Categories

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You can submit your projects and campaigns in 36 categories. All categories will be voted on online. At the same time, every category will have a gold, silver and bronze winner.

Accomplishments of the Year

Progress requires innovation. Even though the technical tools of online communications seem to have infinite possibilities, it is the creative and innovative thinkers who ultimately drive new developments. This category honours innovative concepts, ideas and approaches that go beyond the known limits of digital channels leading online communications to the next level.

Today’s companies are expected to stand up for something, while survey after survey shows that millennials and Gen Z prefer to donate their time, attention and loyalty to socially conscious brands. This category rewards digital communication with a social message that have truly connected brands, audience and society.

A target group-facing social media presence is an integral part of digital communication. The best are characterised by authenticity, credibility and transparency. In this category, the Digital Communication Award will be given to the platform that takes target group needs, preferences and limitations in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other online communities into account. It uses dialogue options with a customized and appealing presentation of the channel's messages.

Sustainable ways of life have become a core aspect of online communication in recent years. It is no longer just certain companies that are taking up the issue and putting sustainability at the forefront of their communications. This category honors those campaigns and projects that are particularly effective in promoting climate protection goals and bringing about sustainable change.

AI is fundamentally transforming the way we humans communicate with each other. In corporate communications in particular, both externally and internally, it opens up completely new ways and approaches. The DCA in this category goes to the company that uses AI to overcome communication barriers, enable more efficient interactions and set new standards. The aim is to utilise the current potential of artificial intelligence in a targeted manner and also to implement forward-looking AI approaches in communication practice.

Campaigns & Projects

Online influencers – whether celebrities, experts, social media stars or other noteworthy figures – can add credible third-party testimonials to your social media strategy. But identifying, retaining and measuring them needs careful planning: cases where influencer comms have backfired are highly-publicised. This category celebrates examples that use influencers authentically and strategically, with deliverable results and a thorough consideration of ethics and disclosure.

Audiences expect to receive personalized, relevant communications that steals their attention away from their busy schedule. The winner of this category uses available technology to ensure that the target audience is presented with information - and the ability to react to information - across multiple channels.

Digital communications that stand apart from the status quo in your field or industry, and/or that revolutionise your approach to communications, are celebrated in this category.

This category celebrates the outstanding brand campaigns of the past 12 months, campaigns that bring into play the full range of online and digital tools, channels and platforms to create a powerful, engaging campaign that delivers on the brand strategy and makes an impression on the public. This category also includes digital campaigns that are created for the management of a brand's (online) reputation.

It is always safer to tread previously trodden paths, however, in most cases it is the unusual and unconventional campaigns that stick in our mind. Steps off the safe route are risky as they can quickly backfire but these steps can also lead to unexpected successes and sometimes to lively discussions in the online sector. In this category, the Digital Communication Awards honors the campaign that most courageously moved away from the typical corporate-industry path of communication and struck out on a new direction.

Necessity is the mother of invention and digital excellence often happens on a shoestring. This category gives those working with tighter budgets the chance to shine without being pitted against the much bigger budgets of digital giants. This category honours the best campaign with a maximum budget of 10,000 Euro per year.

Simply put, stories sell. A narrative presented in compelling and emotionally engaging formats - possibly featuring interactives, graphics, long reads, news games and data visualizations - wins hearts and minds, and brings strategies and values to life. The award in this category goes to the best tale, told by an organisation with a mix of traditional storytelling techniques and cutting edge digital tools.

From museum tours to opera, theatre or live concerts – organisations around the world have embraced the opportunity to connect with their audiences by broadcasting content and events - and finding new audiences as a result. Whether live event or repurposed content, virtual tour or broadcast platform, one off event or a regular series, this category showcases the innovative measures taken by organisation to provide information, education and entertainment to people in their homes.

One thing that sets contests and games apart is their ability to engage an audience. Contests are often distinct from the typical content that brands put out and really push people to interact with the brand as they anticipate fun and gain the chance of winning something of value. Contests and games get the customers involved and make your brand more memorable to them.

Integrated communications is critical for a successful product launch in your business. It involves the consistent communications of information about a product, using channels, sources and programmes that deliver effective and timely messages to consumers. The best examples are celebrated in this category.

Young, tech savvy, and socially-minded - the so called Gen Z is the generation of digital natives born between 1996 and 2010, who are known to set new trends on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms. This generation makes up around a third of the world's population and, hence, has an immense purchasing power. The winner of this category goes to the marketing project or campaign that is perfectly tailored to this generation and that keeps the finger on the pulse.

The internet has created a communication space that opens new possibilities for NGOs and social movements. Faced with the challenge of uniting and communicating the interests across different stakeholders, NGOs and social movements utilise their considerable social influence and convince their audience using unique digital tool and relevant messaging. The online campaign that educates, informs and mobilizes best will be recognised in this category.

Associations, governments, ministries, authorities, administrations, and trade unions create political and social influence by giving their issues a voice. Digitalization has created a communication space that allows the use of specific segments of the public. However, to gain legitimacy, they must prove their achievements to the public. Digital media and channels open up many different possibilities for this and bring institutions and associations closer than ever before to the publics they serve. The winner of this category will be the online campaign that has succeeded in combining the individual spirit of the sender with the implemented measurements.

