The mission of the MarTech Breakthrough Awards is to honor excellence and recognize the innovation, hard work, and success in a range of marketing, sales, and advertising technology-related categories, including marketing automation, customer experience, performance marketing AdTech, SalesTech, marketing analytics, content and social marketing, mobile marketing and many more. This year’s program attracted more than 3,500 nominations from over 19 different countries throughout the world.

Dotdigital beat some serious competition to emerge victorious in the small and medium business category.

“Dotdigital’s customer experience and data platform harnesses the power of customer data, powering engagement, conversion, and loyalty for SMBs as they grow and scale. The platform’s intelligent features empower users to connect and deliver memorable messages across email, SMS, chat, push, social and more,” said James Johnson, Managing Director at MarTech Breakthrough. “When customers feel as though they are getting more than just a product or service, they connect to a brand. With Dotdigital, SMBs are able to offer customers a choice that will ultimately lead them to develop a stronger emotional bond with their brand.”

Our CEO, Milan Patel, was delighted to accept the award for Dotdigital.

“Everything we do is to give the customer a better experience. This is done by taking our clients’ contacts through the customer journey to become brand advocates. With a variety of personalized channels, we help deliver the right message to the right person at the right time,” he said. “We’re pleased to be MarTech Breakthroughs’ ‘Best SMB Marketing Automation Platform.’ Ongoing interactions between a brand and a customer are a sign the customer is engaged. We’ll continue to help SMBs deliver content and experiences that add value and create these meaningful engagements.”

The award recognizes Dotdigital’s innovative customer experience and data platform (CXDP) which connects first-party data across marketing systems, surfacing insights and automating predictive cross-channel messages. The centralized data hub showcases actionable insights that offer a clear overview of customer behavior, intent, preferred channels, and more.

Our easy-to-use CXDP’s behavioral modeling delivers personalized customer experiences driven by data. These real-time insights include zero-party data, purchase intent, and more with Single customer view (SCV).

What’s more, our intelligent program builder also lets businesses automate the customer journey across email, SMS, social media, and messenger, while cohort analytics helps optimize segmentation strategies and uncover valuable, intent-driven segments that are ready to convert. AI is also used to hyper-personalize marketing via predictive analytics and product recommendations in real time.

We want to thank the judges and team at MarTech Breakthrough for this award and look forward to continuing to exceed customer expectations as they deliver personalized, data-driven experiences. 

Partner power hour

The day kicked off with a ‘partner power hour’, exclusive to our partner network. Ian Tilson, Head of Partnerships APAC, welcomed our partners, followed by a presentation from Steve Shaw, Chief Product & Technology Officer on our partner roadmap.

The partner power hour also featured an AMA panel moderated by Daniel Long, Partnerships Manager ANZ, Dotdigital.

The panel included members of the Dotdigital leadership team:

• Milan Patel, CEO
• Steve Shaw, Chief Product & Technology Officer
• Rohan Lock, Regional Director APAC
• Cheryl Embery, Head of Customer Success APAC
• Ian Tilson, Head of Partnerships APAC

The Dotties APAC awards

We couldn’t think of a better way to say “thank you” to our partners and clients, than with a Dotties awards evening.

There were 12 client awards and 2 partner awards up for grabs in a range of categories. We were blown away when we received more than 130 submissions for this year’s Dotties APAC. It was great to see some incredible entries come through. 

Customer awards

Best data-powered campaign 

Winner: Wittner, for its ‘Find our Outlet customers!’ campaign.

We all know Data is king. Wittner’s campaign was truly data-driven and informed by valuable customer insights. It used data tagging, intuitive segments, and dynamic content that were backed by their impressive use of data.

Most advanced automation campaigns 

Winner: Lyre’s Spirit Co., for its ‘Booze-free month’ campaign and Lowes for its ‘browse abandonment automation’ campaign.

Lyre’s “Booze-free month” campaign was very impressive and was created for those going sober for the “Dry Months” The campaign effectively used the Dotdigital platform for its robust triggered automation and had the perfect balance of SEM, paid social and organic posts.

Lowes’s browse abandonment automation campaign successfully leveraged product recommendations and last browsed blocks to effectively re-engage customers.

Most effective cross-channel campaign 

Winner: Godfreys, for its ’90-Hour Sale’ campaign.

A true definition of cross-channel marketing, the ‘90-Hour Sale’ campaign moved beyond just email and seamlessly used multiple channels to drive customer engagement as well as online and in-store sales for the brand generating outstanding results.

