Leo Burnett Change claims Grand Prix at 2014 DMA Awards

Leo Burnett Change’s ‘Second Chance’ campaign for Business in the Community (BITC) clinched the Grand Prix at the 2014 DMA Awards, the one-to-one marketing industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony.

The campaign for the business-focused charity beat entries from agency- and client-side marketers to grab the biggest prize at the DMAs, held at the City of London’s Old Billingsgate.

OgilvyOne London claimed the highest number of awards, with eight Gold, four Silver and four Bronze Awards in the DMAs’ 37 categories. Other big winners on the night include Wunderman who won five Golds, RAPP who won four Golds and MRM Meteorite and TMW who each claimed three Golds.

BITC commissioned Leo Burnett Change to raise awareness of the unfair disadvantage ex-offenders face in the job market by creating a communications strategy to change employers’ perceptions of ex-offenders. The campaign featured an interactive film which put the viewer in the position of an employer interviewing for a vacancy. The film draws a parallel between employers rejecting potential applicants who are ex-offenders and views of online videos skipping ads they don’t want to see. CVs were also created to run as part of a print and advertising mail campaign which highlighted how the perfect candidate is written off if they have a criminal record. Leo Burnett Change also collected three Gold awards for Best use of film and/or audio, Best use of direct mail and Best writing in any medium, three Silver and one Bronze Award for its campaign.

David Abraham, Channel 4’s chief executive, served as the chair of the 2014 DMA Awards panel of judges. Commenting, Abraham said:

“As this year’s DMA Awards chair of judges my aim has been to champion innovation. This year’s Awards winners are outstanding proof that the marketing industry is conquering the challenge of how to innovate in the creation of content and use of media.

“The rise of data-driven on-demand TV means that the relationship between broadcasters and the one-to-one marketing industry has necessarily drawn closer. We must now work together to find exciting new ways to engage, entertain and inspire millions of consumers on an ever-more personalised basis.”

Congratulating the Grand Prix winner Mark Runacus, chair of the DMA Awards committee, said:

“The Grand Prix was hotly contested, so I congratulate Leo Burnett Change for what was a truly engaging campaign. What set the campaign apart was the fantastic human insight at its heart. The results were incredible, as it effected real social change that will make a positive difference to the lives of many people.

“This has been an incredible year for the DMAs. For three years running the number of entries to the DMAs has increased, with this year’s tally again setting a new record. This is a testament to the esteem in which the industry holds the Awards. This year’s crop of outstanding campaigns has set the bar high for 2015.”

Sponsored by Whistl and Emarsys, the DMA Awards is the most prestigious awards programme to recognise and celebrate the best and brightest talents working in today’s one-to-one marketing industry.

The DMAs provides winners with the platform to showcase their work and enjoy the acclaim of their peers. Entries were judged by 328 senior industry professionals, with judging teams comprising copywriters, art directors, data planners, media buyers, planners, clients and sector specialists. Each campaign was judged individually and then by group discussion on three key criteria: strategy, creativity and results.

To view the full list of winners at the 2014 DMA Awards, please visit: http://www.dmaawards.org.uk/2014-winners

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Contact

Ed Owen, Head of PR
Tel. 020 7291 3324
Email ed.owen@dma.org.uk