Creative Media Awards celebrates Hearts & Science strategy
Last week, Hearts & Science won big at the Creative Media Awards, taking home three separate awards for media campaigns launched in 2019.
Creative Media Awards is the only awards program that honors the media industry exclusively. Though it can be difficult to navigate the nuances of media across channels, Hearts & Science was recognized at the awards ceremony for its distinct approach in search, branded content and business media. Here’s how each campaign reached new audiences and made waves in their category.
Humor boosts business media impact
8.7 million social media views later, Hearts & Science was awarded the Business Media award for raising awareness on behalf of Sam Adams as a professional brewer.
By partnering with Conan O’Brien on his TBS show and 18-city comedy tour, Sam Adams was able to reach new audiences with humor. Creative Media Awards gives the Business Media award for “creative use of print, TV, digital and/or other media in a campaign aimed at a business-to-business audience.”
Takeaway: Using humor and influencer marketing was an unconventional yet effective way to reach other businesses who’d be interested in working with Sam Adams. Many brands are often afraid to approach businesses with humor, but B2B customers are people too and they should be reached in relatable ways!
Branded entertainment brings lift in favor
Hearts & Science took home the award for Branded Entertainment: Brand/Product Placement. It was awarded for a “campaign creatively using product placement or branded entertainment media opportunities as its centerpiece.”
In this project, AT&T Business partnered with top publications like Bloomberg, The Washington Post, Quartz and The Atlantic to offer content surrounding the future of food, work, water and more. The branded mobile videos, short documentaries and other forms of branded content gained a total of 3 million views and a 48% lift in favorability for the brand.
Takeaway: Branded content is an incredibly effective way to reach new audiences because it provides real value and insight into problems consumers are facing. In this particular case, the WaPo’s “Journey to the Edge” was the most successful, with almost 600,000 views. Check it out!
Careful targeting maximizes on-site engagement
Most HBO subscribers are typically 44 to 45-year-olds but AT&T wanted to look further to reach new audiences. Hearts & Science ran an unusual SEM targeting strategy to reach Gen Z and Millennials.
By leveraging Gallery Ads with immersive images and Search Video Ads that play the trailer in Google search, they took home the Online Media: Search award for “creative use of search engine marketing as the centerpiece of an advertising campaign.”
Takeaway: Not all traffic is created equal, and it’s important to ensure entertainment brands continue to reach younger audiences so that they don’t become obsolete. Specific targeting with the right content will help brands run campaigns with positive ROI.
It all starts with an idea
All award-winning campaigns start with a concept informed by data—the heart and the science. That’s why we loved the Creative Media Awards trophy design. Look closely at the awards, and you’ll see its “concept” right away.
Need help building a campaign concept and gathering the data and strategy to inform it? Contact us, and we’ll help you build an impactful campaign that might even be award-winning.