Outstanding email creative 

Winner: dusk, for its collaborative campaign with ‘Streets Ice Cream’

The campaign effectively promoted dusk’s collaboration with Streets Ice Creams. The colorful email not only showcased creativity and strong brand messaging but also was visually appealing and encouraged click-throughs driving customer engagement.

Responsible marketing award

Winner: Adorn Cosmetics, for its ‘Eco refill program’.

Adorn’s eco refill program deeply resonated with one of Dotdigital’s pillars – Sustainability.  To promote their refill program, Adorn used Dotdigital to send post-purchase emails to customers who have purchased a refillable product.

Most engaging campaign by a B2B business 

Winner: Signet, for the customer success story campaign with ‘Metcash’  

We loved Signet’s campaign that showcased how they helped Metcash save costs and reduce single-use plastic. The campaign came alive through an animated GIF, had clear messaging, and showed a high rate of engagement from B2B audience.

Most engaging campaign by a B2C business 

Winner: Zanui, for ‘Deal of the day’ campaign

The “Deal of the day” campaign displayed excellent creativity. We loved how Zanui used multiple channels and tools to push the new deal of the day through Instagram stories, landing pages, and daily newsletters.

Best-performing campaign by an ecommerce business 

Winner: BlackMilk Clothing, for ‘Welcome series’ campaign

We were so impressed by BlackMilk Clothing’s welcome series campaign! It was not only visually striking but also aimed at improving customer experience and operational efficiencies. We loved the way they filled the data gaps with a preference center.

Most inspiring campaign by a not-for-profit business

Winner: Amaze, for ‘Autism@VicParliament invite’ campaign

The campaign was a true testament to a great initiative and commemorated the milestone of partnering with the Victorian Government. The intent and brand messaging were clear, and the campaign achieved brilliant results.

Team awards

Rising star (the marketer of the year)

Winner: Nurulhuda Zahairi, Sasha’s Fine Foods

Huda is a true superstar. Her hard work, adaptability, and tenacity in overcoming professional challenges and navigating an uncertain time during COVID, displayed sheer excellence, initiative, and a drive to learn. We were impressed with how she trained herself on Dotdigital and used the platform efficiently.

Team of the year

Winner: Signet, for smashing the KPIs, accomplishing the unachievable  

A well-deserved win indeed. The passionate dream team has achieved some great outcomes together- be it revamping the workspace, smashing the KPIs, or launching a whole new brand. The team’s excellent accomplishments are proof that TEAMWORK makes DREAMWORK.

Dotdigital customer champion APAC

Winner: Adorn Cosmetics, for ‘Liptember’ campaign 

The Liptember campaign supported a great cause and raised money for women’s mental health. We loved how Adorn Cosmetics used Dotdigital to its full potential- be it audience segmentation, abandoned browse tracking or Facebook ads retargeting.

Partner awards

Services partner of the year APAC

Winner: Overdose

Overdose has been a committed partner to Dotdigital this year. The team always has the success of our joint clients in mind and their constant support has helped us achieve our shared goals.

Technology partner of the year APAC

Winner: Lexer

Working closely with Lexer on several projects including an upgrade to the Lexer and Dotdigital integration has helped both companies drive joint initiatives and grow strong together.

Social photo contest

Last but not the least, the team had a photo contest running throughout the afternoon, where the guests had to click their best picture during the event and post it on social channels, and tag Dotdigital. Three lucky winners that received the Dotdigital branded Martini boxes were:

• Carina Anderson, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Optimisation, Naked Wines
• Joel Sanders, Sales, and Marketing Manager at Aligent Consulting
• Christine Rodrigues, Strategic Partnerships, Commerce & Content, APAC, Adobe

The team had an amazing time networking, listening to our amazing speakers, and having plenty of laughs (as we guaranteed) and we hope to see you all again next year. Last but not the least, thank you to our amazing sponsors Adobe and ShipStation, and event partners NRA and Retail Global.

We can’t wait to welcome you in person, but if you’re not already convinced about why you should register for the event, maybe this will change your mind. Here are key reasons why the 2022 Summer Shindig is not to be missed.

1. Raise a toast

Who doesn’t love a chance to promote their company, product, and services and more importantly the visibility that comes with it? Summer shindig is a perfect platform to celebrate the success and all the incredible things your team and others from the ecommerce industry have done over the past 12 months.

