8 topical new categories added to this year’s Northern Marketing Awards

Last year’s NMAs were an overwhelming success with host Gavin Ramjaun welcoming over 400 guests to The Point, Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Club.

In contrast to the 21 different category awards won by last year’s winners, the organisers of the NMAs have opened up 28 different categories for entry this year, some of which are particularly relevant for 2020. 

An experienced and esteemed judging panel has once again been assembled to assess the entries, with the shortlist published in October.

Let’s take a closer look at the new categories…

• Best Crisis Communications Campaign

In times of local, national and global crisis, marketing experts play an essential role in conveying important information in a way that is clear, easy-to-remember and powerful. If you’ve been involved in doing this sort of work, download the entry form for this category. 

• Best Influencer Campaign

Influencer marketing is nothing new but it’s definitely not going away anytime soon, especially with more of us both viewing and shopping on Instagram than ever before. During lockdown, social media engagement has increased by 61 percent over normal usage rates, according to data from Kantar. If you’ve forged a brilliant relationship between influencer and brand, we think this category is for you.

• Best Education Campaign 

The education sector is a competitive place where organisations need to cut through the noise in order to stand out from the crowd. Many bodies have been forced into remote teaching and many individuals are now facing the reality of having to learn online. If you’ve created a campaign that’s turned heads in education, this category is worth submitting for.

• Best Integrated Campaign

Nowadays, it’s very often insufficient to only advertise or communicate your message to an audience through one single channel. If your campaign has successfully and consistently utilised multiple channels, this is the category to enter. 

• Best PR Campaign

In the age of non-stop news coverage and social media, the reputation and public relations of a company is still fundamentally important, if not an art form. Think you’ve proved your PR prowess? Enter your work into this category.  

• Best Outdoor Advertising Campaign

As soon as people look up from their phones, there’s a wealth of outdoor advertising opportunities – but only the most memorable will remain in people’s memories. If you’ve done something out of the home that’s resonated with an audience, enter this category.

• Best Use of Content Marketing

If you specialise in creating captivating content to drive marketing campaigns, then this category is for you.

• Best Use of Data

An evermore central focus for today’s marketing forces, understanding and maximising the use of data can accelerate a campaign and help nurture longer-lasting customer relations. With changes to cookies and privacy regulations growing, we want to reward those who have proven they can work well and ethically with data.

There are also sponsorship opportunities available for companies looking to further their presence both at the unforgettable awards ceremony, and on the online reports. Click here to download the 2020-2021 sponsorship pack.