Category: BMS Awards
Winners of the October-December 2019 BMS Awards
And the winners of last night’s BMS Awards are…
Best Multi-Title Campaign
- Highly Commended: That’s Not My…
Marketers: Joanna Olney & Sarah Connell (Usborne)
‘We loved the joined-up, strategic thinking behind this campaign, which reached straight into the hearts of the target audience and elevated sales across the range. Very impressive!’
- Winner: MerkyBooks Pop-Up Shop
Marketers: Emma Wallace, Natalia Cacciatore, Lydia Weigel & Sharifah Grant (Cornerstone PRH)
‘The panel was unanimous in awarding this fantastic campaign to celebrate the Merky Books imprint. The pop-up shop not only successfully connected its growing community of underrepresented readers and writers, but also made some noise within the industry. Excellent work.’
Best Guerilla Campaign
- Highly Commended: Where’s My Guitar? by Bernie Marsden
Marketer: Liv Marsden (4th Estate HarperCollins)
‘We all absolutely loved the passion that went into making this campaign such a success. On zero budget this campaign built on the loyalty of Bernie’s fanbase and looked to leave no stone unturned in a bid to engage audiences.’
- Winner: Find Me by André Aciman
Marketer: Phoebe Williams (Faber & Faber)
‘An excellent example of a focused marketing campaign channelling its modest budget into a campaign meeting its core audience where it is! This singularly focused, yet imaginative, campaign deservedly resulted in great sales for this sequel title.’
Best Children’s Campaign
- Highly Commended: The Taylor Turbochaser by David Baddiel
Marketer: Alex Cowan (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
‘Showed fantastic creativity with an experiential taxi brand activation amplified on social channels; a trailer distributed across cinema, TV and digital; activity at go-karting sites to reach the perfect audience, and retail theatre.’
- Winner: Earth Heroes by Lily Dyu
Marketer: Hester Seddon & Julia Kathro (Nosy Crow)
‘With only a 4-month lead time from acquisition to promotion, the team managed to develop a brilliantly executed campaign to reach young environmentally-minded readers, with teaching resource packs, partnerships and a video competition that leveraged user-generated content.’
Best Young Adult Campaign
- Highly Commended: The Places I’ve Cried in Public by Holly Bourne
Marketers: Hannah Reardon Steward & Joanna Olney (Usborne)
‘The team behind this campaign demonstrated a thorough understanding of their audience. They tackled a challenging subject matter with finesse and style, with excellent results.’
- Winner: It’s Not OK To Feel Blue (and other lies) by Scarlett Curtis
Marketer: Alesha Bonser (PRH Children’s)
‘This campaign was a masterclass in talent and asset management. It was meticulously planned and expertly executed, with no resource wasted. This team chose not to rest on its laurels and instead is in the process of building an unforgettable brand.’
Best Adult Non-Fiction Campaign
- Highly Commended: Fleabag: The Scriptures by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Marketer: Helen Flood (Sceptre/Hodder & Stoughton)
‘Simple and understated, the campaign understood the bones of Fleabag. The quotes worked as in-jokes to those who were fans, and cheeky commentary to those who were not.’
- Winner: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Marketer: Rebecca Hibbert (Ebury PRH)
‘We were wowed by the sales numbers this book, by a virtually unknown author, managed to achieve on a modest budget. Props to the marketing team who showed a real understanding of the audience and took every opportunity to build its passion for the title.’
Best Adult Fiction Campaign
- Highly Commended: So Lucky by Dawn O’Porter
Marketer: Rachel Quin & Sarah Shea (HarperCollins)
‘It’s always a joy to see innovation and passion combined and that’s certainly what we saw in this fresh and exciting campaign. Special mention to the Podcast which we all thought worked brilliantly.’
- Winner: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Marketer: Sophie Painter & Kate Neilan (Vintage PRH)
‘A brilliantly creative and multifaceted campaign ticking all the boxes and more! Audience and retailer understanding was at its core but it went far beyond this and we, as judges, loved the teams desire to innovate. Bravo!’
