INTERNATIONAL. Entries are now being invited for The Moodies, the eighth edition of the prestigious annual awards that spotlight digital, social media and marketing excellence across the airport and wider travel sectors (you can view the 2020 winners here).
The winners will be revealed at the Virtual Travel Retail Experience this October (11-15).
With a pandemic-adjusted eligibility period of 1 January 2020 – 1 May 2021, we will recognise campaigns delivered during one of the most challenging periods in the travel sector’s history. Importantly, as we move into a recovery phase, it is vital to celebrate the resilience, innovation and excellence that has been the mainstay of our industry during this time.
With that in mind, we have added categories that relate specifically to the industry’s COVID-19 response. Noting the pressure on internal resources, we have also streamlined our entry platform to make it easier to submit and track entries. We look forward to recognising and celebrating the digital achievements and progress of the travel industry this year.
Please note: The deadline for submissions is 31 August 2021.
The Moodies Awards this year will embrace the entire travel journey from booking through to end destination, including: travel agents; online booking sites; airlines; airports (including but not confined to shopping and dining); airport advertising; rail stations; train operators; ferries and cruiselines; hotels; tourist destinations and bureaus; and other travel-related operations.
Entry for the awards is via self-nomination or judges selections and will be charged at €150 per submission, payable at point of entry.
Award entries are being invited from today until the closing deadline of 31 August 2021.
Entrants will be able to upload supporting documents, information, images and video onto the portal once registration and payment are complete.
Judging Criteria
The judges will be looking for clear objectives, creative and effective implementation and tangible and demonstrable results in the campaign award categories.
They will also consider the structure, presentation and clarity of each entry.
The written summary component should not exceed 1,000 words in total and should relate to work undertaken between 1 January 2020 – 1 May 2021.
Please note: The deadline for submissions is 31 August 2021
Each entry must include information under the following headings:
• Total budget (not for publication) & objectives
• Target audience & strategy
• Implementation & creativity
• Results & evaluation
Additional criteria:
Quantifiable impact
Judges will use quantifiable yardsticks to measure the impact of each nomination. For instance, nominated Facebook pages will be rated by the number of ‘likes’ and ‘check ins’; YouTube presence will be rated by the number of ‘views’; and the number of ‘followers’ generated by a Twitter account will be noted. Annual traffic will be taken into account when assessing the number of ‘likes’, ‘views’ or ‘followers’ their social media presence generates.
Customer engagement
Many companies are present in social media, but often they fail to update that presence or use it to create a meaningful relationship with their customers. Our judges will rate nominations according to how well companies engage their customers through digital and social media, the level of interaction they achieve, and the quality of the conversation they are able to generate.
Quality of content
The ways in which companies integrate digital into campaigns varies considerably. Our judges will focus on originality and breadth of content, and on the methods employed to win the traveller’s attention. Extra merit will be earned by companies which aim to do more than merely sell a product or service, but use new media to create excitement and interest in the location in which they operate.
Incentive to spend
How is the travel sector using digital to win spend from travellers? And how are they ensuring that those travellers become loyal customers? Our judges will look in detail at the methods deployed to encourage spend and their effectiveness.
Impact on the traveller experience
Today most travellers use mobile devices when they travel. The Moodies Awards will look at how the sector has embraced digital to make their customers’ experience easier and more enjoyable, whether through practical information, gift incentives or other initiatives.