OgilvyOne UK has claimed the grand prix at this year’s DMA Awards with its campaign for industrial weighing scales manufacturer Kern & Sohn.
The campaign, which has already won a silver at both the Cannes Lions Direct and the Echo Awards, picked up gold in nine of the DMA’s 38 categories, with the agency also landing gold for Drinkaware and nine silvers and bronzes for BA, IBM and American Express.
OgilvyOne headed up the shortlist – for the second year in succession – with a record 24 nominations.
Other big winners on the night included Proximity London, which took four golds, Creator Mail which won three golds, and Lida, Mike Colling & Company and Arc UK which each bagged two golds.
Kern & Sohn commissioned OgilvyOne UK to help build its reputation and revenue in the global laboratory and education sectors. The strategy was a worldwide experiment, aimed at creating a globally newsworthy campaign. Kern & Sohn customers and scientists around the world received a kit containing a set of scales and a garden gnome to test the theory that gravitational pull varies in strength depending on where you are in the world. The story reached an audience of over 355 million in 152 countries. Two weeks into the campaign 16,386 websites had linked to GnomeExperiment.com, resulting in a 200% increase in traffic, an 11% sales uplift and 1,042:1 ROI. After a month there was a 21% sales uplift across the entire Kern & Sohn range.
Sponsored by TNT Post and Mobile Marketing Group, entries were judged by 200 senior professionals with judging teams comprising copywriters, art directors, data planners, media buyers, planners, clients and sector specialists. This year there were 38 categories – with eight new categories, including a ‘summer of sport’ section and new ones for social media campaigns.
Wayne Hemingway, co-founder of fashion brand Red or Dead, served as the chair of the 2012 DMA Awards judging panel.
Commenting on the grand prix winner, Hemingway said: “”I’d like to congratulate OgilvyOne UK on their victory for what was a truly sublime campaign. It’s amazing what you can achieve with a gnome and a little creative ingenuity.
“Once again the winners at this year’s DMA Awards show how strategic thinking and creativity can achieve real social change. It’s not just about selling products to consumers. Good – great – direct marketing makes a real difference to the lives of mothers, holidaymakers, parents, commuters, homebuyers, music lovers… and even scientists!”
To view the full list of winners at the 2012 DMA Awards, visit: www.dmaawards.org.uk
Related stories
OgilvyOne dominates DMA finalists
Sport frenzy triggers DMA Award
Brits pick up Echo Awards double
Silver lining for UK at Cannes Direct