This year's Digiday Content Marketing Awards finalists focused on creating more relatable, interactive campaigns to increase consumer engagement. These shortlisted entries highlight companies and campaigns that are successfully leveraging content to modernize media and marketing.
With themes of social responsibility, personalization, collaborative campaigns with shoppable content, and messaging with storytelling and humanization at the core, these finalists help brands build better relationships with customers and increase impact. We help you create powerful campaigns.
Amazon Ads’ groundbreaking film series “The Spark” made headlines in 2023, earning the company the top spot in Best Branded Content Series – B2B. This series focused on the human stories behind SMB brands. As a departure from his typical B2B case studies, this series injected cinematic flair into the entrepreneurial stories of 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, increasing positive recognition and traffic to its Amazon advertising website by three times. “The Spark” raised brand awareness, resonated with viewers, and received critical acclaim for its innovative approach.
The next finalist slot was chosen for Best Product Launch Campaign on Reddit Social. r/Place, Reddit Social's iconic digital canvas, is back in his 2023, captivating millions of people around the world. Originally an April Fool's experiment, r/Place has evolved into a collaborative art project that brings the community together. The campaign aims to grow the platform amid updates to the Reddit API, surpassing his 2022 success on new platforms such as TikTok. With 218 million organic impressions and his 54% increase in social followers, r/Place achieved unprecedented engagement and fostered positive emotions while overcoming user tension. As evidence of its enduring appeal, r/Place has flourished beyond its origins, solidifying its status as a cultural phenomenon and Reddit's dynamic hub.
MTV Entertainment Studio was named an outstanding nominee for Best Use of Social for the @RuPaulsDragRace social media campaign. The RuPaul's Drag Race fandom is a highly engaged audience that is always looking for new content. Additionally, @RuPaulsDragRace social has become the premier destination for drag racing enthusiasts around the world. In keeping with trends in the LGBTQ+ community, the platform will provide compelling show moments, interact with talent, and create original content. This strategy revolves around creating topical and shareable clips tailored to each platform to drive engagement and grow your audience. By embracing pop culture trends and leveraging the short-form platform, @RuPaulsDragRace achieved record-breaking success in Season 15 with 377 million views, 31 million engagements, and 500,000 new followers and solidified its position as the ultimate social destination for drug lovers.
This year's shortlist shows how building a community, whether incorporating social media or leveraging fandom, is how brands and their advertising partners can be more effective and resonate more with consumers. shows that it helps you reach your target audience. Each finalist has demonstrated a deep understanding of leveraging social media to achieve the needs of their partners' campaigns and employing multi-platform strategies to double their results. These achievements demonstrate the media's commitment to innovation and continuous improvement of consumer messages.
See the full list of finalists below.
Best agency/client collaboration
dime school
microsoft worklab
Nimbus Co., Ltd.
foundry
Cisco Webex
ZAG Creates
Best Brand Publication
eBay
microsoft worklab
TripAdvisor x Corona
Wistia
Best Brand/Influencer Collaboration
big
eBay
Hearts & Science x Wellstar
Knorr and Edelman Canada
Nimbus Co., Ltd.
