Santa brought a bit of magic to the 25th MFA Awards as Telstra’s innovative ‘Free Calls to Santa’ campaign by OMD Create won the Grand Prix.
Google, KFC, L’Oréal, Goodman Fielder, ALDI, Sanofi, NRMA Insurance, Black Dog Institute and more also took home gongs at last night’s black-tie gala dinner in Sydney.
In addition to OMD Create, agencies recognised for their work were EssenceMediacom, Initiative, Wavemaker, Kinesso, UM Australia, Zenith Media and Hearts & Science.
Indie shops Atomic 212° and This Is Flow won both agency talent and culture awards.
Industry giant Harold Mitchell was posthumously inducted into the MFA Hall of Fame, recognising his contribution and legacy in helping to build the media agency industry in Australia. A VT featuring the likes of former Seven exec sales boss Kurt Burnette lauded Mitchell for taking media departments out of agency basements, elevating the function to be the core of the industry.
Former EssenceMediacom Pat Crowley gave a powerful and impassioned speech about the collegiate power of the media industry to help and support each other. Last year, Crowely’s 17-year-old son Fletcher suffered a severe spinal cord injury from a mountain bike accident. His younger son Levi had also been recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called VHL (Von Hippel-Lindau) that requires regular medical intervention and treatment. Crowley thank the industry at large for its support of him and his family.
This year’s cohort of more than 100 judges consisted of close to 50 per cent client CMOs – more than ever before – helping to bring a strong advertiser voice to the selection process. Collectively the judges looked for work that demonstrated effectiveness, long-term business growth and media agencies’ industry purpose of We Are The Changers. They commended this year’s entries for displaying innovative solutions, brave execution and strong results for clients.
Also recognised with the MFA Industry Contribution honour was Sophie Price, chief strategy officer of EssenceMediacom, for her pivotal role in leading the strategic development of the industry’s widely adopted We Are The Changers purpose.
MFA CEO Sophie Madden said: “Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the MFA Awards is an important milestone and a valuable reminder of our impact as an industry of Changers. The finalists and winners of the MFA Awards represent the very best of change-making media thinking and effectiveness, and set the bar high for the standard of work being produced by Australian media agencies.
“Congratulations to all the worthy winners and heartfelt thanks to the MFA Awards Steering Committee and our judges, who generously devote a huge amount of their valuable time to the significant task of identifying and awarding media excellence.”
The 2024 MFA Awards winners are:
GRAND PRIX
OMD Create, Free Calls to Santa, Telstra – Collaborating partners: OMD, fullstop.ai, The Monkeys
OUTCOMES
Brand Impact
EssenceMediacom, Google Pixel Perspectives, Google – Collaborating partner: PHD
Business Impact
EssenceMediacom, KFC Modelled Menu, Yum!
Behaviour Change
Initiative, Mental Fitness Gym, Gotcha4Life Foundation – Collaborating partner: Science Fiction
Best Data-Led Activation
Zenith Media Australia, How a Built-from-Scratch Data Set Won Christmas 2023, ALDI – Collaborating partner: BMF
Best Long Term Results
Wavemaker, Maybelline Game-Changing Results, L’Oréal – Collaborating partners: HERO, Photoplay Films, Livewire
EXECUTION
Best Integrated Campaign
Initiative, Delivering Holiday Smiles, Amazon – Collaborating partners: Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), JCDecaux
Best Use of Small Budget <500K
UM, Did You Hear That?, Australian Government Department of Health & Aged Care – Collaborating partner: Spotify
Partnership Award
Initiative, Going Beyond 3%: Insuring Indigenous Stories, IAG / NRMA Insurance – Collaborating partners: NITV, SBS
Innovation Award
OMD Create, Free Calls to Santa, Telstra – Collaborating partners: OMD, fullstop.ai, The Monkeys
Best Content Amplification Strategy
EssenceMediacom, Creating a Newspaper to Make Driving Safer, Queensland Government Drink Driving – Collaborating partner: The Betoota Advocate
ESG Campaign
Wavemaker and GroupM, The Power of Search, Black Dog Institute – Collaborating partners: Google, Reddit, Folk Agency
Media for Good
Hearts & Science, Renewables Ad Engine, Sanofi Consumer Healthcare Australia – Collaborating partner: Adylic
CHANNEL EXCELLENCE
Best Use of Screens
Initiative and Kinesso, Wonder: Turning BVOD from Brand Builder into Brand Seller, Goodman Fielder – Collaborating partners: Flybuys, Channel 9, Channel 7, SBS
Best Use of Technology
OMD Create, Free Calls to Santa, Telstra – Collaborating partners: OMD, fullstop.ai, The Monkeys
Best Use of Audio
UM, Did You Hear That?, Australian Government Department of Health & Aged Care – Collaborating partner: Spotify
Best Use of Outdoor
Initiative and ARN, Win a Billboard, ARN Media – Collaborating partner: JCDecaux
Best Use of Performance Media
OMD, Performance ValueEngine, Telstra
Best Use of Events and Experiential
EssenceMediacom, Google Pixel Perspectives, Google – Collaborating partner: PHD
PEOPLE & CULTURE
Pro Bono/Cause Marketing Incentive (In recognition of Pam Lane)
CHEP, Climate Doctor’s Certificate, School Strike 4 Climate – Collaborating partners: Doctor Nick Abel and Doctor David Karoly
Agency Talent & Culture (<100)
This Is Flow
Agency Talent & Culture (>100)
Atomic 212°
NGEN Award
Marcus Billingham-Yuen and Angelina Das, News Corp Australia
Industry Contribution
Sophie Price, Chief Strategy Officer, EssenceMediacom
Hall of Fame
Harold Mitchell
