Starcom named winner in SMH’s ‘Breaking The Story’ Agency NewsRoom Challenge last week

November 27 2017, 11:27 am | BY Ricki Green | No Comments

IMG_1291.jpgAdvertising professionals became editorial experts last week as Fairfax Media hosted the Sydney Morning Herald ‘Breaking the Story’ Agency Newsroom Challenge, a fun activity to engage agencies, deepen understanding of Fairfax’s premium positioning and quality independent journalism, as well as build brand advocacy.

Fairfax editorial, commercial and marketing teams hosted 100 agency planners and buyers from 11 agencies for the amazing race / cluedo style challenge to create a distinct and interactive experience, and showcase high profile editorial talent, how it creates quality journalism, and its importance in today’s society. Starcom was named overall winner.

IMG_E1381.jpgParticipants included PHD, Bohemia, Wavemaker, Starcom, SPARK Foundry, Havas Media, Vizeum, Carat, OMD, M2M, Blue 449 and Medialab. Fairfax Media congratulates the following category award winners:

Best story: Starcom

Most factually correct: Carat

Best headline: PHD

Best photography: Blue 449DSC_0160.jpeg

Says Andrew Mudgway, national agency sales director at Fairfax Media: “In a world of ‘busy’, it’s easy for people to get lost in the siloes of their own world, but we know that the value for media agencies and clients comes from opening up and reminding people of our premium audiences and content. We’re proud of our incredible editorial teams, and we wanted to bring agency planners and buyers into the fold and expose them to what our award-winning editorial team members are tasked with, hourly, and daily – and that is creating high quality, independent journalism.”

The agencies competed with one another in a cluedo / amazing race style challenge around the streets of Sydney to crack the case and shape the biggest story of the year. Participants produced a qualityDSC_0075.jpg piece of investigative journalism which was submitted to a team of Fairfax’s editorial talent including award-winning investigative journalist, Kate McClymont, SMH editor, Lisa Davies, Weekend Features Editor, Aparna Khopkar, and SMH News Editor, Nick Ralston.

The event gave participants the chance to work together as a team; encouraging effective communication, problem solving and creativity thinking, and have fun together whilst also connecting them with their respective Fairfax Agency group director.