One of the most prestigious awards for young talent trying to get a foothold in the data and marketing industry has been won by Jack Brodie and Brodie Childs from Edinburgh Napier University.
The campaign ‘Dodge the Drama’ won this year’s DMA Breakthrough Award, sponsored by Direct Line Group. The winner of the award, which is run in partnership with the Graeme Robertson Trust (GRT), was revealed at the DMA Awards.
Each year aspiring creatives battle it out for the chance to impress some of the biggest names in marketing by working on a live creative brief, for a real client or business.
The Breakthrough Award is highly competitive, with the winner walking away with a cash prize of £1000, the potential to intern at a top agency, not to mention industry recognition at the highly anticipated ceremony and, of course, the award.
As part of the challenge, Direct Line Group invited students, interns and non-professionals across the UK to develop a multi-channel campaign that would build awareness, interest and excitement towards Direct Line pet insurance.
“This campaign was truly bold, brave and exciting. Not only would this create awareness with our target market of pet owners, but its creativity and unique concepts would appeal to a much wider audience, which is truly impressive. We were delighted with how this campaign took our brief and elevated it to a whole new level,” said Iain Agnew, Head of Customer Marketing at Direct Line Group. “They delivered an engaging pitch that really sold their vision to us, so much so that I could see elements of the idea being used in our campaign activity.”
Dozens of budding creatives across the UK responded to the brief, presenting their original ideas, but in the end it was two students from Edinburgh Napier University who take home Gold.
“We took a range of things into account, including how well teams communicated their campaign, its strategy and longevity, the fulfilment of the brief, and the creativity and quality of ideas. Direct Line Group aren’t as well known for their pet insurance services as they perhaps are with some of their other key product lines. However, it is testament to this campaign that all the judging panel felt it could really captivate interest in their pet insurance with new audiences, due to its ability to spark intrigue and curiosity,” added Chris Lonie, Trustee of the Graham Robertson Trust. “Jack Brodie and Brodie Childs’s approach was something we had not seen before, and we were delighted with the quality of their supplementary direct mail marketing material – a truly remarkable effort.”
Students from Edinburgh College took the Silver and Bronze Awards – with Ida Bukantyte as a close runner up, and Marta Winogrodzka placing third, winning a £500 and £250 prize each respectively.
Kate Burnett, General Manager of DMA Talent, said: “Each year we receive entries from all over the UK. It’s great that we’re seeing so much interest in the award, and it only seems to increase every year. A huge congratulations to the students based in Edinburgh who took the top awards this year!”
Burnett continues: “DMA Talent’s goal is to attract a new generation of fresh thinkers by raising awareness and giving them a platform to showcase their talent. Our message is clear – the data and marketing industry is for anyone with a commitment to creativity, strategy and accountability. The Breakthrough Award is a great way for aspiring marketers to get a taste of industry life, and from our perspective the award process continues to demonstrate that our industry’s future remains very optimistic.”
The DMA Breakthrough Award is one of the data and marketing industry’s leading awards celebrating the next generation of talent coming into the industry. It’s supported by GRT, founded in memory of legendary Brann creative director Graeme Robertson, and DMA Talent who work to help talent break into the industry.