MSN Agrees Ten-Year Sponsorship of Ogilvy Awards

US MR trade body ARF has signed a ten year strategic alliance agreement with MSN including sponsorship of its Ogilvy Awards, and other promotion of research. ARF says the agreement will address the 'crisis among marketers' resulting from changing consumer media habits and the impact of new media technologies.

The ARF Ogilvy Awards for Excellence in Advertising Research, first presented in 1993, celebrate the significant contribution of creative and intelligent research to marketing success. In addition to recognising excellence, the mission of the awards now includes the aim of 'stimulating innovation in applying research to ... increasing marketing's contribution to sustained growth in an increasingly fragmented media environment'.

Activities planned for 2005 under the relationship include the publication of a book on the first decade of Ogilvy winners, with more than 110 case studies and lessons learnt; presentation of awards at the 51st Annual ASRF Convention and Trade Show on April 19 in NYC by MSN's Chief Media Revenue Officer Joanne Bradford; webcasts, roadshows, online courses, annual Learning and Leadership Workshops discussing best practice and helping marketing executives.

As part of the deal, MSN will assume permanent seats on the David Ogilvy Award Review Committee and the David Ogilvy Scholarship Fund steering committee, and will guide the prioritization of annual Ogilvy Research studies - projects that are motivated by the lessons of each year's Ogilvy Finalists.

Artie Bulgrin, SVP Research and Sales Development, ESPN and a member of the ARF board and executive committee, said the type of commitment shown by MSN 'borders on the remarkable'.

The ARF represents more than 325 advertisers, advertising agencies, research firms, media companies, educational institutions and international organizations and was founded in 1936. Until recently it was known as the Advertising Research Federation. It is online at www.thearf.org

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.