ENTRY KITMarketing&Tech Innovation Awards I www.dmnews.com/MTIAwards

RECOGNIZING THE MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF DATA AND MARKETING TECHNOLOGY

TO ACHIEVE OUTSTANDING RESULTS

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GENERAL ENTRY RULES AND INFORMATIONWho Can Enter and Eligibility Period: Entries are open to any organization within or outside the U.S. that uses marketing to acquire, convert, and retain business customers, consumers (inclusive of donors, members, subscribers, etc.), or both.

For the case study categories: Organizations can submit themselves; vendors can submit their customers, but if the entry wins it will be the customer that receives the award. The strategy or initiative submitted must have been launched or updated in 2014 or 2015.

For the platform categories: Vendors can submit themselves. A platform must have been launched or upgraded in 2014 or 2015.

For the Stars of MarTech categories: A person can submit themselves for consideration or can be nominated by another.

How to Enter/Support Material: All entries are electronic via: mtia.secure-platform.com/a• Complete all of the questions listed in the nomination form.

Responses to each question should be no longer than 250 words, and may be considerably less depending on the question. Each question is scored individually to create a total score for an entry; questions with no response will score a zero.

• You have the option to upload three items to support your entry; e.g., video, MP3, PDF, image, sample email—each file must be under 1GB. You may also upload up to three website or social media links.

EntryFees: • Case study and platform categories: $199 per entry• Stars of MarTech categories: $149 per entry

Deadline for Entries: The deadline for entries is Monday, December 7, 2015 at 6 p.m. EST. Entries received after that day will be considered late.

Late Entries: Late entries will be received until Monday, December 14, 2015 at 6 p.m. EST. However, entries submitted after Monday, December 7, 2015 at 6 p.m. EST will incur a $50 late fee.

Confidentiality: Direct Marketing News and The Hub reserve the right to publish details of the entries on our website and in other related material. However, if certain details must be kept confidential, please indicate this clearly on the entry, including exactly what information is not to be publicly disclosed. Please be specific about what information cannot be disclosed—do not simply mark the entire entry confidential.

The Jury: Entries will be judged by the DMN and The Hub editorial staff, as well as a panel of analysts and senior marketers that includes past MTIA, 40 Under 40, and Marketing Hall of Femme winners.

Finalists Announcement: Finalists will be announced in January on dmnews.com, thehubcomms.com, and via the publications’ social channels. Up to five finalists will be announced for each category. Select finalists will be asked to speak at the 2016 Marketing&Tech Innovation Summit. Direct Marketing News will profile the winners in print, online, and in an eBook.

The Big Night: Winners will be announced at a cocktail reception on Thursday, March 10, 2016, immediately following the 2016 Marketing&Tech Innovation Summit.

For further information about the Marketing&Tech Innovation Awards, please contact: Gwen McGiver at: gwen.mcgiver@haymarketmedia.com

With the right data and technology to support it, marketing can be unstoppable. DMN and The Hub have combined forces this year to present the Marketing&Tech Innovation Awards, which honor the most innovative strategies and platforms in marketing today.

But it’s not just about the tools. Data scientists, marketing technologists, and other specialists are the indispensible drivers of ensuring that technology is an asset, not just a gadget. The Stars of MarTech categories honor those experts.

How have data, technology, and the people behind them helped you innovate your marketing? Tell us for a chance to capture the spotlight, and gain bragging rights, as a winner of the 2016 Marketing&Tech Innovation Awards.

ENTRY KITEntry Deadline: December 7, 2015

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CASE STUDY CATEGORIESCriteria: Nominees will need to provide details on the problem or opportunity that prompted their action, the strategy behind it, the execution of that strategy, and the results so far. The strategy or initiative submitted must have been launched or updated in 2014 or 2015.

1. Analytics Innovation The most innovative use of data to improve an initiative, such as customer segmentation or LTV analysis, or to provide insight from one channel/set of channels to support decision making in another channel/set of channels

2. Content Marketing Innovation The best use of technology to support an innovative content marketing strategy or initiative

3. Omnichannel Marketing Innovation The best use of technology to integrate multiple channels in a way that allows for innovative omnichannel marketing

4. Email Marketing Innovation The best use of email marketing technology to support an innovative approach to email

5. Mobile Innovation The best use of technology to support an innovative mobile marketing initiative

6. Social Innovation The most innovative use of social marketing tools to support a social marketing initiative

Questions: (Each answer should be no more than 250 words and in some cases considerably less):

What was the problem or opportunity that prompted your company to take a new approach?

What was the strategy behind it?

What about that strategy or initiative was innovative?

When did you launch the strategy/initiative? If it was updated in 2014 or 2015, when exactly was it updated?

Describe the overall execution of the strategy.

Describe any changes made to optimize performance after initial launch or testing, as well as when/why.

How did you use technology to support your initiative?