Be there to represent your organization in person and brag about being one of the finalists or winners. Join your team on stage to accept your trophy. You wouldn’t want to miss your chance at all that stardom.

2. Network with your industry peers

The ecommerce industry is growing, and the circle is widening beyond geographies. Network with like-minded professionals to learn a thing or two about them and their businesses. Build new professional alliances, and strengthen the existing ones. Who knows you might find your next list of prospects or get someone interested in new partnership opportunities.

3. Thought leadership

The event also has an amazing content lineup. Listen to Steve Shaw, Dotdigital’s Chief Product & Technology Officer, take you through our roadmap. That’s not all, you also get a chance to ask any questions you want the Dotdigital leadership team to answer during our ask-me-anything (AMA) session.

4. Pause, reflect, and have fun

And last, but not least… come and have a good time over an amazing selection of cocktails, food, and lots of laughter! Soak in the amazing Sydney Harbour views, bond with other attendees, and celebrate what you’re all about.

Reserve your spot at The Dotties APAC

The big night is coming around fast, with less than a month don’t miss your chance, register today for your free ticket here and join us at the beautiful Doltone House – Darling Island, Sydney.

This is your chance to show off your marketing superpowers to the world!

The categories span every aspect of digital marketing; From ‘Best data powered campaign’ to ‘Outstanding email creative’ to the ‘Responsible marketing award’. With 17 awards up for nomination, you’re bound to qualify for one of them!

We’re looking for brands that can demonstrate how they’ve used Dotdigital to boost growth and ROI. We’ll be looking not only for creativity and effectiveness – the essence of marketing excellence – but also for marketing stories that can inspire us all and make us proud to represent the industry.

We can’t wait to welcome you in person, but if you’re not already hooked here are five reasons not to miss the 2022 Dotties Awards:

1. Have your work recognized by industry peers

Being nominated or winning one of the 17 Dotties award categories doesn’t just get you huge bragging rights, it recognizes the incredible achievements that set you apart from the crowd.

Winning a Dotties award clearly demonstrates your brand’s creativity and effectiveness in the eyes of customers, partners, and prospects alike. Ultimately driving more business while celebrating your great work.

2. Celebrate your team’s achievements

This is the perfect chance to demonstrate your appreciation for your marketing team and their hard work. Winning an award provides a real sense of achievement and togetherness, not to mention the drinks, food, and music provided means you can celebrate in true Dotdigital style.

3. Build your network

With so many of our fantastic customers attending, this is the perfect opportunity to mix and mingle, form new relationships and strengthen existing ones. You might make a new connection with the perfect prospect over a cocktail. You may find yourself sitting by your next customer.

4. Make new industry connections

You’ll also be sharing the space with our amazing network of global partners who hold vast experience in a range of sectors. You can rest assured that they will have industry-leading solutions to the challenges you’re team is currently tackling.

Whether you’re looking for a data agency to help improve data hygiene, in need of a powerful personalization tool, or are planning on upgrading your ecommerce platform, you’re in the right room.

5. Have some fun

We take the responsibility of providing a good time very seriously.

Our host will kick the evening off and present each award. Your only job then is to fill your belly with some delicious festival-style dishes, sip on some fizz, and dance the night away to our live band and DJ. So, relax and have some fun, you deserve it.

The awards

• Clearly defined marketing problem
• Creativity and imagination
• Innovative solution with demonstrable results

The winners

Best crisis-communication campaign

“Cute execution of email and clearly resonates with the brand.” “Clear campaign objectives – execution considerations in terms of online event comfort and clear audience segmentation for relevance.” “Great success metrics.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Best use of data

“Clear objective and approach. Use of RFM as well as product data to add maximum value to the content…” “Shows a customer-first approach to the data planning which no doubt supported the reactivation rates you saw.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Most advanced automation

“A very well thought through campaign and event. You had a stream for each type of customer which is great. And the use of SMS to maintain engagement was a great addition to the overall campaign. Well done on such a good job!” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Favorite omnichannel campaign

“Nice, clear, well thought out creative, not to mention a good use of personalization across multiple channels to deliver the message.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Outstanding email creative

“Great idea, great copy, and clearly know their target market well.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Leading B2B campaign

“A great strategically focused multichannel campaign, where email has been instrumental in driving results.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Leading B2C Campaign

“Email is very clean in look and feel, very easy to absorb the key info and makes great use of the wealth of images available.” “Fantastic creative that works well across all devices – with the added bonus of generating unexpected revenue. Good insight of performance across a range of measures.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Most impressive ecommerce campaign

