Categories

1. Best Account Based Marketing Strategy *NEW*
This category recognises businesses that have excelled at using account-based marketing as a strategic approach to communicating with select groups of accounts that require tailored marketing. Judges will be assessing the overall strategy, application, execution, and results of the approach.
2. Best Integrated Social Media Campaign

This category showcases the best social media driven campaigns using a variety of social media channels as well as other mediums including, but not limited to TV, print, outdoor and radio. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results with an emphasis on organic and earned media engagement. Judges will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.

3. Best Newsjacking or Real Time Response
This category recognises brands that have engaged in effective newsjacking by piggybacking on trending news to help its content get noticed by a larger audience. This award honors the best examples of trend jacking or driving virality in user-based responses on social platforms for marketing brands, entertainment, causes or communities. Judges will focus on creative opportunism, tactics and the strategic use of timing and trending piece of news.
4. Best Social Amplification Campaign
This category showcases best of breed campaign work where social media is creatively and effectively used to extend or amplify the longevity, virality and outreach of traditional print, outdoor, TV or integrated advertising campaigns. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results with an emphasis on organic and earned media engagement. Judges will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.
5. Best Social Brand Launch
For brands and agencies, creating a new product launch or rebranding on social media requires a creative and strategic use of budget, resources, content and a clear understanding of their fans or community. This award seeks to showcase best of breed examples for various platforms for brands which succeeded in driving vast engagement, building communities and effectively establishing a brand voice.
6. Best Social Engagement Tools or Programs: Cause Marketing
This award honors the best examples of community engagement initiative via cause marketing on ANY social platform for social engagement tools, mechanics and interaction tactics for fan engagement. Examples include, but are not limited to brands, entertainment communities (games, movies, television shows or web series), internal employee communities, external community building and outreach efforts.
7. Best Social Influencer Agency

This category is for agencies who represent or enable collaboration with social influencers, content creators or online celebrities to support brand promotions, campaigns or online outreach. They must provide a video case study that sums up their Asian or country focus with best examples of artist/influencer/celebrity collaboration. Based in various parts of Asia, Judges will have an Asian focus in overall assessment of the case studies and capabilities of these companies.

Judges will assess entrants based on the following during the eligibility period:

  • Success rate: The agency’s track record of executing successful influencer marketing campaigns and achieving desired outcomes for clients. Should include measurable results achieved for clients, such as ROI, brand awareness, and audience engagement.
  • Campaign creativity: The originality and innovative approach taken in executing influencer marketing campaigns.
  • Influencer portfolio: The diversity and quality of the agency’s influencer portfolio and the ability to match the right influencer with the right brand.
  • Diversity: The agency’s ability to deliver campaigns across different platforms and audiences.
  • Client satisfaction: Feedback and satisfaction from clients who have worked with the agency in the past.
  • Ethical and responsible practices: The agency’s adherence to ethical and responsible influencer marketing practices, such as transparency and avoiding misleading advertising.

 

8. Best Social Media Campaign: Facebook
This category showcases the best social media campaign on the key social media channel, Facebook. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results with an emphasis on organic and earned media engagement. Judges will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.
9. Best Social Media Campaign: Instagram
This category showcases the best social media campaign on the key social media channel, Instagram. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results with an emphasis on organic and earned media engagement. Judges will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.
10. Best Social Media Campaign: TikTok

This category showcases the best social media campaign on the key social media channel, TikTok. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results with an emphasis on organic and earned media engagement. Judges will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.

11. Best Social Media Campaign: WeChat

This category showcases the best social media campaign on the key social media channel, WeChat. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results with an emphasis on organic and earned media engagement. Judges will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.

12. Best Social Media Campaign: Xiaohongshu

This category showcases the best social media campaign on the key social media channel, Xiaohongshu. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results with an emphasis on organic and earned media engagement. Judges will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.

13. Best Social Media Campaign: YouTube

This category showcases the best social media campaign on the key social media channel, YouTube. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results with an emphasis on organic and earned media engagement. Judges will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.

14. Best Social Media Community Management

This award honors the best examples of community engagement for specific brand moments or promotion or as a form of fan engagement on social media. Examples include, but are not limited to brands, entertainment communities (games, movies, television shows or web series), internal employee communities, external community building and outreach efforts, as well as company culture or talent recognition programs.

