2017 Bookmark Awards are now open for entries [Sponsored]

The 2017 Bookmark Awards are around the corner, but which categories will be featured this year? We’ve got the information for you.

The IAB has also clarified the overall criteria, saying the work must’ve been developed for an African or SA audience or by an SA business for an international audience. Campaigns must have flighted between 16 November 2015 and 11 November 2016.

“All entrants must produce a ‘one pager’ PDF that sets out the essence of the entry. Judges are entitled to base their judging in the filter round on this one-pager,” the IAB added. Here are the categories being featured in the Bookmark Awards this year…

Main category – Platforms

Brand, Commercial & Retail Websites –  All websites, either desktop or responsive, for any commercial purpose. Entrants may want to consider whether their entry is more appropriate in E-Commerce or Microsites, but the category is open to ANY commercial or retail website. Think IBM.com. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Microsites – Any microsite built to promote a particular product or service in the commercial space. Typically has a limited lifespan, and should not be the primary website for a brand which would then be entered into the Brand, Commercial & Retail Websites category. Think the site for the new VW Polo. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

E-Commerce Sites – Any site offering e-commerce and sale of items as its primary function. Think amazon.com. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Public Service and NPO platforms – Any website or app for a government, civil society or “Not for Profit” organisation. Think Department of Health or The Worldwide Fund For Nature. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

“For good” or “cause” platforms – Sites or apps designed to impact society in a positive way. Winners must demonstrate how the initiative actually had an impact on society. Think GIVA. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Web Applications – A rich web-based, functional application designed to run in a browser. Will be judged by its utility, functionality and technical strength. This award is for software not content. Think Google Docs. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Mobile Apps – Any application installed on a mobile device: phone, tablet or watch. Publishing apps have their own category (below). Think Uber or Instagram. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Mobile Sites – Any site specifically designed for browsing on a mobile phone, including feature phones. Think vodacom.mobi. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Games – Original digital games designed for phone, web or console. Includes games developed for informational or commercial purposes. Think FarmVille, Call of Duty or Pokemon Go. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Main category – Community

Existing Social Communities – Onging permanent homes for brands or publishers on social media. Evidence of growth or specific achievements in the past year is essential. Think Wrigley’s Facebook page or Deloitte’s LinkedIn page. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

New Social Communities – Newly launched (must be in this year) social media homes for brands, including on new platforms such as Snapchat – think CNN on Snapchat or Budweiser on WeChat. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Use of User Generated Content – Best use of user-generated content to achieve a marketing goal. Entrants must show innovation in leveraging UGC and how it led to results. Think Wendy’s Bacon Pretzel Cheeseburger. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Social Media Campaigns – Best marketing campaigns where social media is at the core to the campaign strategy and mechanic. This includes Influencer Marketing. Please give a clear indication of media spend. Think #VolvoContest at the Superbowl. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Online Video Channels – Online non-publisher video channel with dedicated fans or followers (publisher, see below). Think YouTube Stars like JennaMarbles. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Main category – Channels

Paid Search Marketing – PPC or other use of search marketing to achieve campaign goals. Think your favourite low CPA campaign on Google. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Organic Search Marketing – SEO and other organic search marketing techniques to acheive campaign goals. Think the insurance brand that appears first when you search “insurance”. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Display Advertising – Banners, page take-overs and any similar mechanics in the bought-media space. Think any banner on any homepage, mobile or desktop, near you. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Native Advertising – Advertiser-sponsored, publisher-carried content designed to market a product or service through content development. Think Vice Media. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Online Video Series – Non-branded online video content. Think Comedians in Cars getting Coffee. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Branded Content – Use of brand placement within a content context to promote a product or service, where the content remains the hero. Think Aston Martin in James Bond. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Social Paid Advertising – Campaign run through bought media on social media platforms. Think your favourite clever Facebook campaign. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Innovative Use of Media – Demonstrable innovation in digital media placement or buying. Winners must show real creativity in how unsual channels were used or conventional channels were used in news ways. Think Bud Light on Tinder. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Email, direct and inbound marketing – Use of email, SMS, direct digital marketing and other inbound techniques to acheive campaign success. Winners will show exceptional return on investment. Think Obama 2008. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Innovative Use of Mobile Media – Mobile advertising that pushes the boundaries beyond the illegible banner ad. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Main category – Emerging Digital Technologies and Channels

Digital Installations and Activations – Use of digital technology to engage audiences typically in an out-of-home or events setting. Think BA’s #lookup billboard. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Use of Programmatic Media – Use of new ways of buying and optimising media spend to achieve exceptional results for advertisers. Think amazing returns on Xaxis. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Customer Experience Design – Excellence in the digital customer experience, including point of sale or online service channels. Think Amazon.com’s service offering. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

VR – Use of Virtual Reality (VR) to promote a product or brand. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Chat, messaging and Dark Social – Use of chat, chat bots and messaging platforms (dark social) to achieve a marketing or communication result. Think Facebook Messenger. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Internet of Things – Use of atypical internet devices (i.e. not phone or computer) to achieve a marketing or communication goal. Think Apple Watch or Apple TV. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Main category – Publishing

