2025 Award Entries
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MII AIM Awards 2025 Shortlists by Category
The MII AIM Awards recognise and reward the sophisticated and often complex role that marketing plays in successfully resolving business challenges and capitalising on market opportunities. As such, your contribution to the success of your business can be recognised through any one or more of the 20+ categories. Please find below the MII AIM Awards shortlist by category. Click the category heading to learn more about the category and find the list of shortlisted entries.
New Product Development (NPD) Award
In delivering strategies for business growth, today’s marketing practitioner must master the skills of bringing new products and services to market, consistent with the overall business and marketing strategies. Successful NPD includes uncovering insight, analysis of the competitive environment, management of internal stakeholders and systems to help to deliver the new product / service, and a clear understanding of the commercial market opportunity. This award will recognise those who have uncovered and transformed a market opportunity into a successful product or service. You will highlight how you uncovered insight, analysed market opportunity, managed the internal NPD processes and stakeholders, and executed the launch to lead to measurable results.
Marketing Innovation Award
This category excludes new product development (NPD) which is a separate award category. The Marketing Innovation Award will recognise those who champion a culture of continuous improvement through innovation across the organisation, developing and or applying new thinking, technologies and solutions that lead to sustained business development over time.
The judges want to hear about your journey, the stakeholder engagement, how the idea was conceived, how your innovative thinking evolved and addressed the business challenge or opportunity. The journey should include details of stakeholder management and how the culture of innovation and creativity was fostered and sustained. Entries could involve the development of a new marketing strategy or activity, the launch of a groundbreaking new proposition, or an application of an innovative new technology, generating business success.
Gradam Margaíochta le Gaeilge
Differentiation is key in marketing, and using the Irish language in the marketing mix can be a powerful way of standing out from the crowd. Many Irish businesses seek ways to emphasize their origin and brand values to build stronger connections with the audience. The judges are looking for examples of companies which have harnessed the marketing potential of the Irish language and bilingualism and used this to support branding and positioning in the marketplace. Entrants may be using Irish to attract new customers, increase customer loyalty, harness goodwill, gain a marketing edge over competitors, or enhance their public relations efforts.
Tá an t-idirdhealú ríthábhachtach sa mhargaíocht, agus is bealach an-láidir é úsáid na Gaeilge mar chuid den mhargaíocht le seasamh amach ón slua. Bíonn a lán comhlachtaí Éireannacha ag lorg bealaí le béim a chur ar a ndúchas agus ar luachanna a mbranda. Tá na moltóirí ag lorg samplaí de ghnólachtaí a bhain leas as an bhféidearthacht mhargaíochta a bhaineann leis an nGaeilge agus leis an dátheangachas, agus a d’úsáid seo le tacú le brandáil agus le suí a aimsiú sa mhargadh. Féadfaidh iontrálaithe a bheith ag úsáid na Gaeilge le custaiméirí nua a mhealladh, le cur le dílseacht custaiméirí, dea-thoil a fháil, buntáiste margaíochta a bhreith ar iomaitheoirí, nó a n-iarrachtaí maidir le caidreamh poiblí a fheabhsú.
Insights & Market Research Award
Accurate and complete information and insights are the foundation stones of any successful business because they reduce business risk. Marketing decision makers need to determine the feasibility of ideas before committing substantial resources to them. The processes of market research which systematically gathers and interprets data using statistical and analytical techniques of applied science are therefore essential to business success in our increasingly complex world. This award will recognise a business which has demonstrated excellence in the use of market research to uncover insights that led to sound marketing decisions and consequent business success
eCommerce Marketing Award
Mastering digital as a marketing, sales and or distribution channel is key for many businesses. There are multiple routes to market within ecommerce, from social selling to Amazon to direct-to-customer strategies. Business success in our digital world is often aligned with effective digital channel selection and management, allowing for seamless transactions with both supplier and channel partners, and of course customers and consumers. The judges will award the strategic thinking that has driven business growth (and addresses opportunities and challenges) through the deployment of ecommerce strategies, examining the selection of partners, management of relationships, optimisation of business process, use of technology, regulatory management and focus on customer / consumer engagement.
Sports Sponsorship Award
Sports is big business and attracts an ever-growing number of consumers and customers, offering a unique opportunity for engagement at a deeper emotional level. Sponsorship is the acquisition of the rights of an association. The selection of the sponsorship and the way it is leveraged will determine the marketing success of the programme, this award will go to the organisation that has demonstrated from strategy through to execution, an effective sports sponsorship partnership which has delivered exceptional results such as increased brand affinity, revenues and or market share. The judges will want to understand why the specific sports partnership creates a connection with the audience and how that led to success. The winner will be considered for entry into the European Sponsorship Association “Best of Europe” category.