SPOTLIGHT AWARDS:
- Audience Development Spotlight:
The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman
Marketer: Gemma Rostill & Michael Bedo (PRH Children’s)
‘This team took nothing for granted with its approach to audience, unpacking its insight from all possible angles in a way that maintained loyalty, reincorporated lapsed fans and brought new readers into the fold. Inspiring work all around.’
- Innovation Spotlight
I Carried A Watermelon by Katy Brand
Marketer: Claire Brett & Joanna Rose (HQ HarperCollins)
‘This stunt was strategic, focused and FUN. With minimal budget this team honed in on one core piece of activity, which they then made work across multiple platforms.’
- Creativity Spotlight
Wham! George & Me by Andrew Ridgeley
Marketer: Claire Bush & Vicky Photiou (Michael Joseph PRH)
‘The design of the campaign reflected the nostalgia of the time. In a blink, the 80s backgrounds took you back to Smash Hits and WHSmith stationery, giving the campaign a visual language.’
Winners of the July-September 2019 BMS Awards
And the winners of last night’s BMS Awards are…
Best Multi-Title Campaign
- Highly Commended: The Year of Tracy Chevalier
Marketer: Abbie Salter, HarperCollins
“It was a challenge to reignite the passion of a classic title, re-engage existing audiences and create new ones. This campaign was carefully planned and connected the dots between the titles, loyal audiences and the engagement of new!”
- Winner: Start Your Voyage
Marketers: Fleur Clarke, Emma Pickard & Rachel Quin, HarperCollins
“This was a well thought-out campaign, bringing traditional branding into the 21st Century to excited existing audiences and incite new one. Through the design of a great suite of assets, and making use of a number of list authors in the UK at the same time, the publisher was able to give this list the brand reboot it deserved with a distinct look and feel.”
Best Guerilla Campaign
- Highly Commended: The Carer by Deborah
Marketer: Victoria Abbot, Headline (Hachette)
“An imaginative approach to casting the net wide to find the audience for Deborah’s book, demonstrating a real sense of understanding a brand.”
- Winner: In at the Deep End by Kate Davies
Marketer: Fleur Clarke, Harper Collins
“A fantastic example of trusting your instincts to build on a strong campaign message. Strategic planning lead to a raft of opportunities that gave the paperback the exposure it needed and it really paid off.”
Best Children’s Campaign
- Highly Commended: Plastic Sucks by Dougie Poynter
Marketer: Kat McKenna, Macmillan Children’s Books
“Leveraging a great publishing proposition, the team harnessed Dougie Poynter’s social media presence with the use of strategic content, devising creative partnerships with WWF, Kidzania, Sea Life London, Sky Ocean Rescue, Summer in the City and devising a school outreach programme and a nationwide event to inspire a new generation of environmental ambassadors.”
- Winner: Top Marks for Murder by Robyn Stevens
Marketer: Sonia Razvi, Puffin Books
“It’s not easy to run a recruitment campaign for 8th book in a series, but the Top Marks for Murder marketer devised fantastic initiatives for renewed bookseller engagement, leveraging the existing fanbase on Twitter and Popjam, and devising creative partnerships across Sblended Milkshake shops, Trampoline Parks, Coffee Shops and school engagement to reach a new audience.”
Best Young Adult Campaign
- Highly Commended: Crossfire by Malorie Blackman
Marketer: Michael Bedo, Penguin Random House Children’s
“Great core creative idea running throughout the #DearMalorie campaign, supported with presence at Glastonbury and good use of influencers, social advertising and animated trailer.”
- Winner: The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Marketer: Naomi Berwin, Hachette Children’s Group
“A solid campaign which leveraged owned channels and third-party activities, including a mini-brochure in Illumicrate boxes, influencers outreach, presence at YALC, and an animated mini-trailer to target the perfect audience.”
Best Debut Campaign
- Highly Commended: My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Marketers: Jamie Forrest and Sophie Walker, Atlantic Books
“Oh the beauty of this campaign! Stunning creative, brilliant copy and a tenacity with the paperback which drove sales and made this book unmissable.”
