The Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX), the industry association for Boston-area digital media and marketing companies, handed out its 13th annual “Interactive Awards” last night in a ceremony at the Boston Marriott Copley Place hotel.
A kind of multimedia version of the national Clio awards, but recognizing the years’ most creative advertising campaigns by New England-area companies, the MITX awards go mostly to firms and agencies that are exploring new ways to use the Web and related media to reach consumers with marketing messages.
For example, the Best Use of Technology award went to Hangout.net, a collection of virtual social gathering spaces introduced earlier this year by Boston’s Hangout Industries (profiled here in September). Members of the free Hangout service can customize their avatars and personal spaces with virtual items from real-world brands and retailers, such as posters from Art.com and clothes modeled on real garb from Threadless T-shirts.
And the Best in Show award—as well as the Best Brand Campaign and Best Integrated Campaign awards—went to Westborough, MA-based electric and gas utility National Grid and its agency Mullen, for the National Grid Floe website, where cuddly animated polar bears help consumers gauge the carbon dioxide emissions that result from their personal energy usage. The website was part of a multimedia campaign that spanned TV ads, online banner ads, and guerilla marketing activities.
“This year’s award winners are some of the world’s most innovative marketing and creative experts that help national and local brands connect with their audiences through the use of technology,” MITX exectuve director Kiki Mills said in a statement.
Here’s the full list of winners, with links to the winning projects, where available.
| Category | Project | Agency/Creator |
| Applied Technology | Hill Holliday-Visual IQ Digital Marketing Analytics Platform for Liberty Mutual | Visual IQ with Hill Holliday, for Liberty Mutual |
| Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals | MS LifeLines Magazine & Newsletter: A Patient Retention Campaign | Cramer for EMD Serono, Inc |
| Consumer Goods | The Skinny on Mustard | Genuine Interactive for Reckitt Benckiser (French’s Mustard) |
| Corporate Training and Support | Join Bain | Sapient Interactive for Bain & Company |
| Education and Learning | Firefly Watch | Museum of Science |
| Educational Institution | Harvard Business School MBA site | iFactory for Harvard Business School |
| Entertainment/Sports | The Andromeda Strain – Wildfire Lab | Pod Digital Design for A&E Television |
| Financial Services | Charles River Ventures Corporate Web Site | Hunt & Gather for Charles River Ventures |
| Health and Fitness | Halifax Health Website | Acsys Interactive for Halifax Health |
| Kids, ‘Tweens & Teens | FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman | WGBH Interactive for WGBH Educational Foundation |
| Media | Network World.com | Network World, Inc |
| Mobile | LaundryView Lite for Mac-Gray Corporation | Pixel Bridge for Mac-Gray Corporation |
| Best Brand Campaign | National Grid Power of Action Campaign | Mullen for National Grid |
| Best Direct Response Campaign | Comcast Business Class Spring Promotion Acquisition Campaign | OTOi, a One to One Interactive Company for Comcast |
| Best Integrated Campaign | National Grid Power of Action Campaign | Mullen for National Grid |
| Best Use of Mobile | IKEA Catalog ‘Find It’ Sweeps | Valassis 1 to 1 Solutions for IKEA |
| Best Use of Search | Harley-Davidson Paid Search Marketing 2008 | Overdrive Interactive for Harley-Davidson |
| Best Use of Social Media | Burma It Can’t Wait | Digital Influence Group for Fanista |
| Best Use of Video | Used Car Ambush | Mullen with Struck for General Motors Corp. (GM Certified Used Vehicles) |
| Best Use of Sponsorship | Comcast Pandora Sponsorship | OTOi, a One to One Interactive Company for Comcast |
| Nonprofit/Government | Revels.org Website Redesign | ISITE Design for Revels |
| Online Commerce | Rockport Global Web Store | gsi interactive – a division of GSI Commerce for The RockportCompany, LLC |
| Professional Services | EY Insight | Molecular with Carat for Ernst & Young |
| Real Estate | Rentomatic Investment Instruments Corp | |
| Rich Internet Application (RIA) | Valassis ‘PromoCircular’ | Valassis for Valassis |
| Technology | HP Showroom | Oasis Technology Partners for Goodby, Silverstein and Partners |
| Travel, Tourism and Hospitality | Water Recreation Site | Digitas for Holiday Inn |
| Web 2.0 and Social Networking | Building Brand, Content and Capital through Facebook | TripAdvisor |
| Best User Experience | Join Bain | Sapient Interactive for Bain & Company |
| Best Engagement | The Skinny on Mustard | Genuine Interactive for Reckitt Benckiser (French’s Mustard) |
| Interactive Marketer of the Year | Liberty Mutual | |
| Best Use of Technology | Hangout | Hangout Industries |
| Best of Show | National Grid Power of Action Campaign / Floe | Mullen for National Grid |
