Award Categories

1. Excellence in Advertising
This category recognises outstanding advertising work that delivers impact through powerful creative thinking, disciplined strategy, and effective media deployment. Entrants should demonstrate how the campaign or individual execution engaged the intended audience in a meaningful way, clearly addressed a defined marketing challenge, and drove measurable results.

Winning entries will show how creativity and media worked in harmony to maximise effectiveness—whether through a single standout execution or a fully integrated advertising effort. Judges will look for clarity of objective, originality of idea, strength of execution, and evidence of tangible outcomes such as brand lift, sales impact, engagement, or behavioural change. This category celebrates advertising that not only captures attention but delivers results with purpose and precision.

2. Excellence in AI-Powered Storytelling
This category recognises marketing campaigns that use artificial intelligence as a strategic storytelling enabler rather than a technical novelty. Entrants should demonstrate how AI was thoughtfully applied to shape, personalise, or optimise brand narratives in ways that deepened relevance, enhanced engagement, and strengthened customer relationships.

Winning campaigns will showcase a sophisticated integration of AI—such as generative content, predictive personalisation, conversational interfaces, or recommendation engines—used to deliver stories that adapt to audience needs, behaviours, or contexts. Judges will look for clear evidence of how AI elevated storytelling effectiveness, improved customer experience, and contributed to measurable business or brand outcomes. This category celebrates work that blends human creativity with intelligent technology to deliver scalable, meaningful, and impactful narratives.

3. Excellence in Anniversary Marketing
This category recognises marketing campaigns that strategically leveraged a brand or organisation’s anniversary as a meaningful platform for storytelling, engagement, and growth. Entrants should demonstrate how the anniversary was more than a commemorative moment, serving instead as a catalyst for renewed relevance, deeper emotional connection, and measurable business impact.

Winning entries will show how the milestone was embedded into the broader campaign strategy—whether to reinforce brand heritage, signal transformation, reward loyalty, or attract new audiences. Judges will assess how effectively the anniversary narrative drove awareness, engagement, sentiment, or market share, as well as its contribution to overall campaign and business objectives. This category celebrates brands that turned milestones into moments of momentum.

4. Excellence in B2B Marketing
This category recognises outstanding marketing efforts that effectively engaged business audiences through insight-led, creative, and strategically sound approaches. Entrants should demonstrate a clear understanding of complex B2B decision-making journeys and how their work influenced consideration, preference, or action across stakeholders.

Winning campaigns will showcase how branding, content, communications, or demand-generation strategies were tailored to professional audiences while remaining compelling and relevant. Judges will look for clarity of business challenge, strength of insight, effectiveness of execution, and evidence of measurable impact such as lead quality, pipeline growth, customer acquisition, or brand authority. This category celebrates B2B marketing that is both strategically rigorous and creatively distinctive.

5. Excellence in Brand Awareness
This category recognises marketing initiatives that successfully increased awareness, recognition, and recall of a brand, product, or service among target audiences. Entrants should demonstrate how their campaign cut through competitive clutter to establish a clear and memorable brand presence.

Winning entries will show how strategic messaging, creative execution, and channel selection worked together to build meaningful awareness rather than superficial reach. Judges will assess the effectiveness of both above-the-line and below-the-line activities, supported by metrics such as recall, reach quality, share of voice, or uplift in brand consideration. This category celebrates campaigns that laid strong foundations for long-term brand growth.

6. Excellence in Brand Strategy
This category recognises exceptional brand strategy brought to life through a campaign or marketing initiative. Entrants should clearly articulate the strategic thinking behind the brand positioning, purpose, or direction, and how it informed creative, communications, and executional choices.

Winning campaigns will demonstrate how brand strategy was not only well-defined but effectively activated to drive consistency, differentiation, and business impact. Judges will look for evidence of strategic clarity, alignment across touchpoints, and measurable outcomes such as strengthened brand equity, relevance, or commercial performance. This category celebrates work where strategy serves as the backbone of meaningful and effective brand building.

7. Excellence in Communications / Public Relations
This category recognises organisations that successfully enhanced their corporate brand, reputation, or identity through strategic communications and public relations. Entrants should demonstrate how messaging, stakeholder engagement, and channel strategy were aligned to deliver clear business or organisational objectives.