- Winner: Our Stop by Laura Jane William
Marketers: Hannah O’Brien and Ellie Pilcher, Avon (HarperCollins)
“A sharp, focussed campaign with rigorous audience testing and an unwavering brand proposition, this team outperformed its own objectives, smashing sales targets and shifting industry perceptions.”
Best Adult Non-Fiction Campaign
- Highly Commended: Gotta Get Theroux This by Louis Theroux
Marketers: Sarah Arratoon, Andy Joannou, Sarah Patel and Connie Roff, PanMacmillan
“We loved how this cheeky and fun campaign captured the spirit of Louis while being underpinned by a smart media strategy.”
- Winner: Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
Marketer: Hannah Paget, Bloomsbury
“They delivered a highly impactful and beautiful campaign for an unknown US author by building advocacy from both key influencers and booksellers.”
Best Adult Fiction Campaign
- Highly Commended: The Chain by Adrian McKinty
Marketer: Tom Noble, Orion
“With a limited budget, this campaign demonstrated enormous integrity and passion. Its consistent, bold branding brilliantly tied in with the book’s sinister premise.”
- Winner: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Marketers: Rosanna Boscawen, Chloe Healy and Sophie Painter, Vintage
“For the book event of the decade, the team at VINTAGE were by no means complacent, and created a dovetailed, innovative and highly impactful campaign which made the most of every opportunity.”
SPOTLIGHT AWARDS:
Audience development
- One Minute Later by Susan Lewis
Marketers: Fleur Clarke and Rachel Quin, HarperCollins
“With thorough, in-depth analysis, the team developed an insight-driven, creative campaign which engaged new, relevant audiences for an author three decades into her career.”
Innovation spotlight
- Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness
Marketer: Amy Fulwood, Simon & Schuster
“Really impressive audience targeting tailored to multiple platforms, the most ambitious being the animated Smart TV ads served to Queer Eye watchers, streamers and – surprisingly – video gamers.”
Creativity spotlight
- The Holiday by T.M. Logan
Marketer: Felice McKeown, Zaffre / Bonnier Books UK
“This campaign was as compelling as a movie trailer. Clever use of language and cohesive branding gave it a life of its own as a fitting prelude to the book.”
Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted their campaign. Look out for the next round of award entreis coming in the new year!
Winners of the April-June 2019 Awards!
Congratulations to the winners of the April-June 2019 BMS Awards! The full list of winners are…
Best Debut Campaign:
- Highly Commended: The Flatshare by Beth O’LearyMarketers: Bethan Ferguson and Hannah Winter, Quercus, Hachette
The judges said: ‘An attention-grabbing and fun campaign that exhibited the team’s enthusiasm for the book. Clever stunt-marketing with ‘the bed’ was supported by a strong rollout with powerful influencer marketing and a well-targeted consumer strategy.’ - Winner: Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Marketer: Cait Davies, Orion, Hachette
The judges said: ‘A truly integrated campaign that created multiple opportunities to showcase not just the book, but also the author. Highly coordinated planning plus imaginative touchpoints meant that Queenie launched with an army of advocates.’
Best Guerrilla Campaign
- Highly Commended: My Lovely Wife by Samantha DowningMarketer: Beth Cockeram, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House
The judges said: ‘This campaign is a best practice example of how to strategically support an ebook price promotion and take nothing for granted, through a strike team created bringing together editorial, sales and marketing which then enabled a killer bestseller to stay at the top of the bestseller charts.’ - Winner: Lowborn by Kerry Hudson
Marketer: Sophie Painter, Vintage, Penguin Random House
The judges said: ‘A stellar example of a campaign delivering on some clear objectives with a small budget and within a very short timeline. They not only conceived and delivered a campaign to support an important social justice campaign, but also made use of high profile partnerships with relevant charities to deliver a wide range of events and reach new audiences for this book.’
