It’s no longer Oscars season, not yet Emmys season, so what’s an awards lover to do? Look to the Webbys, of course.
Last week, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) honored the best of the internet across more than 100 categories with the Webby Awards, with recognition ranging from prizes for AI research to advocacy work to entertainment and digital culture. As long as it took place on the web, it was probably eligible for a Webby.
In each category, two prizes are given out: one decided by IADAS, and the other by audience vote, called the people’s voice award. Though a slew of A-list celebrities (including Morning Brew, which took home two wins) will pick up their slinky-shaped trophies on May 12 at a ceremony hosted by comedian and actor Ilana Glazer, several brands and creators are also taking home a prize. Below, we highlighted the Webbys that might inspire marketers to take a stab at nabbing their own slinky trophy next year.
Techies take it all: Adobe Frame.io V4 won the Webby Award for creative production, apps and software, while Streamlabs Ultra nabbed the people’s voice version in the same category. One platform streamlines the video editing process, while the other streamlines streaming.
Beautiful brands: Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty won an award for best use of a filter with its “Which Riri Are You?” Best Lip Looks TikTok filter, and Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty took home a Webby for general social in the fashion and beauty category. Celeb beauty brands don’t seem to be logging off any time soon, huh?
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Silver screen: Movies and TV shows aren’t limited to Oscars and Emmys—or at least, their related marketing campaigns aren’t. In 2023, Martin Scorsese got on Letterboxd, the social platform for sharing movie reviews, and his arrival to the app meant Letterboxd took home a Webby for best community or fan engagement in media/entertainment, features. NBC’s late-night series SNL had several viral sketches over the last year, with the Domingo sketches likely helping cast member Marcello Hernández win a Webby for outstanding comedic performance. But as far as marketers are concerned, SNL’s Webby for best use of Stories on Instagram might be even more impressive.
Very demure: Creator Jools Lebron inspired countless brand posts featuring the words “demure” and “mindful,” let alone the scores of regular folk who played along, too. For that, she was honored with the crush the internet award.
Brain-rot wins? Parents might cringe every time their Gen Alpha kid makes a Skibidi Toilet reference, but the animated YouTube series won the Webby for best community engagement, creator excellence for its fan multiverse. Seems the scary toilet has made quite the connection with the kiddos.
Ad lovin’: Ads and sports go hand in hand, and according to the Webbys, some spots featuring athletes were made particularly well. Nike’s “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” campaign, made by agency Wieden+Kennedy, took home a best copywriting, advertising, media, and PR, while Powerade’s “The Vault,” made by Ogilvy New York and featuring Simone Biles, was recognized for best video editing, craft. We’d watch these ads over and over any day.