SIPA UK Awards 2010

The presentation took place of SIPA UK’s 4th Annual Industry Awards for Publishing Excellence on 13 July, after the annual conference. The awards were presented to those publishers who have demonstrated excellence in their work in the calendar year January – December 2009.

See the winners and why they won here

Thanks to our select team of judges, who were:

Charles Arthur, Alliance Media
Caroline Frost, Informa Business Information
Martin Hill, Informa Telecoms & Media
Sara Howers, Dow Jones
Greg Kilminster, Complinet
Santa Marku, BSI
Victoria Mellor, Melcrum Publishing
Vicky Priest, Emap
Paul Smith, Ctrl-Shift
Nicola Tillin, Incisive Media

Awards were presented in seven categories, as follows:

• Marketing Team of the Year
• Marketing Campaign of the Year
• Sales Team of the Year
• Best New Launch of the Year (product, online or event)
• Best Use of Social Networks (monetisation and/or lead generation)
• Best Use of Audio-Video
• Product of the Year

What were the judges looking for?
The following is a rundown of what the judges were looking for in each category.

Marketing Team of the Year
The most effective marketing teams embed themselves at the very centre of the publishing schedule. Involved from start to finish in the process – launch to renewal, redesign to customer surveys and feedback – a good marketing team is consulted at every step of the way & their input is highly valued. To win this award the judges will be looking for the team that has made a measurable contribution to the brand (or group of brands) through effective marketing disciplines.

Key features of a winning entry will include:
• Consistent over-performance against targets/objectives
• A broader input to the performance of the brand than their immediate marketing responsibility
• Innovative solutions to marketing challenges 
• Ability to maximise the effectiveness of marketing spend/activity

Marketing Campaign of the Year
This award could go either to a team or an individual. We aim to recognise a specific marketing campaign or plan which demonstrates innovation, creativity and (most importantly) results. The campaign could be for a launch, revamp, print publication, renewal series, online product or event, and will show the use of thought behind the list selection, choice of marketing media and the way these are combined, and so on.

Key features of a winning entry will include:
• An outline of the reasoning behind the campaign
• Challenges faced and creative solutions
• Measurable results

Sales Team of the Year
Top sales teams have the ability to drive the business forward in the toughest of conditions. This achievement could be measured by revenue growth, yield or market share improvement, forward bookings or introduction of new revenue streams.

Key features of a winning entry will include:
• Improved financial performance and revenue generation
• Evidence of innovation and new business generation
• Retention and development of customers
• Understanding of the market, including after sales service

Best New Launch of the Year
Launching is without doubt the most demanding skill of all. It is the moment for a team to stand up and be counted. To win you will have to be exceptionally good. This may be a conference, newsletter, online information product, or other significant revenue generating service.

Key features of a winning entry will include:
• Originality in the marketplace and competitive differentiation
• Clear objectives and targets
• Effective meeting of customer needs
• Teamwork in delivering the objectives

Best Use of Social Networks (monetisation and/or lead generation)
What success are you as a publisher having in deploying social networking tools, such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to drive traffic to your websites and increase sales? The judges will be looking for evidence of innovative use of social networks, and how they form part of an integrated marketing and publishing mix.

Key features of a winning entry will include:
• Innovative ways of developing user generated content
• Use of social media to develop an attractive brand personality
• Monetising a community, and/or successful generation of leads

Best Use of Audio/Video
With the explosion of online video and podcasts as new channels for publishers for both marketing and distribution of content, now is the time for SIPA members to stand up and be recognised for their innovation and multi-media skills.

Key features of a winning entry will include:
• An example of the video or audio entry, with short summary of its content
• Clear business objectives and rationale
• Business outcome: what results were achieved?

Product of the Year
This award is for a print or online product or an event that has made significant improvements over the last year. It can be a new launch or an existing product. Submissions should demonstrate consistent excellence, reflected by editorial quality and impact, customer satisfaction, innovation and ease of access, and show why the product is valued for delivering quality information.

Key features of a winning entry will include:
• Easy interactivity (if online)
• Consistently accurate and interesting content
• Enhanced revenues and profitability
• Multi channel integration (if relevant)
• Dynamic engagement with the user community  

The next SIPA UK Annual Awards will be held in July 2011 - so start thinking about your entries now!