Best Adult Fiction Campaign
- Highly Commended: Hunting Evil by Chris CarterMarketer: Richard Vlietstra, Simon & Schuster
The judges said: ‘What made this campaign really stand out is the way it identified re-engaging fans as a key objective and deployed tactics to do so that feel logical, customer-centric and appropriate to the genre. Demonstrated evidence of strong audience insight, campaign planning, and incentives in play—and a canny and consistent use of storytelling in author-led and interactive social content.’ - Winner: In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin
Marketer: Tom Noble, Orion, Hachette
The judges said: ‘An exemplary, rigorous campaign and campaign report that really does the scale of budget in play here justice; a critical approach is visibly demonstrated from early planning to fine details during execution. Partnerships feel constructive and relevant, though still creative. And the result is to die for.’
Best Adult Non-Fiction Campaign
- Highly Commended: How to Fail by Elizabeth DayMarketer: Liv Marsden, 4th Estate, HarperCollins
The judges said: ‘How to Fail sets the standard for marketing a podcast spin-off. From the audio-first approach to the smart social targeting, the campaign displays a keen understanding of the audience and achieved impressive ROI. It was also deftly executed, harnessing the power of advocates including Bookstagrammers, big name influencers and HarperCollins employees.’ - Winner: The Secret Barrister
Marketer: Paul Martinovic, Pan Macmillan
The judges said: ‘It’s not easy to follow an impressive hardback campaign with something innovative and incredibly successful. What we loved about the Secret Barrister is that it took a relentlessly creative approach, stayed true to the mischievous tone of the book and achieved extraordinary sales.’
Young Adult Fiction Campaign
- Highly Commended: Isles of Storm and Sorrow: Viper by Bex HoganMarketers: Natasha Whearity and Naomi Berwin, Hachette Children’s Group, Hachette
The judges said: ‘This team’s understanding of its audience was impeccable. With that knowledge at the centre of their work they crafted a dynamic, smart campaign with stunning visuals and outstanding results.’ - Winner: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Marketers: Jasveen Bansal & Dannie Price, Electric Monkey, Egmont Publishing
The judges said: ‘This team developed a brilliant core creative concept and used it to drive truly impressive pre-awareness and sales. This, partnered with methodical planning and strategic positioning, broke an unknown debut author onto the scene in exemplary fashion.’
Children’s Campaign
- Highly Commended: Starfell: Willow Moss and the Lost Day by Dominique ValenteMarketers: Alex Cowan and Beth Maher, HarperCollins Children’s Books, HarperCollins
The judges said: ‘The campaign managed to generate fantastic buzz at retail and among influencers, with a great proof tour and 51 bookstores visited in one day. It showed innovation with a mobile-first approach, creativity with the Magical Witch’s kit competition, and a targeted advertising strategy across YouTube, cinemas, shopping malls, schools and online communities like PopJam and Toppsta.’ - Winner: Malamander by Thomas Taylor
Marketers: Jill Kidson, Jo Humphries-Davies, Josh Alliston, James McParland, Walker Books
The judges said: ‘A wonderfully orchestrated campaign which brought the world of Eerie-on-Sea to life, with a brilliantly executed bookseller outreach, an excellently promoted, cinematic trailer, an Eerie-on-Sea Enquirer newspaper created in-house, an interactive map for the website, creative partnerships and POS.’
The judges also awarded some BMS Spotlight Awards in some of the key judging areas. The winners of these were:
Audience Development:
How to Be Right by James O’Brien – For precision use of audience insight for careful audience targeting
Marketers: Caroline Butler, Ebury, Penguin Random House
The judges said: ‘The dirty words Cambridge Analytica were mentioned in relation to this campaign. However the Ebury marketing team used incisive data-driven strategy to do the right thing. They skillfully built a new audience for O’Brien with insight-driven, targeted messages across multiple channels. This is what the future of marketing looks like.’
Innovation:
Tin Can Cook by Jack Monroe – For innovative thinking into how to combine a crowdfunding campaign to support social objectives of book campaign)
Marketers: Jodie Mullish, Jess Duffy, Andy Joannou, Will Upton and Alex Ellis, Bluebird Books, Pan Macmillan
The judges said: ‘A crowdfunding platform isn’t the usual channel for promoting a bestselling cookery book. This is proof that a marketing campaign can break all the rules, shift units and do genuine good in the world. By building on the core message of the book, Bluebird have created something inspirational.’
