The Prolific North Marketing Awards 2023: The Winners

We can now reveal the winners from this year’s highly anticipated Prolific North Marketing Awards.

Marking the 11th edition of this awards ceremony, the Marketing Awards were hosted at an iconic venue – Manchester United Football Club – on 12th October where we celebrated top talent and creative excellence across the North’s marketing sector.

It was a night to remember, hosted by Capital FM presenter Niall Gray, with hundreds of talented marketers uniting to celebrate their nominations, receive their awards, and dance the night away.

Take a look at all the photos from the night here.

This awards ceremony couldn’t have gone ahead without the support of category sponsors so a big thank you to them – Sedulo, Boutique, HUB, Awin, Sky History, Ponderosa, Tall and WPP. as well as our incredible judging panel of industry leaders which you can read more about here.

Well done to everyone nominated and, of course, to the very worthy winners!

The Prolific North Marketing Awards 2023: The Winners

Best Small Agency: Argento

Also nominated:

• Calvin Marketing
• EXP
• Hattrick
• Inboxx
• Soka Studio
• Tempt Agency
• The Underdog Agency
• The Yorkshire Marketing Agency
• Unite and Create

Best Midsize Agency: Mustard Media

Sponsored by Sedulo

Highly Commended: Boutique

Also nominated:

• Aqueous Digital
• Bubble Design & Marketing Ltd
• Evoluted
• Heur
• Making You Content
• MC2
• Prospa Media
• Serotonin
• Trio Media

Best Large Agency: connective3

Also nominated:

• Click Consult
• Manifest
• Summit
• The SEO Works

Best In-House Marketing Team: Calderdale College

Sponsored by HUB

Also nominated:

• Caspian Insurance
• Click Consult
• connective3
• Cumbria Tourism
• Sync
• Together Marketing Team

Best B2C Campaign: OPC, MojoFuel, O Agency & Universal McCann + FENTIMANS – ‘7 Days of Botanical Brewing’

Also nominated:

• Be Broadcast & JustGiving – Turning I Care Into I Can
• Diva Creative & Rail Delivery Group – ‘Interrail 50’
• Drummond Central x Triumph Motorcycles – A small engine Triumph
• GOLD79 & Gonzalez Byass – “It’s Croft Time”
• JEKBEE x ISLE OF MAN TT – Full throttle approach to maximising audience reach
• Ponderosa and KCOM – Hello Good Stuff
• Smoking Gun, TBWA\MCR & Alton Towers Resort – Nemesis: Campaign to close a legend
• Spike – Mighty Drinks Brand Awareness Campaign
• Summit & Sapphire Clinics – Reaching more people with chronic conditions: Summit drives growth for Sapphire Clinics

Best B2B Campaign: Stein IAS – Suspecting Cushing’s

Also nominated:

• Candidsky – Exceptional Growth in a Competitive Search Market
• HUB & Leeds Galvanising & Powder Coating – Rebranding the North’s Most Prestigious Galvaniser
• Refresh x Ello Group – Engaging marketers in challenging times
• RMS PR, Marketing & Design – Making Connections in a target region
• RMS PR, Marketing & Design – Welcome to Eden
• Stein IAS – Pack to the Future
• Together Financial Services – Together Market Report

Best Small Budget Campaign: Catapult PR – No 1 World Topiary Garden

Sponsored by Tall

Also nominated:

• Be Broadcast & Dogs4Rescue – Saving Dogs in Cost of Living
• DS.Emotion & Dukes Lane – Pride on the Lane
• GOLD79 & Holland’s Pies – ‘Pie in the Sky’ for British Pie Week 2023
• Manifest x Girlguiding – Girls Are Made Of
• Moore Media – ‘Don’t Ignore the Signs’ North West Cancer Research Campaign
• Novi.digital & Greenmarket- “When the second hand ticks, the customer clicks!”
• Seventy7 & London Banking Academy – Delivering Cost-Effective Market Penetration in Banking Education
• Swizzels – Marvellous or Madness? with Swizzels Marvellous Mallows
• Wildcat Digital & Flagmakers – A Small Budget SEO Campaign To Wave About

Best Large Budget Campaign: Bonded & Rugby League World Cup – Bringing rugby to new audiences

Also nominated:

