Suncorp secures Grand Prix at the 2022 MFA Awards; Initiative, MediaCom among winners
Suncorp’s One House campaign by OMD and Leo Burnett won the prestigious Grand Prix at the 2022 MFA Awards, announced last night at a black tie gala dinner in Sydney attended by leaders from across the industry.
The MFA Awards celebrate the most effective and impactful work created by media agencies, demonstrating the industry’s purpose of ‘We Are The Changers’. Also taking to the winners’ stage in addition to OMD and Leo Burnett, were Zenith Media, MediaCom, Initiative, PHD and Mindshare for clients including Mars Petcare Australia, McDonald’s, KFC, National Australia Bank, Virgin Australia, Goodman Fielder, Gotcha4Life and City of Melbourne.
More than 150 judges participated in the rigorous judging process, drawn from client side, agencies, industry bodies and media partners. They commended this year’s entries for displaying high-calibre media thinking, innovative solutions and strong results for clients.
Industry veteran Greg “Sparrow” Graham was inducted into the MFA Hall of Fame, recognising his passion and contribution across many aspects of the industry, in particular his unparalleled generosity in training and nurturing the careers of many up-and-coming rising stars in the industry.
Also recognised on the night with an Industry Contribution honour were former MFA Awards chair Joe Lunn; independent consultant Victor Corones; and the MFA’s own head of people, Linda Wong.
The NGEN Award, which recognises the talent of young media agency executives with less than five years’ experience, was won by Ben Breden & Olivia Coxon from Initiative, with their entry for UnLtd charity Batyr.
MFA CEO Sophie Madden said: “After three long years and several thwarted attempts, the MFA is pleased we were able to bring the industry together in person to celebrate media agencies’ ability to influence change and deliver tangible brand and business results for clients. The quality of strategic insights, effectiveness and excellence in execution by all finalists was among the best we’ve seen in the MFA Awards’ 20-plus years, demonstrating the high calibre of thinking by Australian media agencies. All finalists and winners should be incredibly proud of their achievement.”
The 2022 MFA Awards winners are:
Grand Prix – sponsored by Seven
Suncorp, Suncorp One House, OMD & Leo Burnett
Behaviour Change
City of Melbourne, Get to the city or get FOMO, Zenith Media
Best Innovation in Media
Mars Petcare Australia, #CatsinBoxes by WHISKAS, MediaCom
Business Impact – sponsored by Quantcast
Mars Petcare Australia, Caturday Nights with Dine, MediaCom
Best Partnership Award – sponsored by ThinkPremiumDigital
Suncorp, Suncorp One House, OMD & Leo Burnett
Best Use of Data & Analytics – sponsored by News Corp
McDonald’s, Macca’s Monopoly – Game on!, OMD
Environmental, Social & Governance Award – sponsored by SBS Media
Goodman Fielder, Wonder Recycling Rewards, Initiative
Best Long-term Results
KFC, Did someone say KFC?, MediaCom
Agency Talent & Culture
Initiative’s Choice Charter, Initiative
Best Use of Content
KFC, KFC Degustation, MediaCom & Ogilvy
Best Use of Real-time Marketing
Virgin Australia, Real-Time Routes, PHD
Bravery Award – sponsored by Nine Entertainment
CGU, Tall Poppy, Initiative
Pro Bono/Cause Marketing Incentive – In recognition of Pam Lane
Gotcha4Life, Boys Do Cry, Initiative
Brand Impact – sponsored by OMA
National Australia Bank, NAB JAB, Mindshare
Hall of Fame
Greg “Sparrow” Graham
NGEN Award – supported by UnLtd
Ben Breden & Olivia Coxon, Initiative
The sponsors of the 2022 MFA Awards are:
Grand Prix Sponsor: Seven
Platinum Sponsors: News Corp Australia, Nine, Outdoor Media Association, Quantcast, SBS Media, ThinkPremiumDigital
Gold Sponsors: Ad Standards, Foxtel Media, Google, LiSTNR, Meta, OzTam, Paramount, Snapchat, Tik Tok
Silver Sponsors: IAB Australia, Lion, Nielsen, Yahoo!
The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) Board today elected MediaCom chief strategy officer Sophie Price and Initiative chief strategy officer Chris Colter as co-chairs of the MFA Awards and MFA EX.
They take over from Joe Lunn, who vacated the MFA Awards chair role after joining Uber as APAC head of media last month. As part of the MFA Awards Committee for seven years – including five years as chair – Lunn was an “enthusiastic and proactive champion” for the value media agencies bring to their clients. His commitment to the Awards program and the MFA EX conference, introduced in 2019, was “considerable and steadfast throughout his tenure”, the MFA said.
Madden thanked Lunn for his passion and commitment, saying: “In leading the revamp of the MFA Awards program to focus around effectiveness and adding greater rigour to the selection of finalists, and in designing the MFA EX conference program in 2019 and 2021, Joe made a lasting impact on our industry while always being positive, passionate and undaunted. We wish him well in his new role.”
Madden added: “In Sophie and Chris, we have two passionate and energetic leaders who will continue to elevate and demonstrate the effectiveness of media agencies’ work, and our ability to deliver long-lasting change.”
Price and Colter will work with the MFA Awards Steering Group to ensure the MFA Awards continue to demonstrate the industry’s ‘We Are The Changers’ purpose by celebrating the most effective and impactful work created by media agencies.
The co-chairs will also oversee the curation and promotion of the industry’s annual effectiveness conference, MFA EX. This year’s MFA EX in Melbourne and Sydney attracted a combined audience of 2,500 media professionals.
Colter said: “I firmly believe media strategy and implementation in Australia is not just world class, but the benchmark. That’s why the MFA Awards and MFA Ex are so important and have always sat on a pedestal for me. They help us all celebrate new possibilities, challenge impossibilities and redefine what modern media planning can and should look like. I couldn’t be more thrilled to chair these platforms alongside Sophie, to keep Australian media as the global reference point for media excellence.”
Price said: “It’s an honour to lead the program that has had a transformational effect on my own career and the agencies I’ve worked for. Working with Chris and the MFA Awards Steering Group, I want to shine a spotlight on our game-changing work to lift the reputation of the industry.
“My vision for the MFA Awards will focus on three areas: linking the MFA Awards more strongly to our industry purpose. The work we enter is literally our proof, and the program is a moment to celebrate that; working with the MFA team to leverage the MFA Awards as a learning program, especially for our young folks; and finally, ensuring the awards reflect the change that is a constant in our industry. I’m excited to begin.”
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topics
2022 MFA Awards
Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham
Initiative
Joe Lunn
Leo Burnett
Mediacom
MFA Awards
Mindshare
OMD
PHD
Sophie Madden
Sparrow
Suncorp
Zenith Media
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