Social media glory was yesterday evening awarded to a selection of Irish companies at the inaugural Bord Gáis Energy Social Media Awards. The awards which took place at the Mansion House, Dublin honoured companies who have demonstrated innovation in their use of social media in business over the past year.
Among the winners on the night were the Defences Forces, which were recognised for their use of social media as a state body, whilst Dublin Zoo took top honours in the category of Facebook as a not-for- profit organisation. Web solutions company, Blacknight won the award for best business Twitter for marketing and sales, whilst eircom triumphed in the highly competitive best business Twitter for support and customer relationship management category.
The media was out in force at the awards with RTE snapping up two awards for innovative use of social media for the Rumour Room, and for social media effectiveness by Morning Ireland. Best Facebook page for a business (non campaign) was won by Spin 103.8.
The Grand Prix award for a company who demonstrated the best overall use of social media went to Meteor, who also picked up an earlier award for best owner managed business Facebook page.
Commenting on winners Damien Mulley, founder of the Irish Social Media Awards:
“We were blown away by the quality of entries especially for the first year of the awards. There are some very talented and creative companies showing how clever use of social can have a genuine impact not only on a company’s reputation but also on an organisation’s bottom line. We hope with these examples showcased this evening that companies in Ireland can learn new ways of interacting with the public, provide better services and inevitably generate more sales. A whole new world of possibilities exists.”
Digital and Social Media Manager at Bord Gáis Energy Eoin Ó Súilleabháin said: “It is great to see such well deserving companies be commended for successfully integrating social media into their business, marketing and customer relationship strategies. Bord Gáis Energy is delighted to sponsor these awards which recognise talent, and the results driven work being done.”
Award winners are as follows:
1. Facebook Page for a Business (Non Campaign)
Winner: Spin 1038
2. Facebook Page for Non profit/organisation
Winner: Dublin Zoo
3. Facebook Page for a Business (owner managed)
Winner: Meteor
4. Integrated Facebook Campaign
Winner: Maltesers
5. Best Business Twitter account – marketing, sales
Winner: Blacknight
6. Best Business Twitter account – Support, CRM
Winner: Eircom
7. Blog of a Business – Sponsored by Frontline LED
Winner: Curious Wines
8. Video/Video Campaign (non broadcast) – Sponsored by Publicis QMP
Winner: Goldnomics
9. Online PR Campaign – Sponsored by ESOF 2012, Dublin City of Science
Winner: WeddingDates.ie Wife Carrying
10. Use of Social Media by State Body/Org – Sponsored by pTools
Winner: Defence Forces
11. Best Mobile App
Winner: Oxegen 2010
12. Customer Care using Social Media (Integrated) – Sponsored by DoneDeal
Winner: Vodafone
13. Best Use of Social Media For A Sponsorship Campaign
Winner: Bank of Ireland Leinster Blue Magic
14. Innovative Use of Social Media – Sponsored by Arekibo
Winner: RTE’s The Rumour Room
15. Social Media Effectiveness – conversions, metrics etc – Sponsored by Kantar Media
Winner: Morning Ireland, RTE
16. Integrated Social Media Campaign – Sponsored by GrabOne.ie
Winner: Meteor
17. Agency for use of Social Media – Sponsored by Newsletter.ie
Winner: Irish International
18. Grand Prix – Sponsored by Bord Gais Energy
Winner: Meteor