• Bring Digital x Cotton Traders – Fashioning a Winning Search Ads Strategy
• Drummond Central – Greggs Value
• Drummond Central x Triumph Motorcycles – A small engine Triumph
• Herd & Motorpoint: solving the brand incrementality conundrum to drive record-breaking paid search results

Best Social Purpose Campaign: Manifest x Girlguiding – Girls Are Made Of

Highly Commended: ThisGeneration Communications (TGC) – Football For Change

Also nominated:

• 3manfactory & LDA Research – Rare Together
• Be Broadcast, Epilepsy Action & On The Ark – Tackling Public Seizure Stigma
• Conker Communications – 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championship
• CTI Digital, Red Stone & Drinkaware Trust – myDrinkaware app campaign
• Slater Heelis – Celebrating 250th years within the community
• Start Communication & GC Business Growth Hub – #HereForBusiness Campaign
• Think & EMERGE – Make a Material Difference

Best Search Marketing Campaign: connective3 & Sinful – Bringing the kink to link building

Also nominated:

• Bonded & One Utility Bill – Smashing a sales target during the difficult time
• Bring x CookServeEnjoy – Dishing Up a Michelin-star Site Migration
• Candidsky – Reinforcing NST as the market leader in educational travel
• Click Consult & Mr Clutch Autocentres – Driving revenue through local optimisation
• EssenceMediacom North & Save the children – Emergency Response to Ukraine
• Evoluted & Sea to Summit – All the Gear AND all the Ideas!
• Holdens & Heritage Great Britain – Snowdon Mountain Railway 2023
• ROAR Digital Marketing & Spence and Partners
• Think – Galloways

Best PR Campaign: Be Broadcast & The Peter Tatchell Foundation – World’s First Human Rights Protest In Qatar

Highly Commended: Smoking Gun & Alton Towers Resort – Nemesis: Campaign to close a legend

Also nominated:

• Bring Digital x Bionic – Exposing UK Phone Scams to Dial Up PR Success
• Catapult PR – No 1 World Topiary Garden
• connective3 & Sinful – Bringing the kink to link building
• Influential & North West Cancer Research – Cancer Has No Place in Our Home
• Jaywing – Putting mental health in the trades in high visibility
• Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner and Lancashire Constabulary & Hotfoot – Op Warrior: Fighting Organised Crime in Lancashire
• LTE Group – Novus:  Making the case for prison education

Best Response to Change: Cumbria Tourism – Culture in South Lakes

Also nominated:

• Start Communication & GC Business Growth Hub – #HereForBusiness Campaign

Best Integrated Campaign: Smoking Gun, TBWA\MCR & Alton Towers Resort – Nemesis: Campaign to close a legend

Also nominated:

• Bonded & Rugby League World Cup – Delivering a world-class event
• Diva Creative & Rail Delivery Group – ‘Interrail 50’
• Drummond Central x Triumph Motorcycles – A small engine Triumph
• Extreme x Henry – say hello to Henry Quick
• Influential & North West Cancer Research – Cancer Has No Place in Our Home
• Jaywing & ADT Holidaymakers
• Refresh – The Heating Installer Awards: bigger than ever
• RMS PR, Marketing & Design – Manchester Legal Awards 2023
• The Very Group & Threefold – PS5 Restock Campaign

Best Use of Data & Insights: Herd & Motorpoint – solving the brand incrementality conundrum to drive record-breaking paid search results

Sponsored by Awin

Also nominated:

• Be Broadcast, Epilepsy Action & On The Ark – Tackling Public Seizure Stigma
• Cumbria Tourism – Culture in South Lakes
• Drummond Central & NHS – North East and North Cumbria ICB – Digital Weight Management Programme
• HUB & Strachan – Welsh Open TV Campaign

Best Brand Building Campaign: Ponderosa and KCOM – Hello Good Stuff

Sponsored by Sky History

Also nominated:

• Boutique – Tale of Forgotten Radiator
• Calderdale College – We are Calderdale’s College
• DS.Emotion – King Street, Manchester
• HUB & Strachan – Welsh Open TV Campaign
• Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner and Lancashire Constabulary – Op Warrior: Fighting Organised Crime in Lancashire
• Spike – Mighty Drinks Brand Awareness Campaign
• ThisGeneration Communications (TGC) – The Women’s Football Awards 2023