“Wonderful to see the leap of faith into automation has paid off! Especially for an industry that hasn’t understood its value in far too long! Nice work!” “Great to see the power of automation when messaging and promotions are tested. Great work.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Inspiring not-for-profit campaign

“Achieved strong results – particularly given the world was changing quickly and it was hard to get attention. Good work.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Best partner in APAC

High number of opportunities that have converted in the Asia-Pacific region and commitment to showcasing customers the value of dotdigital.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Best use of dotdigital in APAC

“Slick use of marketing automation to drive impressive sales leads for local businesses. Nice use of personalization across integrated channels – awesome stuff!” “A comprehensive entry. They made use of pretty much all the platform has to offer – including retargeting via Facebook and Google when email isn’t as effective.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Best partner in Americas

“A broad collaboration of high-value opportunities where both dotdigital and Kadro have driven wins in the Americas region. Both partners work hand in hand to deliver the best customer service resulting in a satisfied and loyal mutual customer base.” SUPPORTING COMMENTS

Best use of dotdigital in Americas

“Curating an aftersales program based on overall fragrance experience is as customer-centric as it gets.” “Great use of order data to deliver useful information in the way of personal care, which demonstrates both value for the customer and brand expertise. Including relevant product recommendations post-purchase also drove positive engagement rates. Well done.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Best partner in EMEA

“Great number of net new clients in a short period of time. Ultimately, ISM eCompany was able to tailor an email proposition that its customers couldn’t refused. Great expertise of Dutch ecommerce and Magento is an added bonus. Awesome work.” SUPPORTING COMMENTS

Best partner in UK & Ireland

“Referred mutual client wins and a seamless collaboration make dotdigital and Tryzens a winning team. Both partners work together to provide value solutions for brands all over the world, helping them grow their business further.” SUPPORTING COMMENTS

Best use of dotdigital in EMEA

“Inspiring content and imagery which reinforce the tagline message of the campaign. Excellent execution along with social targeted messages for those who engaged with email or on site, but hadn’t yet converted. Smart communication across multiple touch-points – great work!” SUPPORTING COMMENTS

Rising star

“All round great marketer, love how she’s proved focusing on content drives revenue.” “Very impressive.” “Demonstration of an incredibly resilient and creative email marketer – an inspiration.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Marketing team of the year

“Incredible revenue figures from focusing on customer loyalty specifically.” “Smart use of automation programs across multiple channels driving significant customer value – which is reflected in the highly positive performance metrics. Overall, the best use of the platform in terms of value output and returns.” JUDGES’ COMMENTS

As marketers we often pride ourselves on our quick-thinking, reactive skills and ability to stay cool under pressure but 2020 has really put us to the test. It’s been a year like no other and we want to celebrate your marketing excellence.

With over 300 submissions, our judges faced the nearly impossible task of picking out the best and brightest campaigns for our shortlist.

Shortlist revealed

Best use of data

Slicing and dicing your audiences to enhance customer experience is no mean feat. These brands know how to put their data to work and deliver excellent email marketing campaigns.

• JoJo Maman Bébé
• Lawrence & Hanson
• Macmillan Cancer Support
• Power Components

Most advanced automation

These inspiring brands are all about working smarter. Using marketing automation tools, they’ve transformed their business with intelligent, triggered messaging that reaches the right customer at the right time.

• Action for Children
• Country Casual Teak
• Lyre’s Spirit Co.
• The Travel Chapter

Favorite omnichannel campaign

Connecting with customers at the time on the right channel is an essential part of the customer experience. These brands have delivered some outstanding omnichannel marketing campaigns to masterfully engage audiences, wherever they are.

• Action for Children
• British Heart Foundation
• Coopers Brewery
• Wild Horses 4×4

Outstanding email creative

Design is an essential part of email marketing, and often one of the hardest to get right. These brands left us inspired with their creative flair.

• Lyre’s Spirit Co.
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• Southampton Football Club
• Sportif Inc for Bearpaw

Rising Star

Recognizing that one team member who has gone above and beyond, we want to reward the dedication and hard work of these rising stars.

• Alana Arthur, Bellabox
• Michelle Escobar, Macmillan Cancer Support
• Emily Bennett, Ordnance Survey
• Emma Methven, Papa John’s

Leading B2B

B2B marketing has never been easy, but with businesses around the world adapting to new ways of working, we want to recognize and reward the amazing work going on in this sector.

