MMA 2016: Universal MCCANN reasserts supremacy

UNIVERSAL McCann (UM) reasserted its supremacy in 2016 (interrupted by the gap in 2015 when it withdrew from the competition) at the glitzy 12th Malaysian Media Awards (MMA) held at One World Hotel, Petaling Jaya on June 2, 2016.

It achieved an enviable victory margin accruing 50% higher points compared with second-placed Vizeum – perhaps a fitting tribute to departing CEO Prashant Kumar, who had carefully steered the meteoric rise of UM for more than a decade.

Accolades earned by UM included five Gold, four Silver and two Bronze awards, accumulating 30 points, besides securing unrivalled recognition as “Agency of the Year” and “Advertiser of the Year”, along with the coveted “Grand Prix” award.

McCann also clinched the Gold for “Best Use of Newspapers/ Magazines”, a campaign for Tune Protect that was executed in collaboration with theSun.

Our report on Wednesday, June 1, had analysed the situation currently being encountered by the Media Specialists Association (MSA), forcing media specialists to “work collectively” towards prioritising and pursuing a larger industry agenda: to regroup, consolidate and rejuvenate their relevance, role, efficacy and value-added contribution, in rapidly evolving market conditions.

Reiterating the observations he had made to theSun, MSA president Andreas Vogiatzakis reminded media specialists that they were “currently standing at a crossroads, facing more challenges than ever before”.

These challenges include “intense media fragmentation, cautious client investments, a slowly recovering economy, dynamic digital explosion” and disruptive competition from multiple players.

He also reinforced the importance of MSA (and the MMA) in raising the local media industry standards.

MMA 2016 organising chairman Kagee Chew (UM) proudly reflected on the increase in participation of MSA members this year.

“Sharing the same Olympic spirit of driving excellence, friendship and respect, our target was to activate non-active members through a number of initiatives, among others, exempting the participation fee, as well as providing assistance for copywriting and video production.”

Initiated in 2004, MMA recognises and rewards some of the most outstanding media campaigns across Malaysia. A total of 248 submissions vied for 12 competing categories. Besides accolades and recognition, MMA Gold winners were rewarded with cash prizes totalling RM180,000 via the MSA Talent Learning Programme.

WINNERS LIST

▶ GRAND PRIX
Universal McCann – KFC

▶ ADVERTISER OF THE YEAR
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM)

▶ AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Universal McCann

▶ BEST USE OF TELEVISION/ CINEMA SCREEN – GOLD
Vizeum Media Services (M) Sdn Bhd – Huawei

▶ BEST USE OF SPONSORSHIP – GOLD
Vizeum Media Services (M) Sdn Bhd –Panasonic Corporate

▶ BEST USE OF BRANDED CONTENT ON SCREEN – GOLD
Universal McCann – TM

▶ BEST USE OF DIGITAL (online/ interactive/mobile) – GOLD
Universal McCann – KFC

▶ BEST USE OF DIGITAL PERFORMANCE MARKETING – GOLD
Initiative Media – Maxis

▶ BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA – GOLD
Universal McCann – TM

▶ BEST USE OF OUT OF HOME MEDIA/POS MEDIA – GOLD
Vizeum Media Services (M) Sdn Bhd – Nippon Paint. Total Coatings Expert

▶ BEST USE OF ACTIVATION/ EVENTS – GOLD
Zenith Malaysia – PETRONAS Group

▶ BEST USE OF SMALL BUDGET (under RM100,000) – Excluding Digital – GOLD
Viizeum Media Services (M) Sdn Bhd – Fashion Valet

▶ BEST USE OF ABC AUDITED NEWSPAPERS/ MAGAZINES (ABC AUDITED PUBLICATIONS) – GOLD
Universal McCann – Tune Protect

▶ BEST USE OF RADIO / AUDIO – GOLD
Zenith Malaysia – PETRONAS Group

▶ BEST USE OF INTEGRATED MEDIA CAMPAIGN – GOLD
Universal McCann – KFC

MMA ORGANISING CHAIRPERSONS (TILL 2016)