Best Social Media Campaign: Mustard Media & Bada Bingo – How we disrupted the market with a brand new bingo rave

Sponsored by Ponderosa

Also nominated:

• Bonded & Celestyal Cruises – Transforming the positioning of a brand using social media alone
• Extreme x Alcotraz – Serving up criminally good social results
• Mabo & Plum – Celebrating 35 Years Of Play with Plum
• McCann Manchester & Zoflora – 100 Years of Beautifully Clean Homes
• Plinkfizz & Natuzzi – Double Discount Bank Holiday campaign
• Refresh x Polypipe Building Products – A Question of Regs
• Think – Step into Social Care

Best Tourism & Leisure Campaign: Smoking Gun, TBWA\MCR & Alton Towers Resort – Nemesis: Campaign to close a legend

Highly Commended: Route & First Bus: The things you love for free

Also nominated:

• Brazil Street & Icelolly.com
• Catapult PR – No 1 World Topiary Garden
• CreativeRace & VIP SKI
• Cumbria Tourism – Culture in South Lakes
• Diva Creative & Rail Delivery Group – ‘Interrail 50’
• Extreme & Lovat Parks – Destination: soaring revenue, sessions & visibility
• Liverpool City Council – Liverpool Eurovision 2023

Best Health Campaign: Dream Agility – Cure for Infant Neuroblastoma (Cancer) Trial

Highly Commended: EssenceMediacom North & Benenden Health – Time for a Check-In

Also nominated:

• BIG Partnership & Pall Mall Medical – Poo Protest for Bowel Cancer Awareness
• CTI Digital & Right at Home – #NewYearNewCareer Recruitment Drive for Carers
• Diva Creative & Smokefree Sheffield – ‘You Are Strong Enough’
• Drummond Central & NHS – North East and North Cumbria ICB – Digital Weight Management Programme
• Influential & NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin – Think Which Service
• No Brainer & TakingCare – Senior City-zens
• Wildcat Digital & Your Sexual Health – SafeSearch Success: Optimising STD Awareness

Best Education Campaign: Lucky North & Composite Prime – Message in a Bottle Top

Also nominated:

• Calderdale College – This year I will…
• HUB, CEC & Co-op Academies Trust – Climate Change and Careers

Best Property & Construction Campaign: Select Property x Clicky – One Port Street

Also nominated:

• Bonded & Making Moves – Transforming commercial property search with Connected Search
• RMS PR, Marketing & Design – Welcome to Eden

Best E-commerce/Retail Campaign: Drummond Central – Greggs Value

Sponsored by Boutique

Also nominated:

• Bonded & Primal Strength – Staying strong and agile against increased competition and reporting challenges
• Bring Digital x Cotton Traders – Fashioning a Winning Search Ads Strategy
• Candidsky – Soaring online revenue in an age-old industry
• CTI Digital & Turtle Wax – Claiming UK Market Share for Renowned US Brand with Paid Advertising
• Evoluted & Sea to Summit – All the Gear AND all the Ideas!
• Extreme x Henry — say hello to Henry Quick

Best Not-for-Profit Campaign: Be Broadcast & The Peter Tatchell Foundation – World’s First Human Rights Protest In Qatar

Also nominated:

• CTI Digital, Red Stone & Drinkaware Trust – myDrinkaware app campaign
• Diva Creative & Smokefree Sheffield – ‘You Are Strong Enough’
• Drummond Central x Sunderland City Council – We All Make Sunderland
• Fat Media Ltd & Art of Wishes
• Greater Manchester Combined Authority – Gender-Based Violence Reduction Campaign: #IsThisOk?
• Hitch Marketing & The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) – ‘Wear Real’ counterfeit football shirt prevention, World Cup 2022
• Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner and Lancashire Constabulary – Op Warrior: Fighting Organised Crime in Lancashire
• Think & Stand Cricket Club
• Wriggle Marketing – A Better U

Prolific North Marketer of the Year: Kristian Bentham – Aqueous Digital

Sponsored by WPP – The winner of this category has been decided by a combination of judges’ votes and a public vote.

Also nominated:

• Dion Williams – Wriggle Marketing
• Kristen Drummond – Slater Heelis
• Rosie Bocking – Social Chain
• Tiffany Chevis – Genr8