Winning entries will show how communications were proactively planned and effectively executed to influence perception, manage reputation, or drive behavioural outcomes among consumers, partners, media, or internal stakeholders. Judges will look for clarity of narrative, strategic use of channels, credibility of execution, and evidence of impact such as sentiment shift, visibility, trust, or engagement. This category celebrates communications that build influence through strategy, relevance, and integrity.

8. Excellence in Consumer Insights / Market Research
This category recognises the effective use of consumer insights, research, or data development as a critical driver of marketing success. Entrants should demonstrate how research uncovered meaningful insights that directly shaped strategy, creative direction, or execution.

Winning campaigns will show how insights moved beyond observation to action—informing decisions that led to stronger relevance, effectiveness, and results. Judges will look for rigour in methodology, clarity of insight, and clear linkage between research findings and campaign outcomes. This category celebrates organisations that place consumer understanding at the heart of impactful marketing.

9. Excellence in Content Marketing
This category recognises content-driven campaigns that successfully engaged audiences through valuable, relevant, and compelling storytelling. Entrants should demonstrate how content strategy was aligned with brand objectives and designed to inform, entertain, or inspire audiences across platforms.

Winning entries will show how content was strategically planned, consistently executed, and optimised to drive awareness, engagement, or conversion. Judges will look for coherence across formats, channels, and touchpoints, supported by performance metrics that demonstrate impact. This category celebrates content marketing that builds trust, deepens relationships, and delivers measurable results.

10. Excellence in CSR / Cause Marketing
This category recognises marketing initiatives that authentically aligned a brand with a social cause or charitable partnership to deliver shared value. Entrants should demonstrate how the initiative benefited both the organisation and the cause, while generating positive outcomes for society.

Winning campaigns will show a clear strategic fit between brand values and the chosen cause, supported by credible execution and measurable impact. Judges will assess the depth of partnership, effectiveness of engagement, and evidence of social and brand outcomes. This category celebrates purpose-driven marketing that creates meaningful change while strengthening brand credibility.

11. Excellence in Customer Engagement
This category recognises campaigns or programmes that successfully fostered deeper emotional and participatory connections between customers and brands. Entrants should demonstrate how their initiative encouraged active involvement rather than passive consumption.

Winning entries will show how experiences, platforms, or interactions were designed to build relationships, loyalty, and advocacy. Judges will look for creativity, relevance, and evidence of sustained engagement, supported by metrics such as participation, retention, or emotional affinity. This category celebrates work that transforms customers into active brand participants.

12. Excellence in Data-Driven Marketing
This category recognises marketing initiatives that effectively leveraged data, analytics, and business intelligence to drive smarter targeting, optimisation, and decision-making. Entrants should demonstrate how data informed strategy and execution to achieve measurable business objectives.

Winning campaigns will show a strong balance between analytical rigour and creative application, with clear evidence of how insights improved performance. Judges will assess the sophistication of data usage, clarity of measurement frameworks, and impact on outcomes such as efficiency, conversion, or growth. This category celebrates marketing that turns data into decisive advantage.

13. Excellence in Digital Marketing
This category recognises outstanding digital marketing campaigns that delivered engaging, seamless, and effective consumer experiences across digital channels. Entrants should demonstrate how platforms such as web, mobile, email, or social were strategically used to meet defined business objectives.

Winning entries will show how digital strategy, creative execution, and user experience worked together to drive engagement, action, or conversion. Judges will look for innovation, integration, and measurable performance outcomes. This category celebrates digital marketing that is both user-centric and results-driven.

14. Excellence in eCommerce Marketing
This category recognises brands or marketplaces that demonstrated outstanding performance in online commerce through innovative strategy and execution. Entrants should show how eCommerce was used not only as a sales channel but as a brand-building and experience-driving platform.

Winning campaigns will illustrate how digital storefronts, platforms, or journeys were optimised to influence behaviour, increase traffic, and achieve commercial targets. Judges will assess strategic clarity, user experience design, innovation, and measurable business impact. This category celebrates eCommerce marketing that seamlessly blends experience, efficiency, and growth.

