• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, December 17, 2008

Marketing Daily is announcing the winners in several categories this year but, for the first time, is not naming an overall Marketer of the Year.

The industry is struggling to find its balance between the Old World, traditional media and methods and the New World, full of technological promise and ideas such as mobile coupons and social media.

Doing all this in an economy that is stretching budgets and energy to their limits does not make for the best in creativity, innovation and sales.

Yet, there were some lights shining through the fog, and Marketing Daily is honoring them with stories that will appear online Jan. 2 and in the January issue of OMMA Magazine. They are:

Retail Marketer of the Year: Wal-Mart

Food Marketer of the Year: Campbell Soup

Technology Marketer of the Year: HP

Financial Services Marketer of the Year: ING

Automotive Marketer of the Year: Subaru

Congratulations to all!

Meanwhile, OMMA will also publish stories about its Agencies of the Year. They are:

Gold Agency of the Year: Digitas

Silver Agency of the Year: OMD Digital

Bronze Agencies of the Year:

Web Design and Development: Schematic

Media Buying and Planning: Havas Digital

Creative: Firstborn

Search: GroupM Search

And MEDIA will let you in on the Media Agencies of the Year, which are:

Media Agency of the Year: MediaVest

Media Department of the Year: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Media Boutique of the Year: Michaelides & Bednash

Media Client of the Year: Barack Obama

Media Holding Company of the Year: (tie) VivaKi and GroupM

Media Supplier of the Year: Apple App Store