Senior Marketers Herald Power of Local Media For National Brands

Senior marketers from advertisers such as GlaxoSmithKline and Airbus have spoken of power of local media to connect national brands with communities during the Local Media Works Awards judging session. 

Senior marketers attended the judging session last week to consider entries for the Local Media Works Awards, sponsored by JICREG, which celebrate the power of local press as a medium for national advertisers.

Chaired by Stewart Easterbrook, strategic adviser to business, the panel of top marketers considered entries from media planners who were tasked with planning a campaign with local media at its heart highlighting Airbus’ credentials as an employer in local communities across the UK.

The winners in each of the five awards categories will be announced at a ceremony on 9 November at The Hospital Club in the heart of London, with the overall winner scooping the top prize of £1,000 of Apple vouchers.

At a judging session last week, judges commented on the ability of local media to connect national advertisers with communities and the passion for local media that had come through from the entries.

Stewart said: “You get a real sense of passion around local media coming through from the entries and a real belief in the fact that local media is still very relevant to the young age groups that we’ve been looking at.” 

Kathryn Edwards, UK employment marketing specialist, Airbus, said: “We know local media is very important to the local community and it’s one of the key ways for us to engage with local people and keep them involved with Airbus.”

Andy Bolden, Europe media director/global head of trading, GlaxoSmithKline, said: “For me, local media genuinely touches communities and I think too often we can get lost and quite hung up with the globalisation of a lot of media.

“Local media is very real, it’s tangible, it’s touching communities and people can engage with it rather than getting lost in the ether of digital. So, I think it’s very powerful still to engage locally.”

Liam Reynolds, managing director, national sales, Johnston Press, “What this has shown is the amount of nuance that local media can give to a campaign. It’s not playing at the lowest common denominator, it’s trying to go that extra yard, and I think the awards showcase that quality which local media possesses.”