The “Wales To The World” campaign by Cymru Wales proved to be the big winner last night at the World Media Awards as they scooped the Grand Prix prize to claim the best of the best out of all of the evening’s winners.
Entered by Orchard Media and Events, the Welsh Government gave a brief for Cymru Wales to use the success of qualifying for the men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar to introduce the country to the world and create a legacy to build further international promotion for the nation.
The awards – hosted by the World Media Group (WMG) – showcase the best in international content-driven, cross-border advertising, with entries from across APAC, EMEA and the Americas.
WMG CEO Belinda Barker opened the proceedings by stressing the importance of journalism and the freedom of speech.
The themes echoed her comments in a conversation with editor Omar Oakes earlier this year, where she expressed how “upsetting” it is that the number of people connecting with news in the UK declined by 10 percentage points in 2023, and how the payment model of journalism could be undermined by generative AI.
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Kim Vinnell, host of Reuters‘ flagship daily news podcast, Reuters World News, then held a fireside chat with Fiona O’Brien, the UK Bureau director for Reporters Without Borders. Together they discussed issues such as trust in media, the ethical foundations that can be set for journalists to work with AI, and the issues journalists face around the world.
O’Brien laid bare the stark reality for international journalism, including with the shocking figures of 540 journalists and media workers who are imprisoned around the world, and 20 who have lost their lives this year alone. However, O’Brien believes there is hope and that we are “in good hands” with the younger generation.
Other big brand winners of the night included T-Mobile (entered by Mindshare GmbH), which took home two awards for their “#What We Value: Embracing Volunteerism With GenZ” campaign in the categories for Social Good and Technology & Telecoms.
Elsewhere, Navin Rammohan, vice president, segment head marketing at Infosys was voted the winner of the 2023 Content Leadership & Innovation Award. Upon receiving the award, he said: “This recognition is testament to our team’s relentless pursuit of creativity and pushing the boundaries of innovation.”
In the Rising Star category, it was Wavemaker’s Roots co-lead Obinna Iwuji who took home the prize, fighting off stiff competition in what was described as one of the toughest categories to judge, with Teodora Tepavicharova from Condé Nast receiving a highly commended nod.
There were also wins for Volkswagen, Birkenstock, Maersk, Visa, Adidas, and Bumble. The full list of winners and case studies can be viewed here.