15. Excellence in Emotion-Led Performance Marketing *NEW*
This category recognises marketing initiatives that harness deeply resonant, emotionally driven storytelling as a strategic driver of business performance rather than a purely creative flourish. Entrants should demonstrate how emotional narrative was embedded at the core of the campaign to influence customer behaviour, strengthen brand equity, and deliver measurable business outcomes such as sales growth, engagement, retention, or conversion.

Winning campaigns will show a sophisticated understanding of how emotion can be strategically leveraged to connect with audiences, drive decision-making, and inspire loyalty. Judges will look for campaigns that translate compelling stories into tangible business results, using clear metrics and data to quantify impact. Exceptional entries will demonstrate how the emotional thread was seamlessly integrated across touchpoints, platforms, and channels, ensuring that every interaction reinforces the intended emotional and performance objectives.

This category celebrates work that not only moves people emotionally but also drives measurable, meaningful outcomes, proving that emotional storytelling is a powerful lever for commercial success, customer engagement, and long-term brand growth.

16. Excellence in Event Marketing
This category recognises organisations that used events as a strategic marketing lever to build brand awareness, deepen engagement, and drive meaningful audience interaction. Entries may include small-scale, bespoke activations or large-scale public-facing events, and are open to physical, virtual, or hybrid formats.

Winning entries will demonstrate how the event was purposefully designed around clear objectives, audience insight, and brand strategy rather than serving as a standalone tactic. Judges will look for evidence of strong experience design, audience participation, and measurable outcomes such as attendance quality, engagement levels, brand uplift, lead generation, or commercial impact. This category celebrates events that create lasting brand value beyond the event itself.

17. Excellence in Experiential Marketing
This category recognises experiential programmes that brought brands to life through immersive, participatory experiences. Entrants should demonstrate how consumers were invited to actively engage with, feel, and share the brand in a way that created memorable and meaningful interactions.

Winning campaigns will show how experience design was rooted in insight and aligned with brand values, translating physical or digital interactions into positive brand perception and behavioural impact. Judges will assess creativity, relevance, executional quality, and evidence of impact such as advocacy, social amplification, sentiment shift, or increased affinity. This category celebrates experiences that move audiences from exposure to emotional connection.

18. Excellence in Influencer / KOLs Marketing
This category recognises campaigns that effectively leveraged influencers or key opinion leaders (KOLs) as credible and strategic partners to drive awareness, engagement, and business outcomes. Influencers may include creators, experts, ambassadors, bloggers, or celebrities.

Winning entries will demonstrate thoughtful influencer selection based on relevance, authenticity, and audience alignment, rather than reach alone. Judges will look for clear strategic intent, strong content integration, and measurable results such as engagement quality, conversion, or brand lift. This category celebrates influencer marketing that builds trust, drives influence, and delivers tangible impact.

19. Excellence in Integrated Marketing
This category recognises organisations that successfully engaged their target audience through a cohesive and well-orchestrated integrated marketing strategy, employing a minimum of 3 distinct media channels. Each channel must play a clearly defined and complementary role, working together to deliver a unified and seamless brand experience.

Winning campaigns will demonstrate how strategy, messaging, and execution were thoughtfully aligned across touchpoints to guide audiences through a connected journey rather than isolated interactions. Judges will assess the quality of integration, clarity of channel roles, and effectiveness of orchestration, supported by measurable outcomes such as awareness uplift, engagement, conversion, or business growth.

20. Excellence in Interactive Marketing / AR & VR
This category recognises marketing campaigns, initiatives, or events that used interactive formats—such as games, competitions, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), or immersive digital experiences—to meaningfully engage consumers.

Winning entries will demonstrate how interactivity enhanced the brand experience, encouraged participation, and supported business objectives rather than existing as a novelty. Judges will look for innovation, usability, creative execution, and measurable impact such as time spent, engagement rates, data capture, or conversion. This category celebrates interactive marketing that transforms audiences from passive viewers into active participants.

21. Excellence in Launch Marketing
This category recognises exceptional marketing strategies developed to support the launch or re-launch of a brand, product, or service. Entrants should demonstrate how the launch strategy was designed to build momentum, differentiate in-market, and deliver impact from day one.