Creativity:
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata – For creative thinking in using striking assets, developing a unique vending machine for the book and innovative fish bunting!
Marketers: Simon Heafield, Granta
The judges said: “The POS in this campaign created a brand identity for the book that made it stand out. Fun, kitsch, quirky, it brought themes of the book forward effortlessly to connect to a wider audience than the original edition.”
The BMS Awards are now open!
The January-March 2020 BMS Awards are now open for entry. Submit your campaign here!
Winners of the January-March 2019 BMS Awards
Campaigns from HarperCollins, BonnierZaffre, BlueBird (PanMacmillan) and Hachette Children’s have been announced as winners of the January-March 2019 awards at the quarterly BMS Members’ Meeting, held 22nd May at the Havas KX Creative Agency.
The full list of award winners are:
Best Debut Campaign
HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Silent Patient
“a meticulous, strategic campaign which wasted no resource and smashed its objectives”.
Award goes to: Amy Davies, Orion
WINNER: The Familiars
The judges said this campaign “delivered on its objectives in spades, overcoming both market and industry hurdles to create an unmissable title. The approach was targeted, creative and relentless – it took nothing for granted and took no prisoners.”
Award goes to: Stephen Dumughn, Felice McKeown and Sahina Bibi, BonnierZaffre
*
Adult Fiction Campaign:
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Lanny
“This campaign turned all its challenges into opportunities in true jujitsu fashion, resulting in one of the year’s most talked about titles.”
Award goes to: Katie Hall, Faber
WINNER: The Binding
“This campaign had it all – long-lead strategising, immaculate targeting, innovation and engagement. It placed the book as physical object at the core of everything it did, and this confidence – plus an absolutely colossal amount of hard work – paid off in its stellar sales.”
Award goes to: Sarah Shea and Katy Blott, HarperFiction
*
Adult Non-Fiction Campaign:
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Marvel Fearless and Fantastic
In a crowded marketplace, this team used an arsenal of channels, forged new partnerships and thought way outside the box to cut through the noise.”
Award goes to: Jamie Elby, DK
WINNER: Pinch of Nom
“This was a dynamic, creative and highly professional campaign that has set a new standard for converting Online engagement into physical sales. From the clever early release of information to Pinch of Nom’s fanbase, driving unprecedented early pre-orders, to the sustained multichannel push that has resulted in record breaking sales, this has been a marketing masterclass.”
Award goes to: Don Shanahan, Jodie Mullish and Andy Jouannou, BlueBird (PanMacmillan)
*
Young Adult Campaign:
HIGHLY COMMENDED: A Curse So Dark and Lonely
“Clever use of subscription box Fairyloot and a strategy that led to an amazing first week in sales.”
Award goes to: Emily Moran, Bloomsbury
WINNER: King of Scars
“An impeccable executed six month campaign which combined clear audience targeting and creativity, from retail activation to Waterstones pre-orders. The campaign had well thought out branded partnership with subscription boxes Ilumicrate which generated a strong ROI across sales and engagement.
Award goes to: Naomi Berwin and Natasha Whearity, Hachette Children’s
*
Children’s Campaign
HIGHLY COMMENDED: A Pinch of Magic
“Very clear targeting and school outreach, with a stand out partnership with the Reading Agency, Skype call with the Author and use of Authorfy. Innovative approach to partnerships and technology.”
Award goes to: Olivia Horrox, Simon and Schuster
WINNER: The Valentines: Happy Girl Lucky
“Excellent audience understanding and cohesive messaging throughout, with great brand partnerships, VOD and social activation. In addition, this campaign achieved wider social engagement creating a strong platform for the series.”
Award goes to: Alex Cowan and Beth Maher, HarperCollins Children’s Books
*
Guerrilla Campaign
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Chasing the Sun
“A tenacious campaign yielding phenomenal results, with strong retail partnership and a clear creative message throughout, on a very small budget.”
