MediaCom emerged victorious at the Festival of Media Global Awards 2017 after winning six gold trophies and walking away with the coveted 'Agency Network of the Year' Award and 'Campaign of the Year' for NHS Blood & Transplant's 'Missing Type' campaign. Furthermore, the agency's parent company GroupM won 'Media Group of the Year'.

Other big winners of the night include Touché! PHD, who scooped the 'Agency of the Year' gong, along with Mediaplus, who was crowned 'Independent Agency of the Year' after winning Gold for its 'WhatsGerman' and 'The Fashion Mag Hijack' campaigns. 

OMD also posted an impressive performance, picking up six golds for winning campaigns including 'End the Silence' and 'Capacity Based McDelivery'.

This year's winners list proves the global appeal of the awards scheme with campaigns represented from a range of countries including New Zealand, Mexico, Israel, Costa Rica, Norway, Singapore, South Africa and the Dominican Republic. 

The final jury was split across two judging rooms, chaired by Sarah Mansfield, VP Global Media Europe and Americas at Unilever and Gerry D'Angelo, Global Media Director at P&G. The winners were announced last night (Mon 8th May) at the Rome Cavalieri. 

See below for the full list of winners and click through to view the case studies on Cream:

Breaking into international markets is a tricky business. Everything from the messages you translate to the colours used in a campaign need to reflect extensive research of a culture, its history, and its lifestyle habits.

Here are 5 steps to making sure you nail your overseas efforts.

 

1: Create a Campaign Brief

This should include research into the market and specifically:

- The target audience’s defining attributes

- Territories your brand aims to target

- Languages in which materials will be translated

- The tone and characteristics of marketing materials

- Overall campaign goals

 

2: Research Cultural Specifics

Intimate understanding of a culture is vital to a successful campaign. Be sure to uncover a region’s:

- Lifestyle habits

- Societal values

- Colloquialisms

- Regional symbols

- Weather patterns

- Geographic challenges

- Political tensions

- International relations

- Anything else that helps you better understand the area

 

3: Clearly Communicate Intent

In order for messages to make impact, materials must be transcreated to keep intent intact. Be sure to localise:

- Campaign messages

- Branding images

- Blogs an articles

- Website materials

- Any other content that may be implemented

 

4: Use the Right Channels

Not all regions use the same social media platforms or search engines. Understand how to properly reach digital audiences by:

- Researching popular social media platforms in the region

- Finding out which search engines are most widely used

- Studying the best practices for those platforms

 

5: Work with Professionals

For transcreation to be successfully implemented, hiring an experienced agency is advised. Ensure that the firm you select:

- Caters for the language you are converting materials into

- Has a history of success

- Has experience with your specific industry

- Is able to transcreate marketing copy, video content, and audio formats