BEST OF THE BEST 

Time to take a break from the daily grind to celebrate Adweek’s Best Media Plan winners across thirty-two categories.

The following represent the winner, category and client.

The envelope please ….

SMG,Campaign, $5-10MM,P&G Always

SMG,Best Social, $4MM +, P&G Always

W+K/Razorfish/Mindshare, Campaign $15MM +, Nike

W+K/Razorfish/Mindshare, Best Int’l Campaign $15MM +, Nike

UM, Campaign $10-15MM, Media Markt

SMG, Campaign $1-5MM, Newcastle Brown Ale

PHD, Campaign $500K-1MM, Oreo

DigitasLBi, Campaign Under $500K, Taco Bell

DigitasLBi, Best Social Under $500K, Taco Bell

UM, Best Programmatic, Neutrogena

Team One, Best Use of Data, Lexus NX

DigitasLBi, Best Use of Insights, American Express

Hill Holiday, Best Mobile $4MM +, John Hancock

DigitasLBi, Best Mobile $1-2MM, Taco Bell

Essence, Best Mobile $500K-1MM, Google Search App

Media Storm, Best Mobile Under $500, Fox: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Mindshare, Best Social $2-4MM, Dove

Horizon Media, Best Social $1-2MM, Burger King

Zenith, Best Social $500K-1M, FX: AHS/Freak Show

The Grid, Branded Content $4MM +, GE

W+K, Branded Content $1-2MM, Old Spice

Carmichael Lynch, Branded Content $500-1MM, Subaru

John St., Branded Content Under $500K, Canadian Safe School

Mediacom, Alternative Media $4MM +, Shell

Zenith, Alternative Media $2-4MM, Kohl’s

Van Wagner Group, Alternative Media $1-2MM, Hendrick’s Gin

Spark, Alternative Media $500K-1M, Delta Faucet

Ignition Factory, Alternative Media Under $500, Porsche

Mediacom, Int’l Campaign $1-5MM, Coca-Cola

UM, Int’l Campaign Under $1MM, H&M

Mediacom, Best Native Adv $1-2MM, Shell

Team One, Best Native Adv Under $500K, Lexus

STRESS MANAGEMENT

PHD (Omnicom) Reception, NYC

Long past are the days when media reps had to cool their heels in a reception area while waiting for a meeting. Productivity rules.

But productivity is a two way street as time pressures build on both ends of the buy/sell relationship. Strategists and buyers on the agency side of the equation are doing more with less as media reps are finding it more difficult to secure face to face time with the buyers.

In today's digital ecosystem selling also requires reaching out to agency personnel outside of the media department. Account services, research and creative teams are now part of the mix effectively lengthening the sales cycle.

Tools of the trade have changed as well, making it easier to manage time while multi-tasking. Smartphones, netbooks, and productivity software are now crucial to success.

As we move forcefully with stress into the 21st century, we still need to take time to lighten the load we are carrying .... for our own sanity.

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem..
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued,
'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
the burden will become increasingly heavy:
and we won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again..
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.
So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down: don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.'

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Just accept that, some days, you're the pigeon:
and, some days, you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet - ,
just in case you have to eat them.

* Always wear stuff that will make you look good
if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
"recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* When everything's coming your way,
you're in the wrong lane.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp; some are pretty; and some are dull. Some have weird names; and all are different colours; but they all have to live in the same box.