What you need to know:

• Finalists announced.
• Winners unveiled 13 October.
• Tickets here.

MFA Awards finalists had to pass muster with some 150 judges, per the association, with winners based on those that have driven best brand and business results across the short and long term, according to MFA CEO, Sophie Madden.

“The judges were blown away by the quality of the strategic thinking and the level of effectiveness delivered through innovation and collaboration. The entries in the 2022 MFA Awards demonstrate that the work being produced by Australian media agencies is up there with the best in the world,” added Madden, “so all finalists should be incredibly proud of their achievement.”

The brands and agencies in the mix are:

Agency talent & culture

• Initiative’s Choice Charter, Initiative 
• Value-driven culture shines under pressure, The Media Store
• The Flow Profit Share, This is Flow

Behaviour change

• Australian Government – Department of Social Services, Stop it at the Start – Phase 3, UM
• City of Melbourne, Get to the city or get FOMO, Zenith Media
• Gotcha4Life, Boys Do Cry, Initiative 
• McDonald’s, Macca’s Monopoly – Game on!, OMD
• NSW Government – Department of Customer Services, Let’s Do This NSW!, UM

Best long-term results

• NSW Government, Did someone say KFC?, MediaCom
• Toyota Motor Corporation Australia, Love delivers long-term trust – elevating actions through adversity, The Media Store
• Colgate-Palmolive, Colgate Smile Strong, Wavemaker

Best use of content

• IAG, A Fire Inside, Initiative
• KFC, KFC Degustation, MediaCom
• Grey Goose, The Grey Goose Garden Bar: Smooth Sounds of Audio Enhanced Cocktails, OMD
• UN Women Australia, #EmpowerMoves, UM

Best Use of data & analytics

• McDonald’s, Macca’s Monopoly – Game on!, OMD
• Virgin Australia, Virgin Australia Real-Time Routes, PHD

Brand impact

• Repco, High Octane Highjacks, Initiative
• IAG, A Fire Inside, Initiative
• National Australia Bank, NAB JAB – One jab closer to, Mindshare
• Suncorp, Suncorp One House, OMD & Leo Burnett
• Volkswagen Group Australia, Golf Ad Break Championship, PHD

Bravery

• IAG, CGU Tall Poppy, Initiative
• KFC, KFC Degustation, MediaCom
• Volkswagen Group Australia, Golf Ad Break Championship, PHD

Business Impact

• Mars Petcare Australia, #CatsinBoxes by WHISKAS, MediaCom
• Mars Petcare Australia, Caturday Nights with Dine, MediaCom

Environmental, social & governance (ESG)

• Goodman Fielder, Wonder Recycling Rewards, Initiative 
• Gotcha4Life, Boys Do Cry, Initiative
• Google Australia, In Our Image, PHD & Google

Innovation in media 

• Amazon Prime Video, The wheel of Time, LADbible Group & Rufus by Initiative
• Mars Petcare Australia, #CatsinBoxes by WHISKAS, MediaCom
• Volkswagen Group Australia, Golf Ad Break Championship, PHD

Partnerships

• Mars Petcare Australia, #CatsinBoxes by WHISKAS, MediaCom
• Suncorp, Suncorp One House, OMD & Leo Burnett
• Toyota Motor Corporation Australia, A “mobile” Partnership accelerates Toyota’s mobility reinvention, The Media Store & The Seven Network

Pro bono/cause marketing incentive

• Gotcha4Life, Boys Do Cry, Initiative
• Dolly’s Dream, MediaCom x Dolly’s Dream, MediaCom
• UN Women Australia, #EmpowerMoves, UM

Real-time marketing

• Mars Wrigley Australia, M&M’s commentate from the Gogglebox couch, MediaCom
• National Australia Bank, NAB Federal Budget 2021, Mindshare
• Virgin Australia, Virgin Australia Real-Time Routes, PHD

 NGEN award

• Alice-Maree Raitt, Carat
• Ben Breden & Olivia Coxon, Initiative 
• Kate O’Loughlin & Leah Franco, Initiative
• Rikki Stern & Summer Treseder, Initiative
• Bobbie Hansen & Charles Cripps, Initiative
• Cameron Ho & Vedant Agarwal, Match & Wood

Tickets here.