It is awards galore again. First, there was the Effies in June and now, there is the Singapore Media Awards (SMA) and Singapore Outdoor Advertising Awards (SOAA). To be held on 21st and 20th Sept respectively, the awards are a simple way of recognising the very best in the industry.

Four ZenithOptimedia campaigns have been short-listed for SMA in the following five categories :

• Best Business to Business: STRIKE (Hewlett Packard)
• Best Strategic Launch: Gillette Fusion ‘Breakthrough’ (Procter & Gamble – Gillette)
• Best Strategic Launch: Girls Talk ‘Whisper and being girl’ (Procter & Gamble – Whisper)
• Best Youth Marketing Campaign:  Girls Talk ‘Whisper and being girl’ (Procter & Gamble – Whisper)
• Best Value Media Campaign: Clairol Herbal Essences ‘Citrus Scentsation’ (Procter & Gamble – Clairol)

This year’s nominations are an increase from last year, where ‘Pantene Leave-on Moisturizer’ was short-listed for 2 Categories and won for ‘Best Strategic Launch’. This year, across agencies, ZenithOptimedia ranks 3rd in short-listed entries, trailing closely behind Mediaedge:cia (8 entries) and OMD (7 entries).

On the SOAA front, Dopod has been short-listed for ‘Large billboard’ Category while Singapore Zoo has been short-listed for 3 Categories i.e. ‘Most Effective Outdoor Media Plan’, ‘Best Use of the Media’ and ‘Bus Shelter (Campaign).

ZenithOptimedia continues to demonstrate dedication in delivering ROI excellence for clients.

In the past, media vendors have not been receptive to content creation as it undermines editorial integrity. Hence, only subtle executions via advertorial, special reports and commissioned programmes have been exploited. However of late, media vendors have been more receptive to content creation.

Marigold Yoghurt Drink recently tapped into MediaCorp’s 8 Days for content creation with Jesseca Liu as its ambassador. Jesseca Liu was featured as the cover model and the editorial featuring her was sprinkled with subtle Marigold product shots and print ads

This is a move forward by MediaCorp Enterprise (consisting of MediaCorp Press, MediaCorp Radio and Channel News Asia) toward content creation, and advertisers can certainly look forward to more of such opportunities.