By A Correspondent

The Mobile Marketing Association unveiled the winners of the second annual Smarties APAC 2014 at a Gala in Singapore recently. A global contest that showcases the ‘best of the best’ in the industry, the Smarties Awards honour solid mobile strategies that address specific business challenges through the creative use of mobile technologies. Winners were declared in 21 categories, including two new creative categories: Best Brand Experience in Mobile Rich Media and Most Engaging Mobile Creative.

“Today, mobile is not simply a nice-to-have or must-have. Mobile is a must-do-well for brands and their agencies. Our winners have demonstrated their ability communicate their brand’s story with mobile using creative concepts that lead to market performance,” said Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association Asia Pacific.

An analysis of the winning entries, presented at the event by research agency and Knowledge Partner, Millward Brown, found that successful brands and marketing strategies had well-defined clarity of purpose with 70 percent of winners identifying a specific objective of increasing sales. 80 percent of the winners also had a precise role for mobile using the channel’s unique strengths such as location, payments, and targeting. 86 percent of winners at the Smarties APAC 2014 Awards used multiple channels to boost the impact of their campaigns.

Winners were selected following a rigorous process involving over 80 senior marketers and agency leaders. This year’s awards saw a 40 percent increase in the number of entries, and judges reviewed campaigns from 15 countries across Asia-Pacific before choosing winners.

“I’d like to thank all my fellow jury members for their time and valuable insight. We selected the winners after eight hours of extensive debate, and were impressed by the results achieved by some of the campaigns,” said Jury President Ashutosh Srivastava, Chairman & CEO Asia-Pacific and Global Growth Markets, Mindshare. “We hope see a creative evolution in the industry in the years to come, as marketers become more fearless in their approach to mobile. Innovative creative work is the only way we can harness the full potential of the mobile medium.”

The Smarties is the only global awards programme dedicated exclusively to mobile marketing. Country editions of the SmartiesAwards will also be held in India on September 11, 2014 and in Vietnam on October 30, 2014.

The SMARTIES APAC 2014 Awards Winners: