This year’s Digiday Video and TV Awards finalists focused on measuring results and proving ROI, crafting successful partnerships and collaborations, curating content experiences and utilizing emerging technologies. The shortlist entries showcase creativity, engagement and results, using audience understanding to produce impactful campaigns.
Adobe emerged as a top finalist for Best Connected TV Platform, showcasing innovative strategies through Adobe Acrobat’s Performance CTV campaign. The campaign achieved remarkable results by leveraging Adobe Advertising DSP’s unique capabilities, including Adobe Analytics for CTV tracking and self-serve AI-powered custom goals. The company even exceeded its internal goals — reaching hundreds of thousands of households weekly while maintaining efficient costs — and achieved a 4X improvement in return on media spend and a 3X increase in ROAS. The approach focused on incremental unique reach and full-funnel CTV measurement, which exemplified Adobe’s commitment to driving impactful digital experiences and empowering marketers with actionable insights.
The next standout nominee is Barkley for Best Use of YouTube with its innovative approach to promoting Motel 6. Barkley leveraged Motel 6’s iconic voice, Tom Bodett, to craft engaging 6-second spots that humorously highlight Motel 6’s key offerings. Despite the time constraint, Barkley cleverly utilized humor to capture the audience’s attention and increase brand awareness. With an impressive average VCR rate of 94%, the strategy proved highly effective in ensuring Motel 6 remained top of mind during the peak travel season, showcasing the power of concise storytelling on YouTube.
The collaboration between CNBC News Brand Studio and Salesforce earned them a top spot for Best Brand Film Series. Their innovative content program to address the evolving needs of businesses post-pandemic garnered remarkable engagement and brand uplift. With a focus on inspiring success stories and providing actionable insights, the series surpassed benchmarks, driving significant increases in Salesforce brand awareness, favorability and recommendation intent. Viewers expressed eagerness for future collaborations, showcasing the effectiveness of the omnichannel franchise in reaching and resonating with executive-level decision-makers. The groundbreaking nature of the series garnered industry recognition and sparked interest from potential future collaborators, amplifying Salesforce’s brand influence.
Samsung TV Plus stands out as a finalist for Best Streaming Service, offering consumers a vast array of free, premium content with personalized experiences and lower ad loads. With nearly 2,600 global channels and over 330 channels in the U.S., including on-demand shows and movies, Samsung TV Plus delivers a cable-like experience at no cost. Dedicated sections for kids and music enthusiasts enhance the platform further, providing educational and entertaining programming. As a leader in the TV industry, Samsung TV Plus integrates state-of-the-art features into Samsung products, setting it apart and offering. unparalleled access to diverse content genres.
Bloomberg Media Studios and Bulgari’s collaboration secured them a top spot for Best Shoppable Content Strategy by blending luxury storytelling with data-driven insights to resonate with high-end consumers. The campaign seamlessly integrated Bulgari’s high-quality products with captivating narratives via a documentary-style video and a visually stunning digital gift guide. A focus on brand elevation and gifting conversions led the campaign to exceed expectations — garnering over 9.4 million impressions, 19.3 million video views and 13,000 page views for the gift guide. This strategic partnership showcased Bulgari’s commitment to wonder and effectively engaged Bloomberg’s affluent audience, elevating brand awareness and driving conversions during the holiday season.
This year’s shortlist has shown that innovative approaches are a focus across video, streaming, shoppable content and more. Each finalist demonstrates a deep understanding of audience needs and leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver compelling experiences. These achievements underscore the dynamic evolution of digital media and its profound impact on brand storytelling and consumer engagement.
See the complete list of finalists below:
Best Shoppable Content Strategy
Bloomberg Media Studios x Bulgari
Enfamil & Roundel™
KERV x JCPenney x dentsu X
Roku