Winning campaigns will show strong strategic planning, compelling storytelling, and effective channel deployment, supported by evidence of performance such as awareness uplift, trial, adoption, or revenue generation. Judges will look for clarity of objectives, executional excellence, and tangible results. This category celebrates launches that set brands up for sustained success.

22. Excellence in Live-Streaming Marketing
This category recognises innovative campaigns that used live-streaming as a core engagement and conversion tool. Entries may include live events, product launches, live shopping, educational streams, or interactive Q&A sessions.

Winning campaigns will demonstrate strong audience interaction, real-time engagement, and creative use of the live format to deliver value and build community. Judges will assess storytelling, production quality, participation levels, and measurable outcomes such as viewership quality, sales uplift, or engagement metrics. This category celebrates live-streaming as a dynamic and results-driven marketing channel.

23. Excellence in Location-Based Marketing
This category recognises campaigns that effectively leveraged location data, geofencing, or proximity-based technologies to deliver timely, relevant, and personalised experiences.

Winning entries will show how location insights were used strategically to enhance relevance, drive engagement, and influence behaviour at critical moments. Judges will look for responsible data usage, contextual relevance, and measurable outcomes such as footfall uplift, conversion, or engagement. This category celebrates marketing that meets consumers at the right place and time.

24. Excellence in Loyalty Marketing
This category recognises campaigns or programmes that demonstrated a cohesive and effective loyalty strategy designed to retain customers, deepen relationships, and drive long-term value.

Winning entries will show how incentives, CRM, and engagement mechanics worked together to enhance the customer proposition and encourage repeat behaviour or increased spend. Judges will assess strategic coherence, customer experience, and measurable outcomes such as retention, frequency, lifetime value, or advocacy. This category celebrates loyalty initiatives that deliver sustained business growth.

25. Excellence in Marketing Innovation
This category recognises organisations that pushed boundaries and demonstrated innovative thinking in marketing strategy, execution, or delivery. Innovation may include unconventional approaches, new technologies, creative use of limited resources, or novel applications of existing tools.

Winning campaigns will show how innovation was applied purposefully to solve a business challenge or unlock new opportunities. Judges will assess originality, effectiveness, scalability, and impact. This category celebrates marketing innovation that delivers meaningful results rather than innovation for its own sake.

26. Excellence in Marketing to a Specific Audience
This category recognises campaigns that were strategically designed to engage a clearly defined and specific audience segment. Target audiences may include demographic, psychographic, behavioural, or interest-based groups.

Winning entries will demonstrate why the chosen audience was critical to the brand’s objectives and how insights informed messaging, channels, and execution. Judges will assess relevance, resonance, and audience response, supported by performance metrics. This category celebrates precision marketing that speaks to the right people in the right way.

27. Excellence in Marketing Transformation
This category recognises organisations that successfully transformed their marketing capabilities, processes, or team structures to drive improved performance and effectiveness.

Winning entries will show how transformation—whether led internally or with agency support—was implemented with minimal disruption and delivered clear improvements in output, efficiency, or results. Judges will assess strategic vision, execution, and evidence of impact on subsequent campaigns or business outcomes. This category celebrates transformation that enables long-term marketing excellence.

28. Excellence in Media Strategy
This category recognises organisations that used media as a strategic driver rather than a delivery mechanism. Entrants should demonstrate how channel selection, planning, and optimisation were central to achieving campaign objectives.

Winning campaigns will show clarity of media roles, audience understanding, and effectiveness across paid, owned, or earned channels. Judges will assess strategic thinking, efficiency, and measurable outcomes such as reach quality, engagement, or ROI. This category celebrates media strategies that maximise impact through smart planning.

29. Excellence in Mobile Marketing
This category recognises the most effective and innovative use of mobile as a primary marketing channel. Entries may include app-based marketing, mobile-first experiences, or advertising delivered through mobile platforms.

Winning campaigns will demonstrate how mobile was leveraged to deliver relevance, convenience, and immediacy while driving specific outcomes such as engagement, conversion, or behavioural change. Judges will assess creativity, usability, integration, and performance. This category celebrates marketing designed for the way consumers live and move.

30. Excellence in Omnichannel
This category recognises campaigns that successfully aligned the customer experience across multiple touchpoints to deliver a seamless, customer-centric journey.

