The Australasian Catalogue Association (ACA) hosted its 27th Annual ACA Awards last Friday night, highlighting a strong focus on effective marketing with the addition of new categories – Point of Sale, Customer Insights and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Awards attendees were welcomed on the night with the news that next year’s awards will be known as The Real Media Awards, following the launch of The Real Media Collective – three industry associations, ACA, TSA Limited and APIA, coming together to form a strong and united industry position. “We are joining with our Member Partners TSA and APIA to promote print as real media. Real media as it represents print, a media channel that is real in its physical form and real in that it delivers real results. We enter the next year embracing the 2019 Real Media Awards and we look forward to seeing attendance and entry numbers continue to grow,” commented Kellie Northwood, CEO, ACA.
The event, held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s prestigious Melbourne Room, was a successful evening celebrating print as a strong marketing platform across Australia and New Zealand. With an attendance of over 600 guests, the room was filled with retailers, creatives, agencies, printers and distributors all awaiting to hear who had been crowned as award winners of the night. Australia’s funny-man, Dave O’Neil, kept everyone entertained as Master of Ceremonies throughout the 41-category ceremony.
PMP Limited and Franklin Web (an IVE business) stood out on the night with their catalogue and point of sale productions taking home major awards. PMP Limited printed Myer’s ‘Myer Christmas #2 Augmented Reality’ catalogue that won ‘Judges’ Choice’, and Franklin Web printed Kmart’s ‘Inspired Living’ catalogue crowned winner of the new category, ‘Customer Insights’.
Other printers that received recognition on the evening were, Complete Colour Solutions for Beacon Lighting ‘Designers Lighting & Fan Collection’, Lindsay Yates Group for Freehold Capital’s ‘On Bourke’, Rooster for APT’s ‘Small Ships Antarctica, Arctic & Northern Europe’, and Gunn and Taylor for Claire Skinner’s ‘Transcendence’ in the Excellence in Craft category ‘Best in Class’. A commendable effort was devoted to creating these outstanding printed pieces showcasing the printer’s craft and partnership with their brand customers.
“Every year the ACA Awards go from strength to strength in celebrating the diversity and ever-growing nature of catalogue and letterbox marketing. It is a privilege to work with so many PMP clients who value this marketing channel and its critical impact generating sales for their businesses. I am proud to be part of an amazing industry producing catalogues we know Australians and New Zealanders love. I’m also excited to see the Association expand and am looking forward to The Real Media Awards next year,” Adrian O’Connor, CEO, Print & Distribution, PMP Limited.
Natalie Taylor, National Sales Director, Franklin WEB (an IVE business) commented, “This year’s event focus on the broader print industry shows how much the Association and industry has grown with our customers. From the planning phase to delivery, printers are part of the entire journey. Franklin WEB is a Member of The Real Media Collective and are thrilled with the announcement of The Real Media Awards.”
Kellie Northwood, Chief Executive Officer, ACA commented, “We’ve seen many more commercial printers entering for their retail work and pushing the print boundaries further to connect with audiences and build
brand equity. It’s a true collaboration between agencies, retailers and printers to produce the best possible campaigns for their customers.”
“Tonight is an important night for our industry as we celebrate our united front heading into the year ahead as The Real Media Collective allowing us to put our best foot forward for the industry. As The Real Media Collective we will be working with our Member partners to deliver lecture series, events and more to promote the collaborative effort of the retailers, agencies, printers and distributors when working within a powerful, strong and sustainable industry. We look forward to seeing everyone at The Real Media Awards next year,” Northwood concluded