pfizer
Best Branded Content Series – B2B
Accor
Amazon Ad “The Sprout”
Amazon Ad “The Spark”
Salesforce & FORTUNE Brand Studio
Seiko Epson Corporation
Wistia
Best Branded Content Series – B2C
Heartbeat
NBCUniversal and Sephora
new media and woolworths
Pepsi and Schibstead Partner Studio
Viral Nation X 7-Eleven Canada
Visit Laguna Beach – Radical Origins
Best Branded Content Site – B2B
Axios x Amgen
BNY melon
Salesforce & FORTUNE Brand Studio
snowflake blog
Best Branded Content Site – B2C
BDG Studio, Tyson Foods, Mindshare
NBCUniversal – Saudi Adventure
NBCUniversal – Macau
OMD US and Home Depot
Sephora + Onboard Experience
Visit Laguna Beach – Radical Origins
best brand podcast
Financial Times – Next 5
Gympass & Caspian Studios – Murder in HR Podcast
StrollerCoaster – Parenting Podcast
Tenable & Caspian Studios – Hacker Chronicles
Vox Creative – “Into the Mix”
Wondery – This is the Grinch’s holiday podcast
Best Community Building Campaign
American Dental Association
kansas city chiefs
MTV
OMD USA & MTN Dew
The best content marketing platform
5GRV
Accuracy
material
MNTN
and dash
this line
best event
comedy central
eBay
Hearts & Science
NBC News Custom Production Unit
paramount
PEOPLE x Recording Academy x Sephora
The best experiential marketing campaigns
comedy central
Ferrero North America & Golin
Intuit Mail Chimpanzee
The Foundry @ DDM & Olay
tide
Quaker Chewie and Fleischman-Hillard
Best Internal Content/Brand Studio
atlas obscura
bdg studio
Intuit Mail Chimpanzee
pepsico
Foundry @ DDM
Wonder Lab on TripAdvisor
Best Influencer Generated Content
carnation milk and grandma
Dialogue NY + Little Spoon
Knorr and Edelman Canada
Peacock + W Promote
pfizer
Shop Look and Alo Yoga
Best Interactive Content Work or Series
3M & WP Creative Group
BDG Studio, Tyson Foods, Mindshare
macau
nexen
The Skim
weather channel television network
The best multichannel strategy
Carat + Microsoft
Elf Cosmetics x Movers + Shakers
pattern
Sephora + Onboard Experience
Telenor and Schibsted Partner Studio
wonderry
Optimal personalization strategy – NEW
audible
BDG Studio, Lexus, Team One
life cereal
Best product launch campaign
giant spoon
Hello Fresh & Marvel Studios
jack in the box
Mindshare Content+ – Chex Mix
reddit social
SHOP LOOK x COACH
Get the most out of AI-generated content
Coca Cola AI Studio
Rembrandt
smoothie king
steel
Western Union x Persad Motivation
Optimal use of data
M&S×Persad
peacock
american facts
Busier & Walker Sands
Vodafone and Creative X
Zenith Global & Wella Pro
Best ways to use Facebook – NEW
MTV Entertainment Studio
Best ways to use Instagram – NEW
MTV Entertainment Studio
Get the most out of live video – NEW
MTV Entertainment Studio
Optimal use of long-form videos – NEW
berkeley & justins
Elf Cosmetics x Movers + Shakers
MTV Entertainment Studio
philip morris international
Seiko Epson Corporation
Optimal use of native advertising/sponsored content
L&X box
FORTUNE Brand Studio + Slack
eat naked granola outside
The Foundry @ DDM & Campbell's
The Foundry @ DDM, Starbucks, SPARK
weather channel television network
Get the most out of your shoppable content
Carhartt x January Digital
eBay
OMD US and Home Depot
The Foundry @ DDM & Christian Louboutin
Foundry @ DDM and Target
Today x goal
Optimal use of short-form video – NEW
made of millions of things
Ingredients and Chuck E. Cheese
planet fitness
ranker and white nails
snowflake
The Hunger Games X Digital Voice
Get the most out of social
big
carnation milk and grandma
KCL&Splenda
made of millions of things
MTV Entertainment Studio
planet fitness
Optimal use of the metaverse
Elf Cosmetics and Roblox
essence media com
Hearts & Science x AT&T
P+ Teen Wolf x Roblox
the bomb pop
Best ways to use TikTok
carnation milk and grandma
Knorr and Edelman Canada
QYOU
smart
Starry
Mr. Totino
Get the most out of your user-generated content
DİMES Cool Lime Base
Get the most out of YouTube – NEW
Heartbeat x Zyrtec
Content Marketing Partner of the Year
bdg studio
fortune brand studio
pace
Schibstead Partner Studio
SPH Content Lab
Zenith Global & Wella Pro
Most effective/measurable campaigns
FORTUNE Brand Studio and JBS USA
paramount+
smart
Lab @ BlueTriton Bands, Saratoga Spring Water
The Lab @ BlueTriton Bands, Pure Life Water
walt disney company
The most innovative way to use content
American Century Investment
Amnesty International and Schibsted Partner Studio
nexen
OMD US and Home Depot
pepsi
Telenor and Schibsted Partner Studio
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