Award goes to: Flora Willis, Profile Books
WINNER: How to Clean Your House
“A multi-platform campaign leveraging a strong existing platform with creative brand partnerships and social activation.”
Award goes to: Janet Aspey and Hannah Sawyer, HQ
*
For the first time, the BMS also awarded some Spotlight Awards in some of the key judging areas. The winners of these were:
- Audience Development: Double Crossed, for its close targeting and growth of a hard-to-reach demographic – Stephanie Naulls, Ebury Publishing
- Innovation: The Hunting Party, for its innovative and agile approach to reinvention which snowballed into a mass success – Abbie Salter, HarperCollins
- Creativity: The Dirty Dishes, for hyper-creative use of resource, partnerships and content – Don Shanahan, Jodie Mullish and Jess Duffy, Bluebird (PanMacmillan)
Winners of the September-December 2018 BMS Awards
The winning campaigns from the BMS seasonal awards (in association with Total Media) for the September-December 2018 were announced at the BMS member meeting at the new Total Media offices in Soho on Wednesday 27 February 2019.
As always we had a huge number of extremely high quality campaigns – it’s so great to see all the hard work going on across the industry.
In the Adult Fiction category, the winners were Sarah Arratoon, Philippa McEwan, Andy Joannau, Ruth Brooks, and Lee Dibble of Pan Macmillan for Tombland by C. J. Samson. This was a highly cohesive, multi-faceted campaign ensuring all bases were covered, and exceeding all objectives and previous sales records.
The Guerrilla category (for campaigns spends of £2,500) saw the judges give Highly Commended to Tom Noble from Orion Publishing Group for The Holy Vible by Elis James & John Robins campaign for its generally note-perfect execution. This campaign showed a very clear understanding of how to “get the vote out” and maximise fan preorders and included some witty and appropriate touches.
The winning campaign went to Alice Murphy-Pyle of Transworld for Straight Outta Crawley: Memoirs of a Distinctly Average Human Being by Romesh Ranganathan. The judges commented that the campaign that started before it even started, by making a strong case for the author’s (very scarce) time and integrating marketing needs into the whole publication.
In the Multi-Title category, the winners were Jamie Norman, Alan Trotter and Vicki Watson from Canongate for the Canongate Christmas campaign. This was judged as a quirky and distinctly charming campaign, which blended native online advertising with innovative online and physical moments to reach and reward readers across the country.
The judges gave the Highly Commended award in the Children’s category to Hannah Sidorjak of Penguin Random House for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown. The judges said his campaign made the most of a seasonal (wintry) Wimpy Kid with clever creative and well-judged media buying and excellent partnerships.
First place went to freelancer Emily Cox and Natasha Pile from Canongate for The Truth Pixie by Matt Haig, illustrated by Chris Mould, a highly effective and good value campaign for challenging publication. The judges said they didn’t over-rely on the author’s existing brand, but instead extended it into new territory. A concept-led campaign with a lot of creative and carefully honed material (schools packs were superb).
Highly commended in the Non-fiction category was given to Tom Noble and Katie Moss of Orion Publishing Group for their Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book campaign. The campaign’s effective use of the OS mailing list and the neat touches such as the like geographically personalised POS for stores enabled the campaign to compete with some heavy hitting clever- gift opposition published at the same time.
The outright winners were Amelia Fairney, Rose Poole and Poppy North, from Viking for Becoming by Michelle Obama, for their well-crafted and comprehensive campaign that cleverly navigated around limitations and reached both traditional and non-traditional book buyers through strategic partnerships.
Congratulations to all of the winners!
Want to find out about when the next awards open and how to enter? Fancy coming along to an upcoming members’ meeting? Find out how to join the Book Marketing Society here.
BMS best summer campaigns
The winning campaigns from the BMS seasonal awards (in association with Total Media) for the summer (May-August 2018) were announced at the BMS member meeting at HarperCollins’ offices on Wednesday 31 October 2018. The judges again had a hard time picking the winners especially in the Non-Fiction category, which ended up with two highly commended awards and two winners!