How did you use data to support your initiative?

What results have you achieved so far? (This should include hard and soft results, such as ROI, revenue, social shares, retention.)

PLATFORM CATEGORIES Criteria: Nominees will need to provide details on recent platform upgrades that make it innovative. A platform must have been launched or upgraded in 2014 or 2015.

7. Most Innovative Social Media Platform Award for a social media marketing platform that demonstrates completeness of vision, technological advancement, adaptability to new networks and big gains for its users, as well as a recent innovative platform upgrade for platforms launched prior to 2015.

8. Most Innovative Integrated Marketing Suite Award for an integrated marketing software suite that demonstrates completeness of vision, major technological advancement, and seamless integration, and creates exponential value as a whole instead of through its individual components, as well as a recent innovative platform upgrade for platforms launched prior to 2015.

9. Most Innovative Analytics Platform Award for an analytics platform that offers a high degree of usability, creative visualizations, real-time processing, and major impact on marketing decisions, as well as a recent innovative platform upgrade for platforms launched prior to 2015.

10. Most Innovative Mobile Marketing Platform Award for a mobile marketing platform that demonstrates a high level of innovation by creating effective new ways to maximize marketing opportunities on mobile devices, as well as a recent innovative platform upgrade for platforms launched prior to 2015.

11. Most Customer Experience Management Platform Award for a platform that enables users to create, test, and optimize relevant and rewarding customer experiences, and demonstrates a high degree of usability, business impact and leadership in the space, as well as a recent innovative platform upgrade for platforms launched prior to 2015.

Questions: (Each answer should be no more than 250 words and in some cases considerably less):

What is the vision for the platform?

What makes it innovative or unique?

Describe its adaptability in terms of integrations, upgrades, and scalability.

Describe a recent platform upgrade, and explain why it’s innovative.

What are the three key user benefits?

How does it help users innovate?

Support Material: You have the option to upload three items to support your entry; e.g., video, MP3, PDF, image, sample email—each file must be under 1GB. You may also upload up to three website or social media links.

ENTRY KITEntry Deadline: December 7, 2015

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STARS OF MARTECH CATEGORIESCriteria: The 2016 Stars of MarTech recognize the marketing leaders and technologists whose efforts are indispensible to their marketing team in terms of leadership and innovation. Nominators will need to provide details on the nominee’s approach to their area of expertise, describe why the person’s work is outstanding or innovative, and provide specific examples of how that person’s efforts over the past year directly contributed to the success of a specific marketing strategy or initiative, include the results. Entries will be scored on the quality and effectiveness of the nominee’s approach, the strength and value of the nominee’s contribution, and the results.

12. Content Marketing Scribe (primary focus is content marketing) This individual knows how to tell a compelling story that drives action or engagement. His/her innovative approach to content marketing has helped the marketing team achieve such goals as attract prospects, increase qualified leads, retain customers, and move prospective buys through the purchase funnel.

13. Data Scientist (primary focus is data analytics) This individual knows how to tell a compelling story through data. The marketing team of his/her company is able to take an innovative approach to some aspect of its marketing as a result of the insight this person provides.

14. Digital Ace (primary focus is online advertising, website optimization, and customer experience management) This individual takes an innovative approach to using the Internet to get the attention of the right customers and prospects, engage them, personalize their experience, and drive action as a result.

15. Email Engager (primary focus is email marketing) This individual takes an innovative approach to email marketing across the prospect and customer life cycles to drive engagement, purchase, retention, shares and more.

16. Mobile Maestro (primary focus is mobile marketing) This individual takes an innovative approach to mobile marketing—from apps to SMS to geotargeting—across the customer lifecycle to drive engagement, purchase, retention, and more.

17. Marketing Technologist (primary focus is marketing automation) This individual knows his/her way around technology, whether it’s a marketing automation platform or a campaign management tool. The marketing team is able to take an innovative approach to some aspect of its marketing as a result.

18. Programmatic Prognosticator (primary focus is programmatic) This individual takes an innovative approach to using programmatic marketing to get the attention of the right customers and prospects, engage them, personalize their experience, and drive action as a result.

19. Social Strategist (primary focus is social media marketing) This individual takes an innovative approach to using social networks to get the attention of the right customers and prospects, engage them, encourage interaction, and drive action such as purchases and shares as a result.

Questions: (Each answer should be no more than 250 words and in some cases considerably less):

What makes this nominee’s approach outstanding, innovative, and unique?

Provide one general example of that approach—something this personal always does.

Provide a detailed example from 2014 or 2015 of how his/her approach directly contributed to the success of a specific marketing strategy or initiative.

What were the results of that strategy/initiative?

Support Material: You have the option to upload three items to support your entry; e.g., video, MP3, PDF, image, sample email—each file must be under 1GB. You may also upload up to three website or social media links.

ENTRY KITEntry Deadline: December 7, 2015