A team of media planners from Zenith have been crowned this year’s NewsBrands Ireland ‘Power of Planning’ competition winners.
The team members, Aoife Bradbury, Scott Margetson, Natalie Clizia, Ciarán Campbell, and Alexander Glover created a media plan for a fictitious alcohol brand Ryan’s Stout using the various print and digital platforms of NewsBrands Ireland’s publishers.
The Ryan’s Stout plan stood out for its clear strategy and publisher selection, and creative use of news brands platforms.
‘Highly Commended’ prizes were given to teams from Mindshare and PHD.
This year’s Power of Planning competition was an entirely remote affair with teams being invited to immerse themselves in all things news brands on May 5th by attending the NewsBrands Engage Virtual Conference on May 5th and then networking with publisher advertising teams in a virtual conference hall. Each team was then given a brief and just 24 hours to create a media plan with their teammates.
The next day, each team made a five minute Zoom presentation to the judging panel made up of Aoife Hofler, Javelin, Melissa Byrne, Sky Ireland, and Lisa Buckley, NewsBrands Ireland. Teams were judged on the basis of five criteria: Interpretation of the Brief; Strategic Thinking; Best Use of the Medium; Use of Budget; and Presentation Skills.
“The team presented an impressive media strategy and plan that was very well executed. They really brought their ideas to life in the presentation and the creativity within the news brands platforms was excellent. It was clear they had really understood the brief and worked collaboratively to devise a great presentation, a real achievement in such a short time frame,” says Melissa Byrne.
“The standard of each of the 12 entries was very impressive. This competition is so valuable each year and particularly to the young planners. It is a quick, sharp learning curve where each team must delve deep into the power, relevance and strength of print and online news publishers. They then practically apply their knowledge to a real brief against the clock. A truly great and memorable learning experience for our junior talent,” adds Aoife Hofler.
According to Lisa Buckley of NewsBrands Ireland: “We were really impressed by the enthusiasm and energy each team brought to the competition. Bearing in mind that all these teams had the extra challenge of working remotely, the media plans were excellently put together with lots of creativity and strategy on show. It is really encouraging to see a new generation of media people embracing the range of different opportunities that news publishers now provide. “
