Nominees Announced April 2nd
Honoring the Best
of the Internet

The 13th Annual Webby Awards Unveil Interactive Advertising Nominees

For Immediate Release:

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Gita Chandra (gita@pkpr.com)

Patrick Kowalczyk (patrick@pkpr.com)

PKPR, 212.627.8098

THE 13th ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS UNVEIL INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING NOMINEES

 

R/GA, Wieden + Kennedy, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and HyperFactory Lead
List of Agencies Receiving Multiple Nods

www.webbyawards.com/nominees
http://pv.webbyawards.com

New York, NY (April 14, 2009) – From can’t-live-without mobile apps to offbeat guerilla marketing campaigns on Facebook, the nominees unveiled today for the 13th Annual Webby Awards reveal how interactive advertising is increasingly shaping popular culture.

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, online film and video, interactive advertising, and mobile Websites.

Nominees harnessing platforms like social networks, mobile, and video to impact popular culture include Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s Facebook-based phenomenon “Whopper Sacrifice” (Online Guerilla & Innovation), 42 Entertainment’s cross-platform viral hit “Why So Serious? The Dark Knight Alternate Reality”(Integrated Campaigns; Viral Marketing), the ubiquitous “Yearbook Yourself” by Colle + McVoy (Viral Marketing), and “The Extreme Sticky Notes Experiments” for Post-It (Branded Content) by Eepybird, the duo behind the famous Diet Coke and Mentos videos.

A list of all nominees can be found at: www.webbyawards.com/nominees.

Unlike other awards shows, where only judges choose the winners, The Webby Awards also give the public an opportunity to decide who will take home a Webby. Starting today through April 30, the entire advertising community is invited to cast their votes in The Webby People’s Voice Awards at http://pv.webbyawards.com

R/GA’s 14 nominations put the agency in contention for the first-ever Agency of the Year Award, which will be presented to the agency that performs the best across all Webby Awards categories. Other agencies in contention include: Wieden + Kennedy (8 nominations), Crispin, Porter + Bogusky (8), Hyperfactory (8), DDB (6), Razorfish (5), Goodby Silverstein + Partners (4), BBDO (4), Lean Mean Fighting Machine (3), Poke (3), and Euro RSCG (3). Of the advertising holding companies, the two front-runners are Omnicom with 17 nominations, followed by Interpublic with 15.

“This year’s nominees underscore online advertising’s escalating influence on popular culture, thanks to the innovative use of platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and mobile phones to permeate the public mindset,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards. “By leveraging these new platforms, these brilliant campaigns are engaging with audiences in new and effective ways.”

This year’s winners will be announced on May 5th, 2009 and honored at a star-studded ceremony in New York City on June 8th. The gala, hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers, will showcase the Webby’s famous five-word speeches. Past headline-grabbing speechmakers include Al Gore (“Please don’t recount this vote”) and Stephen Colbert (“Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.”)

The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 650-person judging academy whose members include Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s Alex Bogusky, Betawave’s Matt Freeman, AKQA’s Rei Inamoto, and TBWA’s Colleen DeCourcy.

For information on nominees in Webby Awards categories honoring film and video, interactive advertising, and mobile content, visit www.webbyawards.com/press/press-releases/.

About The Webby Awards

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 13th Annual Webby Awards received over 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Microsoft Silverlight; The Creative Group; .ORG; Getty Images; The Barbarian Group; Digital Kitchen; Variety; Wired; IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image.

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