The 2022 MFA Awards took place on October 13 at a black-tie gala dinner in Sydney, attended by leaders from across the industry.
Suncorp’s One House campaign by OMD and Leo Burnett won the prestigious Grand Prix award.
See also: Leo Burnett Sydney Suncorp campaign wins Cannes Lions Grand Prix: Innovation
The MFA Awards celebrate the most effective and impactful work created by media agencies, demonstrating the industry’s purpose of ‘We Are The Changers’.
Also taking to the winners’ stage in addition to OMD and Leo Burnett, were Zenith Media, MediaCom, Initiative, PHD and Mindshare for clients including Mars Petcare Australia, McDonald’s, KFC, National Australia Bank, Virgin Australia, Goodman Fielder, Gotcha4Life and City of Melbourne.
More than 150 judges participated in the judging process, drawn from client side, agencies, industry bodies and media partners. They commended this year’s entries for displaying high-calibre media thinking, innovative solutions and strong results for clients.
Industry veteran Greg “Sparrow” Graham was inducted into the MFA Hall of Fame, recognising his passion and contribution across many aspects of the industry, in particular his unparalleled generosity in training and nurturing the careers of many up-and-coming rising stars in the industry.
Greg “Sparrow” Graham
Also recognised on the night with an Industry Contribution honour were former MFA Awards chair Joe Lunn; independent consultant Victor Corones; and the MFA’s own head of people, Linda Wong.
The NGEN Award, which recognises the talent of young media agency executives with less than five years’ experience, was won by Ben Breden & Olivia Coxon from Initiative, with their entry for UnLtd charity Batyr.
MFA CEO Sophie Madden said: “After three long years and several thwarted attempts, the MFA is pleased we were able to bring the industry together in person to celebrate media agencies’ ability to influence change and deliver tangible brand and business results for clients.
“The quality of strategic insights, effectiveness and excellence in execution by all finalists was among the best we’ve seen in the MFA Awards’ 20-plus years, demonstrating the high calibre of thinking by Australian media agencies. All finalists and winners should be incredibly proud of their achievement.”
The 2022 MFA Awards winners are:
Grand Prix – sponsored by Seven
Suncorp, Suncorp One House, OMD & Leo Burnett
Behaviour Change
City of Melbourne, Get to the city or get FOMO, Zenith Media
Best Innovation in Media
Mars Petcare Australia, #CatsinBoxes by WHISKAS, MediaCom
Business Impact – sponsored by Quantcast
Mars Petcare Australia, Caturday Nights with Dine, MediaCom
Best Partnership Award – sponsored by ThinkPremiumDigital
Suncorp, Suncorp One House, OMD & Leo Burnett
Best Use of Data & Analytics – sponsored by News Corp
McDonald’s, Macca’s Monopoly – Game on!, OMD
Environmental, Social & Governance Award – sponsored by SBS Media
Goodman Fielder, Wonder Recycling Rewards, Initiative
Best Long-term Results
KFC, Did someone say KFC?, MediaCom
Agency Talent & Culture
Initiative’s Choice Charter, Initiative
Best Use of Content
KFC, KFC Degustation, MediaCom & Ogilvy
Best Use of Real-time Marketing
Virgin Australia, Real-Time Routes, PHD
Bravery Award – sponsored by Nine Entertainment
CGU, Tall Poppy, Initiative
Pro Bono/Cause Marketing Incentive – In recognition of Pam Lane
Gotcha4Life, Boys Do Cry, Initiative
Brand Impact – sponsored by OMA
National Australia Bank, NAB JAB, Mindshare
Hall of Fame
Greg “Sparrow” Graham
NGEN Award – supported by UnLtd
Ben Breden & Olivia Coxon, Initiative