I-Level scoops top gong at AOL Online Planning Awards

by Andrew McCormick Media Week 09-Oct-07

Independent digital agency I-Level scooped the coveted Grand Prix award at Thursday's third annual AOL Online Planning Awards, in association with Media Week.

Alex Miller and Tom Dunn of I-Level landed a trip to Las Vegas after triumphing in the Best Use of Online Medium category for the COI's Talk to Frank campaign, which was also deemed the overall winner.

The judging panel felt that I-Level's use of a Talk to Frank web robot on MSN Messenger represented "amazing technology" and pointed to the future of digital. The campaign resulted in 1.2 million digital conversations between teenagers and the COI's drugs advice and information service.

The awards set out to recognise the best work in the world of digital media planning and buying by finding the Best Use of Online Medium, Best Branding Campaign, Young Digital Person of the Year, Best Cross-platform Integrated Campaign and Best Direct Response Campaign of the past 12 months.

Industry luminaries were in attendance, with the awards hosted and presented by AOL UK's new managing director, Michael Steckler, Internet Advertising Bureau chief executive Guy Phillipson and Media Week editor Steve Barrett.

Barrett and Phillipson judged the awards, along with Nicola Young, head of relationship marketing at Coors Brewers; Giles Ivey, UK sales director at AOL; and Ben Wood, managing partner of Vizeum.

BLM Quantum's digital strategist Hannah Lury won the prestigious Young Digital Person of the Year award. She works across the entire client list of the BLM group and was recognised for showing outstanding digital leadership and innovation in pitch work, as well as for challenging traditional thinking with creative ideas.

Zed Media account director Diane Rowe picked up the award for the best branding campaign for the agency's work on insurance brand Zurich Futurology. The campaign involved a close partnership with Carrina Gaffney, digital strategist at Guardian Unlimited, which acted as the main media outlet for the work.

The top gong in the Best Cross- platform Integrated Campaign category went to Sam d'Amato, at OMD UK, for the Walkers crisp campaign Walkers Lunch Happy.