• &Beyond
• Cutwel Ltd
• Iress
• Tile Giant

Leading B2C

Keeping customers engaged is hard enough at the best of times. These marketing campaigns have inspired audiences and stirred them into action.

• Natural History Museum
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• Southampton Football Club
• wine.com.au

Most impressive ecommerce campaign

Cutting through the noise and making an impact in cluttered inboxes is never easy. These brands have embraced exciting new email marketing tactics to entice shoppers to buy from with ecommerce stores.

• Coopers Brewery
• Southampton Football Club
• Ted Baker
• Tile Giant

Inspiring not-for-profit campaign

Not just content with having a social impact, these non-profit teams are pushing the boundaries with their marketing.

• Action for Children
• Natural History Museum
• The Prince’s Trust
• The WEA

Best use of dotdigital in APAC

These brands have delivered exceptional omnichannel marketing campaign, delighting customers across the whole region.

• Lawrence and Hanson
• Lyre’s Spirit Co.
• Visit Victoria
• winedirect.com.au

Best use of dotdigital in Americas

Driving audiences into action is the ultimate goal for marketers around the world and these brands from the Americas are showing us how it’s done.

• Absolunet
• Famous Smoke Shop
• Macerich
• NEST New York

Best use of dotdigital in EMEA

Embracing customer engagement tactics has helped these EMEA brands deliver outstanding results.

• Barq
• Hertfordshire County Council
• Mamas and Papas
• Power Components

Best partner Americas

These partners and agencies are helping dotdigital expand the limits of what’s possible for clients’ email and omnichannel marketing efforts.

• Absolunet
• Corra
• Irish Titan
• Kadro

Best partner APAC

Working toward a common goal, these partners from across APAC are helping dotdigital customers achieve ultimate success.

• Cleargo
• Convert Digital
• Jumpstart
• MI Academy

Best partner EMEA

Exemplifying the power of partnerships, our partners from across the EMEA region work tirelessly to help clients achieve their goals.

• Agence Dn’D
• Experius
• ISM eCompany
• Itonomy

Best partner UK

Working with dotdigital, these partners have gone above and beyond to empower our customers to be the best they can be.

• CTI Digital
• iWeb
• Silverbear
• Tryzens

Best COVID-related campaign

Marketers world-wide have had their crisis communications skills thoroughly tested in 2020. These are the brands who wowed us with their empathetic and thought-provoking campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Action on Hearing Loss
• British Heart Foundation
• JoJo Maman Bébé
• StepChange Debt Charity
• Virgin Experience Days
• Visit Victoria

Team of the year

Teamwork makes the dream work, and these teams have blown us away with their innovative ways to connect with audiences and drive results.

• British Heart Foundation
• Cats Protection
• Lawrence and Hanson
• Visit Victoria

Get your ticket today

A HUGE thank you to everyone who attended the dotties 2018 – we hope you had an awesome time. A big hand to all the brands who made the shortlist – we were massively impressed with every single entry and our judges faced a tough decision.

But last night, we celebrated you – the winners. Congratulations to the brands who are shaping the digital marketing space, delivering first-class experiences to customers, fans and supporters. And for anyone having a little trouble remembering what went down, allow us to refresh your memory:

The winners

Certsure LLP

Inspiring email creative: The BIG Idea

Winning in Business: Best B2B Marketing Campaign

Barbour

Content Excellence: Most Compelling Campaign

Tottenham Hotspur

Creative Flair: Best Subject Line

Star of Leisure: Best use of dotmailer to please

Southampton FC

Data Creativity: Best Use of Data

icelolly.com

Innovation in Integration: Combining Tech Powers

Neal’s Yard Remedies

Excellence in Automation: Most Powerful Program Use

Asthma UK

Omnichannel Pioneers: Most Connected Campaign

Star of Non-profit: Best use of dotmailer to help others

Jack Wills

Excellence in Ecommerce: Most Compelling Campaign

Greene King

Big Impact, Small Bottom Line: Best Use of Budget

Inviqa

UK agency of the year

Absolunet

US agency of the year

Experius

European agency of the year

Crimson Consultants

CRM partner of the year

XCM

Integrated partner of the year

Yuji Isayama – Selco Builders Warehouse

Star Performer: Excellence in Marketing by an Individual

T. M. Lewin

Star Disruptor: Energizing Change in the Marketing Team