International Marketing Award
International marketing capability is key to export performance and vital to our island’s economy. International markets are an essential route to growth for many Irish companies who are limited by a finite home market. This award aims to recognise both B2C and B2B businesses which have achieved exceptional success in exporting a product or service off our island. The judges will look for evidence of clear strategic thinking, robust market objectives, rigorous research and planning, and implementation of localised strategies in the target markets, resulting in business success. This may have included launching new products or services abroad, implementing new distribution strategies, or opening new key accounts.
Integrated Marketing Award
Corporate Social Responsibility Award
Businesses today are more conscious of the need for exemplary corporate citizenship, driven not just by stakeholder expectations, but also by the business impact of an enhanced corporate reputation and consequent brand loyalty. Marketing is the key to success in CSR, as this is the function with the deepest expertise in meaningful communication and engagement. This award aims to recognise businesses which are leading the field in CSR. Entrants should be able to point to customer and employee engagement, the linking of the CSR initiative with the brand identity, and the results and benefits obtained.
Entries may reference sustainability initiatives in this category, but please note that there is a dedicated Sustainability Award.
Advertising Campaign Award
Marketing Team of the Year Award
Teams which bring together a range of complementary skills and leverage these successfully can often point to extraordinary results. This award will go to a marketing team which can demonstrate how it has created an inordinately high level of business performance, encompassing both strategic perspective and tactical implementation skills. The judges will look for evidence of the impact that teamwork had on performance, focusing on team development and organisation, clear definition of roles, allocation of tasks, generation and sharing of ideas, team motivation, a culture of support, open communications, problem solving and measurement methods.
Client Agency Collaboration Award
Marketers hire agencies for their expertise and their broad external perspective, but getting the best results for the business requires a special collaborative effort by both parties, establishing a relational framework encompassing role clarity and healthy challenge to bring out the best of both teams. Great client-agency collaboration can create a boost for the brand and the business, and this award aims to highlight instances where this has been done excellently. The award will be made jointly to the client/agency based upon their success in generating empathy and trust, bonding around a shared mission, unlocking business potential and triggering exceptional results. Entrants may include agencies operating in any discipline that is directed by the marketing team e.g., advertising, digital, media, sponsorship, research and so on.
Brand Campaign Award
Marketers seek to optimise brand equity, the inherent value that positively differentiates it from equivalent alternatives in the hearts and minds of their consumers and customers. This award will be made to a business that can demonstrate its success in creating and executing a brand campaign that creates sustainable competitive differentiation through clarity and relevance built on the brand’s essence and values. The business that can highlight this and the subsequent commercial impact will be awarded.
Entries may choose to focus on programmes around strategic brand repositioning, brand identity, new value propositions and so forth.
Customer Experience Award
Great customer experience (CX) drives loyalty and improves the lifetime value of the relationship. It refers to the cumulative impact of multiple touch points over the course of a customer’s interaction with an organisation over time, measured against the individual’s expectations. Organisations that master CX achieve exceptional satisfaction levels, leading to increased customer loyalty and consequent business success. This is invariably based upon a deep customer-centric approach. This award will recognise organisations that are performing to the highest levels in CX, with a compelling shared CX vision, a joined-up strategy, a commensurate culture, customer journey mapping and consistent delivery, culminating in excellent business results.
Entertainment Sponsorship Award
Entertainment sponsorship can be a potent marketing tool in building and the brand relationship with consumers and customers, from building brand awareness through to affinity. It can afford the brand an important opportunity to engage with customers and consumers on a deeper emotional level. The judges will be looking at the selection criteria for choosing the specific entertainment programme and will want to understand why and how this addressed your business challenge or capitalised on your business opportunity. This award will go to the organisation that has demonstrated, from strategy through to execution, an effective entertainment sponsorship partnership which has delivered exceptional results such as increased brand affinity, revenues and or market share. Importantly, the judges will want to understand why this particular partnership has created the unique connection with the audience and how that led to success. The winner will be considered for entry into the European Sponsorship Association “Best of Europe” category.
