DIGIDAY VIDEO AWARDS Introduction

This year’s Digiday Video Awards honor a Beyond tactics, tone and presentation, one diverse array of brands, publishers, platforms characteristic proved pervasive: this year’s and technology companies. honorees recognized that successful campaigns start with meaningful, substantive content. From large businesses to small, the honorees ensured that their distribution tactics and Use this guide to explore all the winners of the content choices informed one another. Across 2020 Digiday Video Awards. In each section all categories, winners knew exactly which you’ll find a quick rundown of the campaigns, audiences they were trying to reach, taking along with insights into why they won and what extra steps to serve them the right messages on we can learn from them. Put these ideas to work, the right platforms, o!en expanding into new and we hope to see your campaigns among the channels to do so. winning entries in future Digiday Video Awards. Videos Best Brand Film - Single ACE Content and Budweiser

Kings of Beer: Insights:

Budweiser and ACE Content created an Budweiser and ACE Content used 83-minute documentary, taking a deep the documentary format to reinforce behind-the-scenes look at the Global the brand’s core appeal — diving Brewmaster Competition and dismantling into the theme of cra!smanship and any misperceptions that macro brews unapologetically embracing a legacy require a lesser commitment to rigor identity. Highlighting the heart of a brand and cra!. Budweiser and ACE Content is a genuinely winning move. distributed the documentary in multiple waves and gave it legs through partnerships with Delta and a run on Amazon Prime Video. Best Brand Film - Series VH1

RuPaul’s #DragRacePride: Insights: VH1 connected RuPaul’s Drag Race with Without a need for voiceover or the symbolic heart of the queer-equality over-explanation, the series brought movement — the The Stonewall Inn together historic imagery, a legendary — via a spotlight on eight legendary locale and top photographers and queens from the series’ run. Each of artists to document a powerful them donned a distinct monochromatic narrative. When the story is strong look representing a color of the original enough, it speaks for itself. pride flag. Best Video Ad CH Media and Truth

Chuggin’ on Clouds: Insights:

Featuring a music video aimed at 18–24 CH Media and Truth struck a delicate year olds, CH Media and Truth depicted balance between humor and urgency, a recording artist experiencing a health conveying a powerful public health revelation related to his vaping habits, as message without terrifying its audience it slowly dawns on him that the subject — or preaching to them. Powerful he’s enthusiastically singing about may messaging works on a personal level for be the very thing that’s making him sick. the right audience. Best Live Moment Electronic Arts and BEN

Apex Legends Launch: Insights: EA and BEN harnessed the power of With its choice of influencers, EA and gaming influencers like Ninja for the BEN used the gaming celebrities that launch of their battle royale game, made the most sense to connect with its infusing the right mix of humor and die- audiences. In forging a flawless match hard enthusiasm into the first public between influencer and consumer, display of APEX Legends gameplay. gaming brands can tell their stories from a trusted point of view. Platform | Distribution Best Social Video Campaign DoSomething.org and Chevrolet

Ride & Seek: Insights: This video campaign featured a PSA Selecting the right messenger and created with seatbelt safety and younger approach is as vital to campaign success drivers in mind. Engaging with an actor as the message — especially when the highly relevant to the target demographic topic is a serious one. — Jason Genao of teen-oriented Netflix series Off My Block — the campaign leavened the seriousness of the seatbelt safety messaging with cheeky messaging designed to appeal to teens. Best Multi-Platform Video Campaign PepsiCo

Bubly Sparkling Water: Insights:

PepsiCo launched a new Super Bowl PepsiCo showed that genuinely smart, campaign featuring the aptly-named funny and engaging content can live Michael Bublé. Indeed, the singer multiple lives across multiple platforms. seemed convinced that PepsiCo’s new brand of sparkling water was named a!er him. The campaign then followed up with a teaser on The Ellen Show and partnerships with Prime, YouTube, Instagram, GIPHY and Google Search. Best Snapchat Show NBC News

Stay Tuned: Insights:

