MEDIA magazine is pleased to present the ninth annual Creative Media Awards competition. The winners will be selected from finalists in each of the 21 categories you will read about in this supplement. In addition, the campaign deemed most outstanding overall will take home the coveted Best in Show award.

In order to raise awareness of dog whisperer Cesar Millan’s new cable network, the agency cleverly side-stepped social media and went straight for something with scale and velocity -- radio. It deployed 18 of the biggest DJs in the country to serve up dog-related questions to Cesar. The Q&As were customized to each market and the results, a 43% ratings growth season over season with 15,532 social posts (ranked fourth for evening in cable).

Throwing out “your mother’s media plan,” the agency turned to a local radio group whose on-air talent was willing to advocate the credit union, being members themselves. On-air testimonials paired with cross-promotions between the union and the DJs via social media drove engagements, leading to events and a four-week promotion inviting “escapes” not only from “your bank” but also from other unpleasant things. Results: a 47% increase in account openings, nearly doubling pre-campaign goals.

The Handcrafted by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store radio campaign was created as a way to deliver news and information about the Cracker Barrel brand and offerings. The Cracker Barrel spots feature a host with a group of players acting out scenes to support the particular message. Instead of using ordinary actors to fill the roles, they partnered with local Community Theaters from the towns and regions where stores were located. Partnering with local community theaters set this radio campaign apart, making it more authentic, local, handcrafted and a lot more interesting.

Syfy launched “Face Off Season Two,” a reality series where the best in special-effects makeup artistry compete for a $100,000 prize. Syfy wanted to grow the show’s audience and noted that Hispanic viewership was rising organically through season one. So the network decided to communicate directly with Hispanic Americans. Through TV, digital and mobile, Hispanics were targeted with reality-based TV shows, pre-roll ads and custom promotions. As a result, season two of Face Off more than doubled its Hispanic audience.

Despite the fact that Hispanic males are heavy consumers of online and digital media, the audience is severely underserved online with only about ten percent of online content in Spanish and almost none of it relevant to young Hispanic men. To fill this void, Heineken teamed up with Urban Daddy, a general-market lifestyle Web site known for city specific content for young people, to create the first-ever upscale Hispanic men’s lifestyle publication — Manero. Through email subscribers, Manero delivered weekly content that was buzz-worthy to the …

When AT&T was no longer the only carrier selling iPhones, they challenged their creative agency to find new and creative ways to reach influencers. Rezonate decided to go after the most influential group in tech: Young Asians (18-26). AT&T partnered with Asian YouTube producer Wong Fu Productions to create a crowd-sourced Web series featuring AT&T products and popular Asian youth celebrities Victor Kim and Jen Fromheadtotoe. The campaign went viral with over 10 million YouTube views to date. 

The success of UGG’s classic sheepskin boot eclipsed the brand’s other offerings. In order to highlight the men’s brand, UGG Australia enlisted KSL Media to craft “The Invisble Game” campaign. KSL engaged men through a multichannel approach that integrated video, digital, rich media, print, out of home, social and mobile to court the affluent 25-44 year old male. Footballer Tom Brady was the brand ambassador and played a large role in creating awareness. As a result, the brand saw a 354 percent lift in visits to the men’s …

History’s scripted drama, “Hatfields & McCoys” needed a campaign that revitalized the 150 year old family feud and to establish the History Channel as a go-to place for scripted entertainment. Horizon media crafted a flawless media plan using print, digital and traditional media. They also partnered with the boxing superfight of the year, Cotto v. Mayweather by branding one corner “Hatfield” and the other “McCoy.” The announcers throughout the fight used the titles. The first broadcast of the drama was the most watched entertainment telecast in cable history …

When Google chose Kansas City to launch its fiber-optic high speed Internet and TV, Google Fiber, PHD was created an integrated media plan to create a campaign that appealed to Kansas City residents. By using TV, radio, out of home, cinema, digital, mobile and experiential media, PHD crafted a successful media plan that qualified 180 neighborhoods out of 202 to qualify for the Google Fiber service, surpassing its initial goal of 120 neighborhoods.