Orlando -- USA Network/NBCUniversal and Cinemax were singled out for marketing excellence at the CTAM Summit, where 192 Mark Awards were presented.
CTAM CEO Char Beales presented USA Network/NBCUniversal with the “Top of the Mark Award” for their “Characters Unite Month” multimedia campaign. USA succeeded in shining an even brighter spotlight on the issues of prejudice and discrimination, while promoting tolerance and respect, the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing said.
The effort garnered 440 million earned media impressions, a 74% increase in Facebook fans and changed the lives of participating students, who said the program was the “best week of their lives,” CTAM said. Pictured above are, from left, 2012 Mark Awards Committee chair Kenetta Bailey of TV One; Toby Graff of USA Network; Fred Haug of NBCUniversal and Beales, presenting the Top of the Mark (photo by John Staley).
Beales handed out CTAM’s “Most Innovative” award to Cinemax for the “Strike Back SuperWall,” which raised consumer and industry awareness for the premium net’s first-ever original series: Strike Back.
The marketing tactic hinged on the “Strike Back” SuperWall – a large-scale interactive billboard spanning across 18 46-inch screens in New York’s Herald Square. Four embedded portals allowed users to interact with the wall’s digital mainframe to learn more about Strike Back.
Among the content providers, HBO won the most awards at 25, Showtime Networks Inc. followed with 23 and Viacom Networks with 22.
Time Warner Cable won the most Mark Awards among cable companies with eight, followed by Cablevision and Cox with four each.
Teams of experienced marketing and agency executives chose the winners over four days of judging in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C.
