Rainmaker Marketing Excellence Awards 2009
Thursday, 4 June 2009 12:30pm
The best of the best in financial services marketing, sales and business development battled it out in this year's Rainmaker Marketing Excellence Awards, with the winners announced last night at the Shangri-La hotel in Sydney.
This year's event gave an insight to how the industry's marketing experts responded to the global financial crisis, with nominations based around campaigns and other initiatives over the period April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009 - the toughest period for investments in decades.
Based on the shortlist of nominees, a clear pattern emerged where the award recipients focused their energies during this turbulent times on client retention strategies - engaging more closely with their existing clients; financial literacy campaigns; and developing products and services that better suited the post-bull market era.
In the new world where the investing public demands more transparency and accountability, marketers play a bigger role than the stereotype, said Sally Wells, managing director of endgame communications.
It's not just about the "brochure shops" or being the "colouring department", she said at the Rainmaker Marketing Symposium this morning.
"Certainly in a decision making hierarchy that is very much focused on accounting and portfolio management, our role is about keeping up with the change in the environment and in doing so, stand up and be counted," she added.
And that's exactly what this year's winners and finalists did.
Best Innovation of the Year
Winner
Launch of the AXA North Protected Investment Guarantee - AXA Australia
Finalists
Charity Nomination - Individuum Super
netwealth Super Wrap Insurance - netwealth
Insurance Rollover - Aon Consulting
BT Priorities Calculator - BT Financial Group
Best New Investment Product of the Year
Winner
Tyndall Australian Share Income Fund - Tyndall Investment Management
Finalists
Rismark International Shared Equity Investment Product - Riskmark
JP Morgan ASX 20+ Series - ANZ
AMP Personalised Portfolio - AMP
Aberdeen Core Plus Fund - Aberdeen Asset Management
Best New Superannuation Product of the Year
Winner
AXA North Protected Investment Growth - AXA Australia
Finalists
Individuum Super - Individuum Super
netwealth Super Wrap Insurance - netwealth
BT Super for Life - BT Financial Group
AustralianSuper Pension - AustralianSuper
Best Public Relations Campaign
Winner
Aviva Ballkids - Aust Open Tennis - AVIVA Australia
Finalists
Instreet Investments - Instreet Investments
ING's Insurance Underinsurance Media/PR Campaign - ING Australia
INVEST09 - Perennial Investment Partners
Liquidnet Australia - OneProfile Communications
Rainmaker Business Development of the Year (Superannuation)
Winner
Peter Reynolds - AustralianSuper
Finalists
Vasco Stojanoski - MLC
Bente Parkinson - netwealth
Nathan Bell - BT Financial Group
Mark Pilditch - AXA Australia
Tom Rogacki - Aon Consulting
Rainmaker Business Development Manager of the Year (Investment Management)
Winner
Vivienne Lee - Perennial Investment Partners
Finalists
Justin Cowper - Tyndall Investment Management
Matthew Dell - RARE Infrastructure
Damen Purcell - Australian Unity Investments
Andrew Chambers - Pinnacle Investment Partners
Rainmaker Marketer of the Year (Superannuation)
Winner
Umberto Mecchi - HOSTPLUS
Finalists
Kate Thompson - Individuum
Karen Volpato - First State Super
Sarah Badenoch - Aon Consulting
Maria Butera - Cbus
Rainmaker Marketer of the Year (Investment Management)
Winner
Jo Morgan - Tyndall Investment Management
Finalists
James Gruver - BNY Mellon Asset Management
James Hordern - Hunter Hall
Damien McIntyre - Grant Samuel Funds Management
Jarrod Brown - Bennelong Funds Management
Rainmaker Marketing of the Year (Financial Planning)
Winner
Scott Walters - Mercer Wealth Solutions
Finalists
Scott Haywood - Haywood Financial Management
Honi Hebbard - Money Talk Planners
Sam Aylett - AXA Australia
Rainmaker Marketing of the Year (Open)
Winner
Barry Wyatt - AXA Australia
Finalists
Allyson Lowbridge - Bell Direct
Michael Browne - CommInsure
Carly Loder - BT Financial Group
Best Website of the Year (Superannuation)
Winner
www.individuum.com.au - Individuum Super
Finalists
www.netwealth.com.au/admin - Netwealth Financial Planning
www.ing.com.au/member - ING Australia
www.aonmastertrust.com.au - Aon Consulting
www.ngssuper.com.au - NGS Super
Best Website of the Year (Investment Management)
Winner
www.bennfundsmanagement.com.au - Bennelong Funds Management
Finalists
www.vanguard.com.au - Vanguard Investments
www.netwealth.com.au/admin - netwealth Investments
www.btim.com.au - BT Investment Management
Best Website of the Year (Financial Planning)
Winner
www.mercerwealthsolutions.com.au - Mercer Wealth Solutions
Finalists
www.desktopbroker.com.au - Bell Direct
www.netwealth.com.au/admin - netwealth Investments
www.vanguard.com.au - Vanguard Investments
www.bt.com.au/advisers - BT Financial Group
Best Website of the Year (Open)
Winner
www.mlc.com.au - MLC
Finalists
www.instreet.com.au - Instreet Investments
www.ing.com.au/oneanswer - ING Australia
www.btsuperforlife.com.au - BT Financial Group
www.leadingmindsacademy.com - Leading Minds Academy
www.amp.com.au/waytowealth - AMP
Best Advertising Campaign of the Year (Consumer division)
Winner
MLC Consumer Reassurance TVC Campaign - MLC
Finalists
Online Super Campaign - ING Australia
BTFG Priorities Campaign - BT Financial Group
AXA Olympic Advertising - AXA Australia
Super SA "Wave" Vodcast Campaign - Super SA
Best Advertising Campaign of the Year (Trade Division)
Winner
OneCare Super Hero Series - ING Australia
Finalists
Desktop Broker "Unlike any tool you've seen before" - Bell Direct
Hunting Season - Hunter Hall
Happenz - Zurich Australia
VWrap - Praemium
Best Direct Mail of the Year (Print Division)
Winner
2008 So Far: The Year of Investing Dangerously - Perennial Investment Partners
Finalists
Strength in Uncertain Times/Product Enhancement DM - CommInsure
Flamingo Campaign - ING Australia
Account Consolidation Campaign - Mercer Wealth Solutions
Aon Master Trust "Do you have buried treasure in your place" - Aon Consulting
Aviva HUGE Term Deposit - Aviva Australia
Best Direct Mail of the Year (Online Division)
Winner
UniSuper's Time to Decide - Decisions 101 Campaign - UniSuper
Finalists
Easy money in tough times - Bell Direct
ING's Global Outlook Webcast Series - ING Australia
Take a Week Off Work - CommInsure
Perennial Perspective - Perennial Investment Partners
Rainmaker Group, owner of Financial Standard, started the awards back in 2002 to recognise the achievements of marketing professionals in financial services. The award finalists were selected following a nomination phase and a voting phase. All bona fide nominations were reviewed by Rainmaker, with the most popular proceeding to the voting or judging phase. This year, more than 14,000 votes were received online in support of the nominees.