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The Adult Fiction category saw the judges give Claire Brett and Jen Porter of HQ (HarperCollins) Highly Commended for their fully-committed, creative and engaging campaign for VOX by Christina Dalcher. The winning campaign went to Jennifer Breslin from Orion for The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton, which the judges thought was an exceedingly clever and fitting campaign that targeted retailers and the book trade effectively. |
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In the Guerrilla category (for campaigns spends of £2,500 or less) Highly Commended was given to Vicky Abbott from Headline for her campaign for Eat, Drink, Run by Bryony Gordon. This campaign included successful tie-ins and interesting audio clips, all resulting in a good return on investment. First place went to Fleur Clarke and Sofia Hericson at Hodder & Stoughton for their highly targeted campaign with strong partnerships and a commendable return on investment and sales for Legendary by Stephanie Garber. |
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Highly Commended was given to the Multi-title category was given to Rosanna Boscawen and Leena Normington from Vintage for their original campaign of promoting classic titles as ideal holiday reads for Vintage Summer. The winner was Madeleine Hall from Virago for the successful increase in social media engagement for Virago Modern Classics 40th Anniversary. |
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In the Children’s category, judges gave two campaigns Highly Commended: Oi Cat! by Kes Gray and Jim Field for the strong brand visuals for maximum impact for Fi Evans from Hachette Children’s and Alex Cowan and Beth Maher at HarperCollins who built on previous campaigns resulting in a better return on investment for Birthday Boy by David Baddiel. The outright winner was Sarah Lough, Faber & Faber, whose campaign successfully targeted teachers with engaging materials resulting in trade success for Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carroll. |
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Judging the Non-Fiction category proved to be a considerable challenge and two campaigns were awarded Highly Commended as well as two being crowned joint overall winners. Highly Commended was given to Justine Gold at Simon & Schuster for using eye-catching visuals and partnerships for Spitfire by John Nichol, and Alexandra Cooper from Little, Brown for the inspired creation of endurances events for The World’s Fittest Book by Ross Edgley. |
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The joint winners for this category were Jamie Norman, Alan Trotter and Vicki Watson from Canongate for their campaign for a Room to Dream by David Lynch, which included live-streaming a ‘Lynchathon’ and Jodie Mullish at Pan Macmillan for an ingenious campaign retargeting the brand author to a more contemporary audience for Real Food Kids Will Love by Annabel Karmel. |
Congratulations to all our winners!
About our new campaigns and awards showcase for the BMS website
Members regularly tell us that being able to learn about campaigns across the industry is one of the most valuable services we offer. We’re constantly inspired by marketers from across the industry willing to share what made their campaign tick – from how it came together to how it was executed, and especially what they learned and would do better next time.
So we wanted to find a way to take this further, and in the same spirit give members more chances to see what is behind an Award-winning or notable marketing campaign.
This has lead to the creation of a new section on our updated website, which features a searchable database of submissions for winning & highly commended campaigns.
If your campaign goes on to win an Award or commendation we want to reassure you about the information that will be available to browse. You will notice there are new features on the submission form which allow you to control the visibility of sensitive details, such as campaign budgets and sales figures. We will also send you a preview copy of the showcase page before it goes live, so there is a further opportunity to make appropriate changes if required.
In the spirit of openness and sharing we do offer access to the showcase to all members, on the basis that marketers from your team are willing to include their campaign in the showcase should they be selected.
If you have any questions or suggestions, do contact us at admin@bookmarketingsociety.co.uk
BMS announce new Award categories for 2016/17 campaign season
The Book Marketing Society has announced new categories for its marketing campaign Awards programme, as the new 2016-17 Awards period gets underway.
The redefined categories will see a clearer split between Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction alongside Children’s, with the ‘shoestring’ category threshold of total campaign spend lowered to £2.5k, halving the previous budget threshold of £5k.