Winning entries will demonstrate how channels worked together cohesively rather than in isolation, supported by evidence of improved conversion, engagement, or customer satisfaction. Judges will evaluate effectiveness, consistency, and measurable impact on business objectives. This category celebrates omnichannel strategies that put the customer at the centre.

31. Excellence in Out-of-Home Advertising
This category recognises innovative and creative use of Out-of-Home (OOH) media to drive brand awareness and visibility. OOH formats may include billboards, transit media, digital OOH, or other public-space executions.

Winning campaigns will demonstrate how the medium was used creatively and strategically to deliver impact beyond visibility alone. Judges will assess originality, relevance, execution quality, and measurable outcomes such as awareness lift or engagement. This category celebrates OOH that commands attention and drives recall.

32. Excellence in Performance Marketing
This category recognises marketing campaigns that prioritised action, response, and measurable performance outcomes. Entrants should demonstrate how campaigns were optimised in real time and driven by results-based metrics.

Winning entries will show clear performance objectives, continuous optimisation, and strong ROI, supported by data such as CPA, conversion rates, or revenue impact. Judges will assess rigour, transparency, and effectiveness. This category celebrates marketing that delivers results with accountability.

33. Excellence in Personalisation Marketing
This category recognises campaigns that delivered personalised, one-to-one experiences across the customer journey. Entrants should demonstrate how data, technology, and insights were used to tailor content, messaging, or offers in real time.

Winning entries will show how personalisation enhanced relevance, value, and customer experience across channels. Judges will assess strategic intent, execution quality, and measurable impact on engagement or conversion. This category celebrates personalisation that feels meaningful rather than mechanised.

34. Excellence in Programmatic Marketing
This category recognises organisations that effectively used programmatic strategies to enhance targeting, efficiency, and campaign performance.

Winning entries will demonstrate how automation, data, and optimisation tools were used to improve outcomes such as reach quality, cost efficiency, or conversion. Judges will assess strategic application, transparency, and measurable impact. This category celebrates programmatic marketing that delivers smarter, not just faster, results.

35. Excellence in Retail / Shopper Marketing
This category recognises campaigns designed to influence shoppers at critical points of purchase, whether in-store or within retail environments.

Winning entries will show how sampling, promotions, in-store experiences, or retail media translated into trial, purchase, or repeat behaviour. Judges will assess shopper insight, execution quality, and commercial impact.

36. Excellence in Search Marketing
This category recognises effective digital campaigns that placed search marketing at the core of strategy. Entries may include SEO, SEM, or integrated search approaches across desktop and mobile.

Winning campaigns will demonstrate how search insights informed optimisation, content, and cross-channel integration. Judges will assess relevance, efficiency, and measurable outcomes such as traffic quality, conversion, or cost improvements. This category celebrates search marketing that captures intent and delivers value.

37. Excellence in Social Media Marketing
This category recognises campaigns or programmes that effectively leveraged social media to build relationships, grow communities, and achieve business objectives.

Winning entries will show how platforms were used strategically to drive engagement, conversation, and action. Judges will assess creativity, relevance, consistency, and measurable impact such as engagement quality, growth, or conversion. This category celebrates social marketing that creates connection and drives results.

38. Excellence in Sponsorship Activation
This category recognises marketing campaigns that transformed sponsorships into meaningful, engaging, and results-driven brand experiences, moving beyond logo placement to deliver tangible value for both audiences and the brand. Entrants should demonstrate how sponsorship assets—across platforms such as live events, broadcasts, digital channels, sports or esports properties, entertainment partnerships, or influencer collaborations—were strategically activated to achieve clear marketing and business objectives.

Winning campaigns will showcase creative and insight-led activation strategies that brought the sponsorship to life in ways that resonated authentically with target audiences while reinforcing the brand’s values and positioning. Judges will look for evidence of thoughtful integration across touchpoints, strong audience engagement, and measurable outcomes such as awareness uplift, engagement, consideration, or commercial impact.

39. Excellence in Strategic Use of Budget *NEW*
This category recognises marketing campaigns that delivered exceptional impact through the intelligent, disciplined, and strategic use of budget, proving that effectiveness is driven by how wisely money is spent—not how much. Entrants should demonstrate how sharp insights, clear prioritisation, and focused investment decisions enabled strong results despite limited or tightly controlled resources.

