Amazon Ads, Reddit and MTV are 2024 Digiday Content Marketing Award finalists

Amazon Ads’ groundbreaking film series ‘The Spark’ made waves in 2023, landing the company a top spot for Best Branded Content Series – B2B. The series spotlighted the human stories behind SMB brands. As a departure from typical B2B case studies, the series infused cinematic flair into tales of entrepreneurs from Nyssa, Iya Foods and EQUO. The series was distributed across multiple channels, including strategic events and organic social. As a result, the series exceeded its goals and drove triple the increase in positive perception and traffic to the Amazon Ads website. ‘The Spark’ elevated brand awareness and resonated deeply with audiences, earning acclaim for its innovative approach.

The next finalist slot went to Reddit Social for the Best Product Launch Campaign. Reddit Social’s r/Place, an iconic digital canvas, returned in 2023, captivating millions worldwide. Originally an April Fools’ experiment, r/Place evolved into a communal art project, uniting communities. Amid Reddit API updates, the campaign aimed for platform growth, surpassing 2022’s success on newer platforms like TikTok. With 218 million organic impressions and a 54% increase in social followers, r/Place achieved unprecedented engagement, fostering positive sentiment while navigating user tensions. As a testament to its enduring appeal, r/Place thrived beyond its origins, solidifying its status as a cultural phenomenon and Reddit’s dynamic hub.

MTV Entertainment Studio was a standout nominee for Best Use of Social for its @RuPaulsDragRace social media campaign. The RuPaul’s Drag Race fandom is a highly engaged audience always looking for new content. Furthermore, @RuPaulsDragRace social has become the premier destination for Drag Race enthusiasts worldwide. With a pulse on the LGBTQ+ community, the platform delivers captivating show moments, interacts with talent and crafts original content. The strategy revolves around creating buzzworthy, shareable clips tailored to each platform, fostering engagement and expanding its audience. By embracing pop culture trends and leveraging short-form platforms, @RuPaulsDragRace achieved record-breaking success in Season 15, amassing 377 million views, 31 million engagements and 500,000 new followers, cementing its status as the ultimate social destination for drag aficionados.

This year’s shortlist has shown that creating community, whether by incorporating social media or capitalizing on fandoms, is helping brands and their advertising partners reach target audiences more effectively and in ways that resonate more with consumers. Each finalist demonstrates a deep understanding of leveraging social media to achieve their partner’s campaign needs, employing multi-platform tactics to double down on results. These achievements signal the media’s commitment to innovation and constantly improving consumer messaging. 

See the complete list of finalists below. 

Best Agency/Client Collaboration
DİMES COOL
Microsoft WorkLab
Nimbus, Inc.
The Foundry @ DDM, Spark Foundry and Macy’s
Webex by Cisco
ZAG Creates

Best Brand Publication
eBay
Microsoft WorkLab
Tripadvisor x Corona
Wistia

Best Brand/Influencer Collaboration
BIC
eBay
Hearts & Science x Wellstar
Knorr with Edelman Canada
Nimbus, Inc.
Pfizer

Best Branded Content Series – B2B
Accor
Amazon Ads “The Sprout”
Amazon Ads “The Spark”
Salesforce & FORTUNE Brand Studio
Seiko Epson Corporation
Wistia

Best Branded Content Series – B2C
Hartbeat with Old Spice
NBCUniversal and Sephora
New Media and Woolworth
Pepsi and Schibsted Partnerstudio
Viral Nation X 7-Eleven Canada
Visit Laguna Beach – Radical Origins

Best Branded Content Site – B2B
Axios x Amgen
BNY Mellon
Salesforce & FORTUNE Brand Studio
The Snowflake Blog

Best Branded Content Site – B2C
BDG Studios, Tyson Foods, and Mindshare
NBCUniversal – Adventures in Saudi
NBCUniversal – Macao
OMD U.S. and The Home Depot
Sephora + On Board Experiential
Visit Laguna Beach – Radical Origins

Best Branded Podcast
Financial Times – The Next Five
Gympass & Caspian Studios – Murder in HR Podcast
StrollerCoaster – A Parenting Podcast
Tenable & Caspian Studios – The Hacker Chronicles
Vox Creative – “Into the Mix”
Wondery – Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast

Best Community Building Campaign
American Dental Association
Kansas City Chiefs
The Family Stallone TikTok (MTV Entertainment Studios)
OMD USA & MTN Dew