With this breaking-news feature geared NBC News proved that younger toward Gen Z, NBC News utilized audiences gravitate to news that engages Snapchat to place daily deep-diving them on channels they already love. And journalism in front of younger audiences. they want snappy scripting, appealing It succeeded in capturing twice-a-day visuals, personable hosts and attention- attention for updates among 13–21 year grabbing headlines. Matching form olds. and content are essential to winning campaigns. Best Use of TikTok Chipotle Mexican Grill and Day One Agency

Summer of Chipotle: Insights:

Chipotle’s new TikTok campaign led With school out for the summer — and with longtime fan and creator David with the goal of engaging more than Dobrik. The campaign celebrated free half of Gen-Z and millennial customers delivery on Cinco de Mayo orders with — Chipotle Mexican Grill and Day One the #LidFlipChallenge. In the first six days Agency wisely seized on a social platform of the challenge, which prompted users that’s booming in popularity amongst to cover up their burrito bowls with flair, younger users. And, they leaned in to more than 110,000 videos were posted. UGC to forge a personal connection between consumer and campaign. Best Use of Instagram Stories Comedy Central

Weekly Insta-Stories: Insights:

From guides on being an influencer to Comedy Central led with actionable tips for attending a wedding alone, to information and interactive storytelling, an interactive would-you-rather game avoiding the pitfall of resharing made- Comedy Central utilized formats and for-TV videos and instead engaging content specific to Instagram Stories, users with platform-specific, original and from flipbooks to ultra-low-fi video. meaningful content. Best Use of IGTV Freeform and ATTN

The Trouble With: Insights: An a!er-show for Freeform’s “Good Freeform and ATTN chose a Gen-Z Trouble,” made specifically for social friendly environment to engage more media, “The Trouble With” takes fans on deeply with fans of its young-adult a deeper dive into the issues presented oriented series. The winners recognized within the TV program, expanding on the that, for viewers of a certain age, the themes and unlocking new formats. world of TV has expanded well beyond linear platforms. Best Watch Show ESPN

College GameDay Behind the Scenes: Insights:

ESPN teamed up with Facebook to bring This campaign serves as an excellent behind-the-scenes footage from College example of linear producers innovating GameDay, ESPN’s college football with non-linear programming, pregame show, to the digital masses. foregrounding UGC and taking The new Facebook Watch series gave advantage of unique Facebook Watch on-camera talent active roles in content products like polls and Watch Parties. It creation, and required editing teams also highlights the value of nimble editors to quickly deliver finalized material just enabling rapid turnarounds to keep every hours a!er it was shot. beat of the campaign timely. The “when” can be as critical as the “what.” Best Snapchat Discover Publisher PinkNews

PinkNews Snapchat Discover channel: Insights:

Fi!een-year-old media brand PinkNews New revenue streams require new — the first online magazine focused products, and PinkNews took advantage wholly on LGBT+ issues — took its of Snapchat’s wide array of offerings digital-first mindset to Snapchat’s to develop original shows, new Discover platform. The channel covered geographies and new lenses onto its current affairs, politics, health, lifestyle coverage. and entertainment, all with a sketchbook aesthetic and its LGBT+ audience firmly in mind. Best Publisher Pivot to TV Jukin Media

TBD Network: Insights: Targeted toward millennial audiences, TBD Network launched across a robust the -owned mix of streaming and linear services, network has never forgotten its digital including Stirr, T-Mobile, Comcast, roots, displaying a strong focus on PlutoTV, UK and Tivo. TV internet-based and user-generated content with online origins calls for a content. diverse distribution strategy. Best Video Distribution & Programming Strategy Jellysmack

Jellysmack: Insights: The creative video company continued Jellysmack brought social listening tools, building out its slate of services to multi-variant testing and publishing tools help brands identify over-performing into play — always using the company’s topics and trends and distribute the own products. Proprietary approaches right content on social platforms. put performance controls in the hands of The company always took a data-led, the creator. technology first approach, using a variety of sophisticated tools to help brands drive performance. Technology Best Video Ad Tech Innovation Teads and Oracle Data Cloud

