Nutshell Creative recently collaborated with Canon and The Drum, along with an expert team of marketing industry and technology stakeholders, to launch a bespoke awards competition that celebrates the future of omnichannel marketing excellence and champion those at the forefront of new ideas that combine data and creativity to deliver measurable omnichannel campaigns.
This is the first time the industry had come together like this to showcase new collaborative ways of working by combining creative and new tech expertise to re-imagine the future of communications. Members of the working group, who also formed the awards jury, included:
- Us! (Nutshell Creative) – a full-service marketing and design agency
- Canon – the world’s leading imaging brand
- The Strategic Mailing Partnership – professional body that represents and protects the interests of printers and mailing houses in the UK
- Join the Dots – a data-led, independent media agency, delivering acquisition solutions through print and broadcast media
- JICMAIL – the joint industry body for delivering ‘gold standard’ audience and item measurement data for direct mail, door drops and business mail
- Latcham – a print management and marketing fulfilment consultancy
- Marketreach – the leading authority on mail, providing regular insight, research and advice for brands and agencies to use mail effectively
- AutLay – a start-up using artificial intelligence for creating automated layouts
The brief was put forward by the YMCA, and the judges were specifically looking for evidence of clear strategic, data-driven thinking combined with creativity and innovation, while aligning to the YMCA’s purpose and brand guidelines.
Entrants were tasked with showcasing the customer journey throughout the campaign with variations of creative copy and messaging to meet the brief.
The brief was to embark on a new donor acquisition drive amongst a younger audience, whilst building engagement for longer-term supporters. It was important to note that the YMCA is inclusive of people of all backgrounds and so this was necessary to take into consideration for the purposes of the competition.
And the winners are…
Henry Plumridge and Ollie Bartlett of ‘Transmission’!
“Data from Market Reach and JICMAIL shows that print and digital have a powerful symbiotic relationship. The YMCA’s audience of 24 – 44-year-olds, as well as being likely to engage with mail, are also a technology-led generation. It was important that the direct mail involved for this campaign used innovative technology alongside its tactile appeal, driving action online and further engaging our target audience.”
The winning pair went on to explain:
“Our ‘Limitless’ campaign started from one, simple idea: what if the ‘m’ for male of YMCA was reimagined as an infinity sign for all. From here, we built our limitless messaging: inclusive, ambitious, hopeful, and defiant. Our process was then to utilise creativity, data, personalisation, and an omnichannel strategy to address YMCA’s business and marketing challenges.”
You can learn more about the Creative Futures initiative and the winning project over at https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/12/14/limitless-campaign-idea-wins-first-creative-futures-2022
Nutshell Creative have loved being a part of this journey in helping to bring young creative minds to the forefront of our industry. The powerful use of omnichannel campaigns, backed up by quality data, prove that the combination of print and digital is the most powerful way of creating true marketing impact.
If you are interested in exploring an omnichannel marketing campaign for your brand, don’t hesitate to get in touch, it all starts with a hello@nutshellcreative.co.uk