Best Content Marketing Platform
5GRV
Curacity
Material and The Presidio
MNTN
nDash
THE LINE

Best Event
Comedy Central
eBay
Hearts & Science
NBC News Custom Productions Unit
Paramount
PEOPLE x Recording Academy x Sephora

Best Experiential Marketing Campaign
Comedy Central
Ferrero North America & Golin
Intuit Mailchimp
The Foundry @ DDM & Olay
TIDAL
Quaker Chewy & FleishmanHillard

Best In-House Content/Brand Studio
Atlas Obscura
BDG Studios
Intuit Mailchimp
PepsiCo’
The Foundry @ DDM
Wanderlab at Tripadvisor

Best Influencer-Generated Content
Carnation and Reach Agency
Dialogue NY + Little Spoon
Knorr with Edelman Canada
Peacock + Wpromote
Pfizer
Shoplooks & Alo Yoga

Best Interactive Content Piece or Series
3M & WP Creative Group
BDG Studios, Tyson Foods, and Mindshare
Macao
Nexxen
theSkimm
The Weather Channel television network, Streaming Army

Best Multi-Channel Strategy
Carat + Microsoft
e.l.f. Cosmetics x Movers+Shakers
Pattrn
Sephora + On Board Experiential
Telenor and Schibsted Partnerstudio
Wondery

Best Personalization Strategy – NEW
Audible
BDG Studios, Lexus, and Team One
Life Cereal

Best Product Launch Campaign
Giant Spoon  
HelloFresh & Marvel Studios
Jack in the Box
Mindshare Content+ – Chex Mix
Reddit Social
Shoplooks x Coach

Best Use of AI Generated Content
Coke AI Studio
Garnier USA & Rembrand
Smoothie King
STIHL
Western Union x Persado

Best Use of Data
M&S x Persado
Peacock
USAFacts
Visier & Walker Sands
Vodafone & CreativeX
Zenith Global & Wella Pro

Best Use of Facebook – NEW
The Family Stallone Facebook (MTV Entertainment Studios)

Best Use of Instagram – NEW
Ink Master (MTV Entertainment Studios)

Best Use of Live Video – NEW
MTV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 RuVeal (MTV Entertainment Studios)

Best Use of Long Form Video – NEW
Barkley & Justin’s
e.l.f. Cosmetics x Movers+Shakers
Teen Wolf: The Movie: Behind Beacon Hills (MTV Entertainment Studios)
Philip Morris International
Seiko Epson Corporation

Best Use of Native Advertising/Sponsored Content
ELLE & X-BOX
FORTUNE Brand Studio + Slack
Outside and Bear Naked Granola
The Foundry @ DDM & Campbell’s
The Foundry @ DDM, Starbucks & SPARK
The Weather Channel television network, Passport to the Parks

Best Use of Shoppable Content
Carhartt x January Digital
eBay
OMD U.S. and The Home Depot
The Foundry @ DDM & Christian Louboutin
The Foundry @ DDM & Target
TODAY x Target

Best Use of Short Form Video – NEW
Made of Millions
Material and Chuck E. Cheese
Planet Fitness
Ranker and White Claw
Snowflake
The Hunger Games X Digital Voices

Best Use of Social
BIC
Carnation and Reach Agency
KCL & Splenda
Made of Millions
MTV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV Entertainment Studios)
Planet Fitness

Best Use of the Metaverse
e.l.f. Cosmetics and Roblox
EssenceMediacom
Hearts & Science x AT&T
P+ Teen Wolf x Roblox
The Bomb Pop

Best Use of TikTok
Carnation and Reach Agency
Knorr with Edelman Canada
QYOU
Smarts
STARRY
Totino’s

Best Use of User-Generated Content
DİMES Cool Lime Base

Best Use of YouTube – NEW
Hartbeat x Zyrtec

Content Marketing Partner of the Year
BDG Studios
FORTUNE Brand Studio
Pace
Schibsted Partnerstudio
SPH Content Lab
Zenith Global & Wella Pro

Most Effective/Measurable Campaign
FORTUNE Brand Studio and JBS USA
Paramount+
Smarts
The Lab @ BlueTriton Brands, Saratoga Spring Water
The Lab @ BlueTriton Brands, Pure Life Water
The Walt Disney Company

Most Innovative Use of Content
American Century Investments
Amnesty and Schibsted Partnerstudio
Nexxen
OMD U.S. and The Home Depot
Pepsi
Telenor and Schibsted Partnerstudio

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