Publisher sites (mass appeal) – News or feature publishing sites intended to distribute information to a mass audience for non-brand purposes. Think CNN.com. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Specialist publisher sites (smaller, niche audiences) – News or feature publishing sites intended to distribute information to a niche audience. Think Vulture. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Mobile Publications – Publication intended for consumption primarily on mobile phones, including feature phones, for non-brands. Think Soccer Laduma mobile site. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Email Publications – Non-campaign or brand publication distributed via email. Think Daily Maverick First Thing. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Social Media Publications – Use of social media channels as a primary or integral part of news or editorial publishing. Think Twitter coverage of the US Presidential Election. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

User-Generated Content – Use of user-generated content within a publishing environment to enhance the publication and achieve results. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Publisher Apps – News or feature publishing apps intended to distribute information to a mass audience for non-brand purposes. Think Guardian app. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Online Photography – Use of online video by a publisher for news or editorial purposes. Think Daily Mail. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Newswires – Newswire service syndicating content to publishers. Think Reuters. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Special Features – Specific feature around a specific story or event. Think World Cup microsite. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Online News Videos – Use of online video by a publisher for news or editorial purposes. Think CNN. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Live Event Coverage – Online coverage by a publication of an event: winners will demonstrate excellence in live reporting and content production. Think the Oscar trial. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Streaming Services – Dedicated internet streaming service (video or audio). Think Netflix or CliffCentral. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Main Category – Campaign

Digital Strategy – Excellence in digital strategic thinking and planning. The winner will demonstrate the ingenuity of the strategy (NOT the work) and how it led to success. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Content Strategy – Excellence in the strategy behind a content execution – not the content itself. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Digital Campaign – Excellence in digital marketing campaign using one primary digital channel (not multichannel). [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Mobile Campaign – Campaign run primarily through mobile channels. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Data-driven Campaign – Marketing campaign which has used data in an interesting, groundbreaking way in achieving its success. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Integrated Multi-Platform Campaign – Campaign that uses 3+ digital channels, as well as other non-digital channels, to achieve a marketing goal. Think Carling Be The Coach. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Main Category – Craft Awards for Teams and Individuals

Craft: Excellence in Marketing Copywriting – Individual/team award for an excellent piece or body of copywriting work on a marketing campaign. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in News or Feature Writing – Individual or team award for excellence in journalism in an online publication. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Research – Individual or team award for excellent research that enhanced a campaign or publication. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Interface Design – Individual or team award for excellence in graphic and UI design, as distinct from UX design. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Software, Coding and Tech Innovation – Individual or team award for demonstrable excellence and innovation in coding or use of technology in an online campaign or platform. The engineering will be judged by a team of software experts. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Strategy – Individual or team award for demonstrable excellence in strategic thinking. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in UX Design – Individual or team award for excellence in UX design, as distinct from UI design. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Online Video Production – Individual or team award for excellent online video – production, editing, postproduction, cinematography etc. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Client Service – Individual award for demonstrably excellent account management work. Account success will be judged not the individual, and material proving success must be submitted. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Ad Ops – Team award for excellence in ad ops. The winning team will demonstrate why their processes and systems are innovative and market-leading. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Social Media Community Management – Individual or team award for excellent community management or social media engagement with demonstrable results. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Paid Search Marketing – Individual or team award for best and most innovative use of paid search marketing. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Craft: Excellence in Organic Search Marketing – Individual or team award for best and most innovative use of organic search marketing. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Main Category – Special Honours

Best Digital Student – Best student studying a digital course at an institution, including marketing and related disciplines such as UX. Think top students at AAA or UJ. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Best Digital Youngster – Best person under 28 who has made a significant contribution to digital this year through their work – can be agency, publisher or other. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Brand of the Year – Company most supportive or innovative in the digital marketing space. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Best Marketer – Individual in a brand who most supports, encourages and succeeds using digital channels. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Best CTO – Individual in a brand who most supports, encourages and succeeds using digital channels. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Best Contribution to Transformation in the Digital Industry – Organisation who has made the most convincing contribution to growing diversity in the digital industry in line with overall goals for an integrated South Africa. This could be through any meaningful mechanism ranging from ownership to participation. [same work may be re-entered from previous years]

Pixel for Purpose – Awarded to a piece of work (site, app, publication or any other digital piece) that made a significant positive social impact. The winner will have conclusively proven that the idea worked. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]

Best Publisher – What more is there to say. Based on performance in the 2017 Bookmarks and does NOT require a Publisher to enter. [N/A]

Best Digital Agency – What more is there to say. Based on performance in the 2017 Bookmarks and does NOT require an agency to enter. [N/A]

Best Individual Contribution to Digital – Person who has made the greatest contribution to the digital industry in SA, agency, publisher or other. IAB Chairperson and CEO not eligible. [same work may not be re-entered from previous years]