Slam Dunk for Dunkin’ Donuts at MITX Interactive Awards
Wade Roush11/17/09Follow @wroush
For the fourteenth year in a row, the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange—far better known as MITX (pronounced my-tex)—handed out its Interactive Awards tonight, in a sold-out ceremony at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel in Boston. The awards honor the most creative digital advertising and marketing campaigns devised by companies and agencies in the New England region.
The evening’s spotlight shined with extra sparkles on Dunkin’ Donuts, which won the title Interactive Marketer of the Year. The award was partly in recognition of “Create Dunkin’ Donuts’ Next Donut,” a website where donut lovers can literally design potential donut shapes, flavors, and decorations for next-generation pastries. (The 2009 winner: “Toffee For Your Coffee,” a classic toroid donut with sour cream dough, a glaze covering, and a chopped Heath Bar topping.)
Dunkin’ Donuts also won in the “Best Cross Media Campaign” category of the MITX awards. “Being named MITX Interactive Marketer of the Year is wonderful honor and a great thrill,” said Cynthia Ashworth, Dunkin’ Donuts’ vice president of consumer engagement, in a prepared statement. “Along with our loyal fan base, we’re excited about the seemingly endless possibilities within interactive and are intent on continuing to make strides in this area.”
Of course, many other companies and interactive marketing agencies also took home awards, in categories ranging from “Best Use of Social Media” to best biotechnology/pharmaceutical campaign. The full list of honorees is below.
We asked MITX Presidentt Kiki Mills to sum up some of the trends she perceived in this year’s awards, especially the technology-related changes. She sent along the following thoughts:
“Social networks are not a discrete category anymore. Social functionality is now showing up in the most mundane applications, reinforcing the notion that marketers of every stripe recognize that the days of the one-way conversation are over. While many are still unsure how to effectively leverage social technologies to effectively support their messaging, there is a clear realization that there is some evolving role for this fast moving area.
“Video and other rich media are also an increasingly large component of many sites (supporting yesterday’s announcement from Brightcove of their lower cost Brightcove Express solution).
“Campaigns have matured in that they are much more user/use-case driven than in the past. Moving forward, we’re more likely to see analytics framing the creative—focusing campaigns on critical behaviors to influence, shaping what the costs and execution have to be to justify themselves in the face of the likely numbers.
“There is an increasing willingness of companies to experiment and include these technologies. Particularly with tech now so much [more] affordable, it’s easy to work a variety of things into a campaign.”
And finally: “The interactive industry in general has matured to the point where even small companies with (presumably) modest budgets are delivering high quality Web experiences.” (Thanks Kiki!)
Continue to page 2 for the full list of MITX Interactive Award Winners (including project, agency/creator, and client).
2009 MITX Interactive Award Winners
Applied Technology
Zipcar.com Redesign
Zipcar in partnership with ISITE Design
Best Brand Campaign
3Dudes Gone 3D
Small Army for SolidWorks CAD software
Best Cross Media Campaign
Create Dunkin’s Next Donut
Studiocom with Ryan Partnership, RF Binder, Hill Holliday for Dunkin’ Donuts
Best Direct Response Campaign
Amtrak’s Acela
Media Contacts with Mobext for Amtrak
Best Use of Analytics
ACUVUE Consumer Acquisition & Campaign Management
Prospectiv with J3 unit of Universal McCann for Vistakon division of Johnson & Johnson
Best Use of Search
Squaw Valley 50/60 Pass Paid Search
AMP Agency for Squaw Valley USA
Best Use of Social Media
Harley-Davidson 2010 Motorcycles Mosaic
Overdrive Interactive for Harley-Davidson
Best Use of Targeting
2009 Zipcar Paid Search Campaign
Overdrive Interactive for Zipcar
Best Use of Video
“Speed Baby: 3DVIA Launches New Products Using Innovative Lead-Gen Video Site “
Genuine Interactive for 3DVIA
Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals
Alnylam Corporate Website
evoke interaction for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Branded Content
Celebrity Cruise Lines – Starring You Network
Sapient for Celebrity Cruise Lines
Consumer Goods
Saturn Neighborhood
DIGITAS for Saturn
Consumer Goods
Happiness Factory 3
Sapient for The Coca-Cola Company
Education and Learning
Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read
Bridgeline Software, Inc. for Smarterville, Inc.
Educational Institution
Wharton MBA web site redesign
iFactory with Yellow Pencil for Wharton School of Business
Financial Services
Green$ense
Arnold Worldwide for Citizen’s Bank
Games and Entertainment
Expedition Africa
Pod Digital Design for History Channel
Health and Fitness
Massachusetts General Hospital Website Redesign
Massachusetts General Hospital with Partners HealthCare and IconNicholson
Kids, ‘Tweens and Teens
Lifeskills Training
VPG Integrated Media for National Health Promotion Associates
Mobile
Stanley Level iPhone App
Mullen with Aurnhammer LLC for Stanley Works
News
Variety.com Redesign
Mad*Pow for Variety Magazine
Nonprofit and Government
The Bread Art Project
Mullen with Honest NY for Grain Foods Foundation
Professional Services
centerbrook.com
Beehive Media LLC with Centerbrook Architects and Planners for Centerbrook Architects and Planners
Real Estate
Welcome to Fenway Triangle
Genuine Interactive with Rattle Advertising, Design, and Marketing for Samuels & Associates
Rich Internet Application (RIA)
Portfolio Insight
John Hancock Funds
Social Influence Application
Will It Blend?
Mullen for Olympus
Technology
Microsoft New England Research & Development Center Website
Conover Tuttle Pace for Microsoft
Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality
The Nation of Why Not
Garfield Group Interactive for JWT & Royal Caribbean
Interactive Marketer of the Year
Dunkin’ Donuts
Best Engagement
Project: Expedition Africa
Agency/Creator: Pod Digital Design for History Channel
Best User Experience
Project: Zipcar.com Redesign
Agency/Creator: Zipcar in partnership with ISITE Design
Best Use of Technology
Project: Stanley Level iPhone App
Agency/Creator: Mullen with Aurnhammer LLC, for Stanley Works
Best of Show
Project: Happiness Factory 3
Agency/Creator: Sapient Interactive
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