Warc Reveals the Winners for Effective Use of Tech

The Warc Media Awards winners for Effective Use of Tech have been unveiled; Cancer Research UK, Old Spice, and Headspace take Gold.

Warc has unveiled the results of Effective Use of Tech, the final category of its Media Awards which recognises communications planning that has made an impact on business results. The programme’s 10-strong international panel was chaired by Google’s MD, Brand Solutions & Innovations, EMEA, Debbie Weinstein.

The panel has so far awarded three Golds, three Silvers, and four Bronzes in said category, which honours communications that have effectively used or combined emerging platforms or technology in the media mix contributing to the overall business success of the campaign.

Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice, Cancer Research UK, and Australian mental health foundation, Headspace, have won Golds. Old Spice’s Nature Adventure by Wieden + Kennedy was a gaming-led campaign in the US and Canada on live-streaming platform Twitch which helped build affinity with men aged 18 to 34.

“As an industry, we ignore gaming but it’s such a big opportunity and no one’s doing it that well. This should be celebrated because it used custom integration. It was different, interesting, and effective,” said Tom Goodwin, EVP, Head of Innovation at Zenith and Warc Media Awards judge.

Meanwhile, Cancer Research UK’s Tap to Beat Cancer campaign by MediaCom, saw the charity trial digital screens with a contactless card payment facility in its shop windows. Managing Partner, Digital and Technology at OMD and a judge, Suzy Ryder, described it as “a very easy and logical way to maintain and increase fundraising.”

Australia’s Headspace was the third Gold awarded for its Reword campaign. Through Leo Burnett Melbourne, the organisation helped reduce instances of online bullying by young internet users through the introduction of an online tool encouraging people to reconsider what they have written before posting.

“It is a brilliant piece of tech and the results speak for themselves,” said James Lewin, Head of Innovation for Mindshare APAC and a judge for the Effective Use of Tech category.

PHD India won a Silver and Bronze for its work on two Hindustan Unilever detergent brands. The agency’s Lo Kar Lo Baat initiative for Active Wheel won a Silver, while the Rin Career Ready Academy took home Bronze. FP7/DXB also won a Silver and Bronze; its A/C Vests campaign for banking brand, Emirates NBD, snagged Silver, while its Smart Buses work for Bahrain telecom provider, Batelco, won a Bronze.

Zenith took Silver for its Artificial Intelligence: Data Storytelling push for insurance company, Aviva. Starcom’s Serving What’s Trending campaign for food manufacturer, Kraft Heinz, took a Bronze, while a bronze was also awarded to Fuse Sport & Entertainment for its Virtually Dead campaign for HTC VIVE.

The Grand Prix and three Special Awards in the Effective Use of Tech category namely Best Real-Time, Early Adopter, and Best Use of Programmatic as well as in the three other award categories will be announced at a free-to-attend event at MEC in London on 9 February.