Thirteenth Annual MITX Awards Recognize the Best Interactive Technology and Web Achievements of New England Companies

The Awards Honor the Best Work Created By and For Some of the Most Recognizable Brands and Companies in the World

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(MITX) today announced the winners of its thirteenth annual awards competition, recognizing achievements in the development and implementation of interactive technologies in New England. The awards were presented last night at a sold-out ceremony at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, where more than 1,000 local professionals were in attendance. The winners included a diverse number of companies in the Internet business and marketing industry.

The MITX Award winners competed in 33 web categories in vertical industries ranging from biotechnology/pharmaceuticals to travel and tourism, as well as interactive marketing campaigns using tactics such as mobile, search and social media. In addition, MITX presented five 'Best of' awards, including the 'Interactive Marketer of the Year.' This year's winners include: Liberty Mutual, Mullen, Hangout Industries, Genuine Interactive and Sapient Interactive.

"We're thrilled that our client Liberty Mutual has been named Interactive Marketer of the Year," said Baba Shetty, chief media officer of Hill Holliday. "This award from MITX is a terrific recognition of the innovative thinking and execution that the Liberty Mutual and Hill Holliday teams have delivered over the past year. We look forward to helping the brand scale even greater heights moving forward."

This year's awards honored the best interactive work created by and for some of the most recognizable brands and companies in the world. Overall, this year's winners stood out among an increasing number of high-quality nominations representing improvements in how technology is being used to enhance the user experience via interactive marketing strategies.

A perfect example is the campaign created by Mullen for National Grid that took home the 'Best of Show' award. National Grid's Floe Web site & Power of Action campaign was designed to gauge carbon impact in order to educate users on their personal impact on the environment. The fully integrated multimedia campaign utilized multiple mediums, including a Web site, television, online banner ads and guerilla activities. A focal point of the campaign was the Web site where visitors learn about their impact on the environment based on lifestyle choices. Visitors to the site also have the opportunity to participate in games like adopting a virtual polar bear. Through these games, users learn how positive environmental actions will help protect the environment.

"This year's award winners are some of the world's most innovative marketing and creative experts that help national and local brands connect with their audiences through the use of technology," said Kiki Mills, executive director of MITX. "MITX is proud to be the foundation for New England's vibrant digital community and to recognize and help keep our Internet business and marketing practitioners and consumers at the forefront of innovation."

Begun in 1996, the MITX awards have grown to be the largest and most prestigious Web innovation awards competition of its kind in the country. The judging committee is comprised of more than 100 distinguished individuals from various disciplines, including members of the media, industry analysts, academia, creative directors, chief technology officers, webmasters, developers, producers, content providers and marketing executives and strategists.

The 2008 MITX Award winners include:

Category
Project
Agency/Creator

Applied Technology
Hill Holliday-Visual IQ Digital Marketing Analytics Platform for Liberty Mutual
Visual IQ with Hill Holliday, for Liberty Mutual

Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals
MS LifeLines Magazine & Newsletter: A Patient Retention Campaign
Cramer for EMD Serono, Inc

Consumer Goods
The Skinny on Mustard
Genuine Interactive for Reckitt Benckiser (French's Mustard)

Corporate Training and Support
Join Bain
Sapient Interactive for Bain & Company

Education and Learning
Firefly Watch
Museum of Science

Educational Institution
Harvard Business School MBA site
iFactory for Harvard Business School

Entertainment/Sports
The Andromeda Strain - Wildfire Lab
Pod Digital Design for A&E Television

Financial Services
Charles River Ventures Corporate Web Site
Hunt & Gather for Charles River Ventures

Health and Fitness
Halifax Health Website
Acsys Interactive for Halifax Health

Kids, 'Tweens & Teens
FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman
WGBH Interactive for WGBH Educational Foundation

Media
Network World.com
Network World, Inc

Mobile
LaundryView Lite for Mac-Gray Corporation
Pixel Bridge for Mac-Gray Corporation

Best Brand Campaign
National Grid Power of Action Campaign
Mullen for National Grid

Best Direct Response Campaign
Comcast Business Class Spring Promotion Acquisition Campaign
OTOi, a One to One Interactive Company for Comcast

Best Integrated Campaign
National Grid Power of Action Campaign
Mullen for National Grid

Best Use of Mobile
IKEA Catalog 'Find It' Sweeps
Valassis 1 to 1 Solutions for IKEA

Best Use of Search
Harley-Davidson Paid Search Marketing 2008
Overdrive Interactive for Harley-Davidson

Best Use of Social Media
Burma It Can't Wait
Digital Influence Group for Fanista

Best Use of Video
Used Car Ambush
Mullen with Struck for General Motors Corp. (GM Certified Used Vehicles)

Best Use of Sponsorship
Comcast Pandora Sponsorship
OTOi, a One to One Interactive Company for Comcast

Nonprofit/Government
Revels.org Website Redesign
ISITE Design for Revels

Online Commerce
Rockport Global Web Store
gsi interactive - a division of GSI Commerce for The Rockport Company, LLC

Professional Services
EY Insight
Molecular with Carat for Ernst & Young

Real Estate
Rentomatic
Investment Instruments Corp

Rich Internet Application (RIA)
Valassis 'PromoCircular'
Valassis for Valassis

Technology
HP Showroom
Oasis Technology Partners for Goodby, Silverstein and Partners

Travel, Tourism and Hospitality
Water Recreation Site
Digitas for Holiday Inn

Web 2.0 and Social Networking
Building Brand, Content and Capital through Facebook
TripAdvisor

The five "Best of" winners include:


Best User Experience
Join Bain
Sapient Interactive for Bain & Company

Best Engagement
The Skinny on Mustard
Genuine Interactive for Reckitt Benckiser (French's Mustard)

Interactive Marketer of the Year
Liberty Mutual

Best Use of Technology
Hangout
Hangout Industries

Best of Show
National Grid Power of Action Campaign / Floe
Mullen for National Grid

The 2008 MITX Awards were sponsored by Atom Group, Blue Sky Factory, Business.com, Factory, DLA Piper, Google, IBM, Kelliher Samets Volk, DoubleClick, EyeWonder, Fidelity, myOptumHealth.com, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Rocketship, Sportsgenic and Technology Review. Contributors include Kentico and Websitenarrators.com

For the complete list of finalists and other information please visit the MITX Awards Web site.

About MITX

Established in 1996, The Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) is the region's premier professional organization for the Internet business & marketing industry. Reaching more than 7,000 professionals in New England, MITX is the community for thought leadership, building business relationships and professional training and development. Members of the MITX community take advantage of events, sponsorships, speaking opportunities and networking to make business connections and exchange ideas. With more than 70 events annually, MITX provides its members with the opportunity to promote their companies to targeted audiences and provides a valuable forum for networking to source potential business leads, partnerships, ideas, funding and other likeminded peers in the industry. MITX is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

For more information please go to mitx.org.

Contacts
For MITX
Jessica Winston, 617-871-2155 x208
jessica@mitx.org
or
Stephen Russell, 781-487-4609
srussell@racepointgroup.com