15. Best Social Selling / Commerce Campaign *NEW*

This category recognises the best campaigns on a brand’s social media channels to connect, engage and develop relationships as part of the sales process. Entrants should demonstrate how the campaign captured shoppers’ attention, engaged target audience(s) and encouraged consumption / purchases. Entrants must present quantifiable results demonstrating how the social commerce campaign successfully drove traffic, ultimately leading to higher brand awareness and resulting in business growth.

16. Best Use of Art / Culture / Brand / Entertainment Partnerships

This category showcases the use of art/culture/brand/entertainment for best of breed case studies of co-branding to increase the chance to reach coveted audiences, create richer, more connected brand experiences with a new call to action on ANY social channel.

17. Best Use of Celebrity Partnerships

This award showcases the use of celebrities or artists for best of breed case studies of co-branding, collaborative live thought leadership sessions, shared content, special promotions, celebrity representation, or custom product collections designed by a celebrity, endorsement by a celebrity on any social channel, or celebrity takeovers on social media etc on ANY social channel.

18. Best Use of Influencer Partnerships

This award showcases the use of online influencers or thought/business leaders for best of breed case studies of co-branding, collaborative live thought leadership sessions, shared content, special promotions, or custom product collections designed / endorsement by an influencer on any social channel, influencer takeovers on social media etc on ANY social channel.

19. Best Use of Live Streaming or Virtual Events

This award showcases offline to online or vice versa (O2O) experiential events, Live Events or Live streaming to engage a community and drive awareness. Examples include, but are not limited to game streaming, virtual concerts, conferences, marches, rallies, meetups, virtual and hybrid events.

20. Best Use of Social Media for a Campaign

This award recognises the campaign that best leveraged social media platforms to achieve its objectives. The winning campaign will have demonstrated creativity and innovation in utilising social media channels to build brand awareness, engage with its audience, and drive measurable results.

Judges will evaluate the campaign’s use of social media in terms of its effectiveness, originality, and impact. Key factors that will be considered include the clarity and consistency of messaging, the use of compelling visuals, the frequency and relevance of posts, the level of engagement generated, and the ability to convert social media activity into tangible business outcomes.

21. Best Use of Social Media Platforms

These categories showcase the best creative use of the respective channel using community management, social engagement, user-generated content, Live event, Live streaming, newsjacking or a mixture of these tactics.

22. Best User-Generated Content

This showcases the best use of brand or retail promotion, cause advocacy, fan support or engagement to inspire creation of UGC or community support for culture or entertainment like TV, music, sports, movie and fashion etc. Examples can include unsolicited fan-based/user-generated art, social media challenges, contests, pledges or campaigns that drive user content creation on any social platforms.

23. Best Video in a Social Media Campaign *NEW*

This category recognises the best campaign that uses video as its primary vehicle on social media. Short-form, long-form, paid or organic, all types are welcome. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results, and will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.

24. Best World Cup Related Social Media Campaign *EXCLUSIVE*

For brands that leveraged the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, this category celebrates the best social media campaigns to reach fans of the Beautiful Game. Judges will focus on the creative idea and ROI-driven results with an emphasis on organic and earned media engagement. Judges will also examine the campaign for social resonance, impact, engagement and influence.

Not for entry

25. Overall Agency HashMaster (Not for Entry)

This highly coveted title will be awarded to the agency that performs best across all relevant Hashtag Asia Awards categories. The following points system will be used to determine the winner: 4 points for Gold, 2 for Silver, and 1 for Bronze. In the event of a tie, the entrant with more Gold and/or Silver wins will be selected. If this does not break the tie, the higher average from the judge’s scores will determine the winner. This award is not open for entry.

26. Overall Brand HashMaster (Not for Entry)

This highly coveted title will be awarded to the brand that performs best across all relevant Hashtag Asia Awards categories. The following points system will be used to determine the winner: 4 points for Gold, 2 for Silver, and 1 for Bronze. In the event of a tie, the entrant with more Gold and/or Silver wins will be selected. If this does not break the tie, the higher average from the judge’s scores will determine the winner. This award is not open for entry.