When it comes to internal communication and engaging employees, successful companies are leveraging the opportunities of the digital age, with channels like management blogs, video messages, live chats or employee apps combining several advantages like being fast, personal, authentic and interactive. The winning projects in this category will demonstrate delivering internally on the organizational strategy by meeting objectives.

Communications & Strategies

The best candidates aren't responding to traditional tactics: they're slipping through the net and organisations need to be more proactive in order to connect with them. Out-of-the-box creative online recruitment campaigns enable unique interactions with candidates and send application processes viral – and come first in this category. As the war for talent gains intensity, the struggle to attract and retain talent puts the spotlight on employer branding – especially online, where the fight for attention is at its most intense. The winner of this category embodies the organisation’s employee experience and leads to a higher rate of retention and identification amongst dedicated employees.

HR communication plays a decisive role in the dissemination and development of corporate culture. By communicating the company's values, goals and vision to employees, it supports the development of a strong corporate culture. Communicating corporate values, work culture and development opportunities can appeal to potential applicants and motivate employees to stay with the company. The Digital Communication Award goes to the company that manages to create a positive working environment that promotes employee wellbeing and contributes to the success of the organisation.

Top-notch copywriting, multimedia elements such as images and video, connected narratives across several digital media platforms, and a consumer-focused narrative: some of the key ingredients for successful content marketing. This category is looking for well-researched digital content marketing strategies that successfully cut through the clickbait to position the brand and deliver on the brand promise.

From website to SEO and content, social media and pay per click, integration of on and offline – the tools for digital B2B Communication are as varied as those in B2C. Examples that show clear progress in achieving strategic B2B goals are rewarded in this category.

From lobbying to external relations, trade deals to laws and rights, modern public affairs is an integral part of the process of keeping an organisation aligned with societal values, and is an absolutely vital tool to help organisations navigate the stringent regulatory landscape. This category celebrates the champions of the field.

The necessity of communicating an organisation’s corporate social responsibility initiatives has never been so urgent; socially-conscious organisations that prove purpose and value are highly-desirable to millennial workforces, and increasingly act as a key differentiator in crowded markets. Stand-out examples of corporate social responsibility communications will be highlighted in this category.

Big Data and AI has transformed strategic communication, as well as the role of communicators and the relationship between brands and customers. This winner of this category traces a clear thread from collecting, analysing and interpreting data to delivering effective communications optimally adapted to the needs of the target group.

Maintaining an online community based on strong stakeholder relationships can boost customer retention and the emotional connection with your brand. In addition to being a place where you can interact with target audiences on a regular basis, encourage discussions and ask questions, an online community management needs success metrics, guidelines, close monitoring and lively networking and discussion.

Since crashing the global social media party in 2018, TikTok has made an indelible mark on communications, with brands such as Washington Post, Buzzfeed, Nike, Skittles, Pepsi and Universal Pictures singing up and making their mark. This category champions the most inventive, thought provoking and impactful TikTok presence.

LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world. The site is a great fit for businesses and organisations, not only to promote themselves but to establish connections and build relationships. By sharing blogs, slideshows and important news, LinkedIn can be used to drive traffic to the company's website and to increase recognition in general. This category honours the best examples of businesses and organisations that use their presence on LinkedIn optimally.

Channels & Tools

Great design, smart navigation, compelling content, calls to action, clever CMS, perhaps a blog, analytics and SEO, mobile design, social media links... these are some of the ingredients of a solid corporate website, the public face of your organisation. The winner of this category will build on those ingredients and deliver on the organizational professed mission, vision and purpose.

Whether standalone publications on the web, a new podcast or a blog on the corporate website, digital publishing encompasses a variety of channels that push specialised content towards target groups based on occupation or interests, as well as catching the attention of a wider public. Examples that do this while also conveying the organisation’s messages and engaging with stakeholders will succeed in this category.

The "AI Online Integration" category recognises projects and applications that integrate artificial intelligence into web applications in an innovative way. These can be chatbots, virtual assistants, data analyses or other innovative approaches. In addition to technological progress, concrete added value for users is of fundamental importance here, for example through improved usability, customised content or more efficient processes. The DCA in this category goes to the company that integrates AI online with a clear focus on its target groups and thus makes a pioneering contribution to the further development of the use of AI in web applications.

In a content-saturated environment, immersive digital reports do more than just impress stakeholders, they are a differentiating format that brings life to the data that underpins your work, and tell a compelling, interactive and mobile-friendly story about your organisation. Winners in this category find the narrative in numbers and deliver it digitally.

Online is the natural home for corporate film and video: engaging, interactive, colourful online videos have the luxury of telling in-depth stories in a way that other media cannot quite achieve. Distributed through social media channels and via email marketing, the best examples do not necessarily need complicated graphics or high-budget live action: the winner of this category will use their online presence to maximise the spread of their video. For films longer than 90 seconds.

Building loyalty through video storytelling over several episodes offers organisations an opportunity to create content that grows audiences, tells stories in depth, and build up real momentum.

Online is the natural home for corporate film and video: engaging, interactive, colourful online videos have the luxury of telling in-depth stories in a way that other media cannot quite achieve. Distributed through social media channels and via email marketing, the best examples do not necessarily need complicated graphics or high-budget live action: the winner of this category will use their online presence to maximise the spread of their video. For films up to 90 seconds.