Moat: Insights: Teads partnered with Oracle Data Cloud’s Teads and Oracle Data Cloud helped Moat to build solutions for transacting clients achieve 100-percent viewability. on VCPM and cost-per-completed-view Above all else, advertisers want to be based on a selected duration. Health- seen, and getting out ahead of the pack focused app developer ASICS Digital takes partnerships. Combining resources was one of the first companies to run a o!en unlocks new opportunities to campaign using the new offering. innovate. Best Streaming/OTT Platform DAZN

DAZN: Insights: Live and on-demand sports platform With its wide array of distribution DAZN streamed over 400,000 hours partnerships, the platform services sports of sports in 2019. The platform, which fans in nine different countries across four partners with Comcast, SnapChat, continents. Sports fans are everywhere — PlutoTV and others, is a repeat winner, and reaching all of them requires casting taking Best Streaming/OTT Platform for a wide net. the second consecutive year. Best Video Distribution Platform Ellen Digital Network

Ellentube: Insights: Ellentube gives digital viewers the Ellen Digital Network recognized that chance to interact with Ellen content, original, user-generated and branded branded content created in partnership content can happily coexist on the same with advertisers and viewer generated platform if it all shares the feel-good content. The channel leverages Ellen’s attitude that Ellentube’s viewers crave. powerful combination of broadcast Understanding the channel’s audience presence and social reach to drive fans to allows advertisers to forge a unified ethos the site and app. across all content types. Best Connected TV Platform VG News

VG News: Insights: The main news provider for over half of Even as it expanded into recordings and Norway’s population, VG News ventured smart speakers, VG News intentionally into new technology partnerships with created video content that could easily an eye toward audio. The network be converted onto audio-only platforms. integrated with smart-speaker technology It’s a reminder that the consumer’s digital and began recording updates for experience is interconnected — and circulation on Google Home devices. campaign elements should be, too. Grand Prix Best Advertiser in Video Hulu

Hulu Sellouts: Insights: With its Hulu Sellouts ad campaign, the Hulu recognized that viewers don’t mind video service introduced its live sports promotional tactics, as long as advertisers offerings to the masses — and happily level with them. Letting down the acknowledged paying influencers to guard a little can pay off, if it’s done with endorse its product. The campaign authenticity — and it drives campaign featured live TV spots, billboards, online success. banners, various social promotions and, of course, a he!y dose of influencer marketing from the likes of NBA players Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard and the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. Best Video Publisher Partner for Brands CH Media

CH Media: Insights: IAC’s CH Media, comprised of the digital Whether you’re selling gum, a phone brands CollegeHumor, Dorkly and service or prophylactics, CH Media Drawfee, partnered with a diverse array recognized a universal truth: Everyone of companies to create hysterical video likes to laugh. content for brands including Trojan, AT&T and Orbit. Digital Studio of the Year Culture Trip

Culture Trip: Insights: In three years of making video, the travel- Culture Trip demonstrated its grasp of focused digital studio covered 100 audience identity, shooting content countries. Culture Trip saw a pronounced on every continent to dovetail with its upward trajectory in hitting its KPIs, diverse demographics. Travel enthusiasts’ including editorial reach, user retention, attention can never be fixed in one place branded content revenue and travel — unless they’re taken on a wide-ranging business revenue. journey. Video Executive of the Year Peter Naylor, head of advertising sales, Hulu

Peter Naylor, head of Insights: advertising sales:

Under Naylor, Hulu expanded offerings By leveraging audience insights, Hulu for brands, rolled out new ad campaigns provided advertisers with a wealth of and interactive ad units. His efforts viewer-specific targeting options, and significantly increased the amount of consequently offered audiences more time that ad-supported viewers spent optimal ad experiences. If you have data, viewing ad content on the platform. use it to drive a UX that keeps viewers in That’s quite an achievement, given that sync with the campaigns that match them 70 percent of Hulu viewers use an ad- best. It’s a winning scenario for all. supported plan. DIGIDAY VIDEO AWARDS