Winning campaigns will showcase how every dollar worked harder through earned media and organic reach, where PR momentum, social sharing, creator advocacy, or community passion amplified visibility beyond paid placements. Judges will look for insight-led spend, with evidence of reduced wastage through smarter targeting, refined segmentation, optimisation, or channel selection that maximised relevance and efficiency by organic reach, earned media, partnerships, or highly targeted placements.

40. Excellence in TV / Video Advertising
This category recognises outstanding video advertising that combined creative excellence with strategic intent to deliver measurable impact. Entries may include traditional television commercials as well as video-led campaigns deployed across digital platforms such as YouTube, streaming services, social video, or online video-on-demand.

Winning campaigns will demonstrate how storytelling, craft, and channel strategy worked together to engage audiences, reinforce brand positioning, and achieve clear marketing objectives. Judges will assess creative originality, executional quality, and effectiveness, supported by performance indicators such as reach, engagement, recall, or commercial outcomes. This category celebrates video advertising that entertains, resonates, and drives results across screens.

41. Excellence in Urban Guerrilla Marketing
This category recognises unconventional and disruptive marketing initiatives executed within urban environments to capture attention, spark curiosity, and generate conversation. Entrants should demonstrate how guerrilla tactics were strategically designed to surprise and engage city-based audiences while remaining aligned with brand objectives and values.

Winning campaigns will show how creativity, context, and cultural relevance were leveraged to transform public spaces into impactful brand moments. Judges will assess originality, execution, risk management, and measurable outcomes such as earned media, social amplification, footfall, or brand lift. This category celebrates guerrilla marketing that cuts through urban clutter and creates memorable, buzz-worthy experiences.

42. Excellence in Viral Marketing
This category recognises campaigns that successfully achieved widespread reach and engagement through organic sharing, word-of-mouth, and social amplification. Entrants should demonstrate how content was purposefully designed to resonate with audiences, ignite conversation, and encourage sharing at scale.

Winning campaigns will show a strong understanding of cultural relevance, timing, and platform dynamics, supported by evidence of rapid momentum and sustained engagement. Judges will assess creativity, relevance, and measurable impact such as earned reach, engagement velocity, sentiment, or brand outcomes. This category celebrates viral marketing that earns attention authentically and delivers impact beyond paid media.

43. Marketing Leader of the Year (Talent Category)

This category recognises outstanding leadership and excellence from a brand-side chief marketing officer / head of marketing unit or marketing leader who has made a significant impact to their brand’s overall advertising / marketing output.

Entrants can nominate themselves or others; they should show achievements against objectives and evidence of business impact in the following areas within the eligibility period:

  • Creativity, innovation, and the ability to pivot quickly and effectively
  • Strategic, out-of-the-box thinking
  • Excellent execution that helped manage cash flow for optimum business health
  • New business or the creation of new business opportunities / new markets etc.
  • Stability of the organisation’s business performance
  • Unquestionable leadership, motivation, and support for their teams
  • Any other exceptional action, achievement or work that especially merits this award
44. Marketing Team of the Year (Talent Category)

This category recognises outstanding work from a client-side marketing team which has made a significant impact to their brand/organisation’s overall marketing campaigns, executions, and results. Entrants can use one particular campaign as a case study of evidence to form their entry or can use aspects from various projects, but all work must have taken place within the eligibility period and they must show evidence of:

  • Outstanding achievements in campaigns and project management
  • Creativity and innovation
  • Strategic thinking
  • Excellent planning and execution
  • Successful results against objectives / KPIs
  • Any other exceptional achievements or work that especially merits this award.
45. Marketer of the Year (Not for Entry)

This category recognises the brand that performs best at the Marketing Excellence Awards 2026.

Points System:

  • Gold: 4 points
  • Silver: 2 points
  • Bronze: 1 point

Tie-Breakers:

  • Most Gold: If total points are tied, the brand with the highest number of Gold awards wins.
  • Most Silver: If Gold awards are also tied, the brand with the highest number of Silver awards wins.
  • Highest Average Score: If a tie still persists, the brand with the highest average score percentage (as assigned by the judges across all their winning entries) will win.