowhall.co.uk Meadowhall
ChapStick Mediaedge:CIA
Digital Sony Ericsson T681 Launch Mediaedge:CIA
Digital NightFly's Database NightFly
Finish Powerball OMD UK
Rimmel OMD UK
www.pampers.com Procter & Gamble
Herald home delivery SBS
Herald Sales SBS
Scottish Enterprise SBS
AA Roadside Alerts WIN
Cancer Research - Mini DAL WWAV Rapp Collins
youatwork You at work

This article was first published on Marketing