A new category has also been created for “multi-title” campaigns, where marketing activity is geared towards the promotion of backlist titles, or any other grouping of titles coordinated by a single campaign.
The categories now breakdown as follows:
- Adult and Children’s shoestring (up to £2.5k)
- Adult Fiction (above £2.5k)
- Non-Fiction (above £2.5k)
- Children’s (above £2.5k)
- Multi-title campaign (ie backlist, series, or some other grouping of titles)
In addition, judges will be on the lookout throughout the coming year for marketers or marketing teams who could be considered for an ‘outstanding achievement’ award, which would be included as part of the Annual Award announcements in 2017.
Jo Henry, Executive Director of the BMS, said: “We’re keen to encourage a greater diversity of campaigns being submitted by publishers and retailers for these prestigious Awards, and to ensure that those that are submitted are being judged as fairly as possible. These new categories will result in even more fantastic marketing campaigns to applaud and an even greater clarity in the judging process.”
Winners for the 2015/16 Annual Awards were announced at the Bookseller’s Marketing & Publicity conference in June and included Lean in 15 by Joe Wicks, run by Anna Bowen of Bluebird/Pan MacMillan, Vicky Photiou from Ladybird/PRH Children’s was honoured for her campaign for The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, and Caroline Maddison and Justine Gold from HarperCollins were awarded the prize for the Shoestring award – for campaigns under £5,000 – for their work on Scrabble Week. Simon & Schuster Children’s won the award for Best Marketing Team 2015/16.
The Awards are part of the Book Marketing Society’s commitment to promoting excellence in book trade marketing. The Seasonal Awards reward the best marketing campaigns every four months now in five categories, and the Annual Awards. The Awards are designed to acknowledge the work of marketing professionals within the book industry. The judges – independent marketing and book trade experts– are particularly looking for a professional approach in the following three areas:
- Innovation and creativity
- Ability to reach and engage the target audience
- A good return on investment
Submissions are now open for the first ‘seasonal’ campaign period (May – August 2016). To enter your campaign please visit
https://www.bookmarketingsociety.co.uk/submit-bms-awards
To view information about previous winners visit
https://www.bookmarketingsociety.co.uk/bms-awards
For further information or to learn more about membership to the BMS, please contact
Jon Slack on jon.slack@nielsen.com
S&S Children’s wins BMS ‘Best Marketing Team’ of the year
Marketing campaigns from Pan Macmillan, HarperCollins and PRH Children’s were honoured by the Book Marketing Society’s annual awards revealed at The Bookseller’s Marketing and Publicity Conference yesterday (28th June), while Simon & Schuster Children’s was given a special award for the Best Marketing Team in 2015/16.
The campaign for Lean in 15 by Joe Wicks run by Anna Bowen of Bluebird/Pan MacMillan was judged the winner of the Adult category, beating off competition from Penguin’s Sam Voulters for Little Black Classics, PRH’s Jen Doyle, Chloe Healy and Natalia Cacciatore for Go Set a Watchman by HarperLee and PRH’s Celeste Ward-Best for The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jefferies.
In the Children’s category, Vicky Photiou from Ladybird/PRH Children’s was honoured for her campaign for The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin. Also in contention for this award were Simon & Schuster’s Elisa Offord for Hamish and the Worldstoppers by Danny Wallace, PRH Children’s’ Jessica Williams, Jannine Saunders and Gemma Rostill for The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett and S&S’s Liz Binks for Dork Diaries: Drama Queen.
Caroline Maddison and Justine Gold from HarperCollins were awarded the prize for the Shoestring award – for campaigns under £5,000 – for their work on Scrabble Week. Also shortlisted for this award were Penguin’s Paul Martinovic for his campaign for Calm by Michael Acton Smith, HarperCollins’ Matt Clacher for A Modern Way to Cook by Anna Jones, Penguin’s Ingrid Matts for The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith and HarperCollins’ Orlando Mowbray for Your Ultimate Body Transformation Plan by Nick Mitchell.
The special award for the Best Marketing Team 2015/16 went to Simon & Schuster Children’s.
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