Meet the DMA Awards category chairs: Tim Bonnet, Best launch

There are 33 DMA Awards categories and each one is presided over by a category chair. Learn who they are, what they want from the work you enter in their category - and get a taste for their predictions for the DMAs 2017.

Category: Best launch

Category chair: Tim Bonnet, chairman, Unlimited Group

"I’ll be looking for creativity, but not just for the sake of it, the idea has to be rooted in insight, effective, relevant and importantly, true to the brand."

Tell us who you are, what you do and who you do it for

I am responsible for growing the Unlimited Group organically as well as through acquisitions and start-ups.

Day-to-day I manage and mentor a multi-disciplined agency group spanning customer engagement, CRM, B2B, brand, digital transformation, insight and health.

What will you be looking for from the work in your category?

I think potentially this is one of the most exciting categories to judge, as in a launch campaign you truly have a completely blank piece of paper and therefore opportunity to come up with a highly creative and impactful new idea.

I’ll be looking for creativity, but not just for the sake of it, the idea has to be rooted in insight, effective, relevant and importantly, true to the brand.

In summary I want the campaign, through using highly targeted media, to demonstrate:

• A clear audience understanding
• Insight-led creativity
• An impactful memorable idea

And ultimately it needs to deliver the results!

What are your predictions for the 2017 DMA awards?

I’d expect to see the following trends coming through the winning entries:

• The continual rise of brands with a purpose beyond the simple product offer
• A rise in creativity across earned media – getting more from less
• Recognition and understanding of the importance of data in terms of targeting, relevance and personalisation
• Through tech innovation, the product becoming a brand’s marketing

Lastly, and above all, not forgetting that ultimately an audience expects to be engaged and entertained.