• by Tanya Gazdik , March 28, 2016

MediaPost awarded its inaugural automotive marketing awards last week at the New York International Auto Show, including the first-of-its-kind experiential award.

The “Best New York International Auto Show Experiential Program” honors the top immersive premise, execution and experiences as demonstrated during the course of the auto show. 

The finalists were determined by the jury after careful consideration of all of the exhibits on the show floor. They are Toyota Motor Co.'s Lexus brand, Chrysler Group's Dodge brand and Ford Motor Co.'s Ford division.

The award goes to Ford. The company’s live "social square" as well as other changes the automaker made to its display stand pushed it over the edge, says Scotty Reiss, co-founder, SheBuysCars.com and president of the International Motor Press Association. Imagination Labs, Detroit, created Ford's N.Y. Auto Show display.

“The entire stand has been completely redesigned for this year’s shows and integrates the lifestyle experience into the models,” Reiss notes. “So, for instance, you don’t just see a crossover, but rather a lifestyle you can identify with. There is merchandise that consumers can buy, a social media station, a button-making stand and in the truck area on the lower level they have a BraunAbility Explorer that lets customers see and experience how they can still have the style, capability and fun they want in an SUV.”

In addition to Reiss, the award selection jury included Ian Beavis, chief strategy officer, AMCI Global; Monik Sanghvi, chief strategy officer of Organic, Inc.; Will Travis, CEO and senior partner, Sid Lee USA; Jane Crisan, president and COO of R2C Group; Tanya Gazdik, marketing automotive editor, MediaPost and Karl Greenberg, previous marketing automotive editor, MediaPost. 

Representatives of the automakers and their agencies were on hand to receive the remaining awards on Thursday after the conclusion of MediaPost's Marketing:Automotive conference. 

Marketer of the year went to Thomas J. Doll, President, COO, Subaru Of America, who shared with the audience "Dog Tested," which debuted during the Super Bowl and is one of his favorite spots. 

Best integrated campaign was presented to Ford Motor Co. and its agency partner, Team Detroit, for Ford “By Design.” Accepting the award was Amy Green, marketing manager, East market for Ford.

The best Web site went to Jeep.com and the award was accepted by Eileen Wunderlich, manager, marketing communications at Chrysler Group LLC.

The best interactive campaign was awarded to Jaguar, “Art of Performance Tour” and its agency partner, Spark 44. Accepting the award was Kim Kyaw of Jaguar and Tony Hobley of Spark 44.

The best transcultural award went to Dodge, “Te Pondra a Prueba” / “It’ll Test You” and its agency partner, Lopez Negrete Communications. Accepting the award were Wunderlich and Martim Thomaz, account director, brand leadership, from Lopez Negrete Communications.