Public Relations Campaign Award
Public Relations is a powerful marketing discipline which aims to connect a business and its key audiences, normally through earned or free media. PR can deliver benefits by building awareness and conveying brand values in both the short and long term. It is seen as providing greater credibility than paid advertising, due to media objectivity, and is therefore a valuable marketing technique. Entrants for this award should be able to demonstrate how they have deployed PR in ways that support marketing strategies. The judges will look for clarity of goals, tight definition of target audiences, coherent themes, creativity in execution, and meaningful measurement.
B2B Marketing Award
B2B marketing manages a unique set of challenges typified by complex buying processes where the team is managing a greater number of decision-makers, coping with higher perceived risk due to the size of the contract values and over longer lead-to-close timeframes. Marketers in this area must be expert at building business relationships and negotiating with multiple stakeholders across the different stages of the buying cycle. This award is aimed at organisations that have successfully developed and delivered B2B marketing strategies, with a demonstrated success rate in targeting, tracking and closing opportunities to deliver sustainable and profitable growth. The innovative use of technology and digital marketing will be considered. It will be important to highlight how customer relationships are being built over time and entries that demonstrate the delivery of lifetime customer value will be rewarded.
Sustainability Award
With the world at a tipping point regarding environmental, societal, and economic responsibility, now more than ever is the time for business to embrace sustainability and for marketers to take the leadership role. Consumer’s expectations of brands have never been so high and the opportunities for purpose driven responsible business growth are accelerating. By authentically aligning a brand or business’s purpose to the issues that really matter to people, the problems that need solving in society and on our planet, marketers have an opportunity to take action to drive positive change.
This award looks to acknowledge and recognise businesses which are leading the field in the increasingly critical activity of sustainable, responsible business. Entrants should be able to demonstrate how the entire business was harnessed, including the brands and employees, to ensure the promotion of sustainability and how the impact of their actions has driven results and benefits to the business.
Small Business Marketing Award
The SME sector is a large and vital element in the economy of our island. Smaller companies must be particularly clever in marketing themselves and their offerings in order to compete against larger and more powerful competitors, both domestically and internationally. This award is aimed at small businesses that have thought strategically about their competitive challenges, deployed effective marketing strategies to tackle them, and consequently achieved breakthroughs and profitable growth. Of particular interest will be the clever leveraging of limited resources and budgets, and the demonstration of creativity and flair in creating their success. For example, entrants may highlight their competence in areas such as competitive positioning and value proposition development, target audience profiling and insights, the use of technology to deliver business growth, new product development and so forth.
For the purpose of this category, a Small Business is classified as having less than 50 employees and / or less than €10 million in turnover. In order to enter and win this category, you must meet this criteria.
Digital Marketing Campaign
The on-going development of technology, especially in the area of digital marketing, has greatly enhanced the opportunity for businesses to reach and engage their audiences, often in a two-way dialogue. There are increased opportunities to understand the impact of our marketing investment, affording insights for greater audience engagement, the optimisation of budgets and improved outcomes for the business. Entrants for this award should be able to demonstrate how they have devised and executed a specific digital marketing campaign (B2C and or B2B), leveraged technology to create real engagement with carefully targeted audiences, and delivered clearly defined results.
Young Marketer Award
Please note that entrants must not be older than 26 years of age on May 1st, 2024.
This award category has been designed to give recognition to a talented young marketer and graduates on graduate programmes are eligible and encouraged to enter. To be considered, you will need to be nominated by your company and the nomination should show the impact that the individual has had on the business. The Young Marketer should be “one to watch” with star quality, and individual who demonstrates initiative, creativity, imagination, adaptability and has a genuine passion for marketing. They should be driven to succeed and have clear goals and ambitions. The submission should talk about the individual’s talents, personality, application of marketing principles and their positive impact on the team and the business.
The judging panel will look for a clear demonstration of how this young and upcoming marketeer has made an impact and clearly demonstrated marketing best practice.
Strategic Pricing Award
As one the original 4P’s, pricing plays a vital role in delivering competitive differentiation in the market, enhancing perceived brand value and equity. Pricing is a strategic tool that has many
applications in resolving business challenges as well as exploiting opportunities and or defending market share. As this is a new category for 2024, we are offering you some suggestions on the
entries you may wish to create but this is not an exhaustive list. You might demonstrate how pricing was successfully used for competitive brand positioning at higher and or lower price points, creating and sustaining brand value and equity, building brand loyalty, as a component in new product launches and or brand extensions, and or of course promotional activity. The entry must focus on addressing a business challenge or opportunity and highlight how the strategic management of pricing successfully resolved the challenge or capitalised on the opportunity. The winning case will highlight how pricing built a sustainable and profitable business.
