In honour of the powerful partners who help make Microsoft Advertising successful, we are delighted to announce the winners of this year’s Microsoft Advertising Partner Awards that took place on 25 February 2021. This reimagined virtual ceremony honoured and celebrated individuals and companies for the great work that they had done in 2020. The show was hosted by Microsoft Advertising’s Vice President of Global Strategic Sales, Rob Wilk, and included special performances from Broadway stars to inspire us all.
This year’s theme was Forward Together, which pointed to the importance of partnership, and how we move forward toward recovery and growth. During the ceremony we recognised agency, channel, and technology partners across EMEA in 10 categories including a new category — the Community Response Award — which celebrated the innovation, drive, and adaptability our partners have demonstrated during this unique time. We had many outstanding submissions from across the region making the competition tougher than ever before as our partners showcased the truly remarkable work they’ve done over the last year. The award winners were selected based on their achievements and excellence in each category.
We offer our huge congratulations to the winners and finalists and want to thank everyone who took part in these awards to make them a memorable virtual celebration. We look forward to announcing our Global Award winners during the Elevate Partner Summit on 21 April 2021.
To see all the winners share their stories, please visit the complete Microsoft Advertising Partner Awards YouTube Playlist. Winner and runners up appear below, and all finalists can be found in the blog announcement.
Trailblazer of the Year
Awarded to an individual that, in an innovative and engaging way evangelises Microsoft Advertising and drives Microsoft Advertising brand awareness and affinity internally, as well as in the industry.
- Winner — Merkle (UK) – Richard Lewis
- First Runner Up — Mabo Media (UK) – Phoebe Holford
- Second Runner Up — Impression (UK) – James Webster
Account Team of the Year
Awarded to an exemplary account team or group that partners, engages, and drives Microsoft Advertising revenue growth and feature adoption throughout the year.
- Winner — Push (UK)
- First Runner Up — Adzooma (UK)
- Second Runner Up — PHD EMEA
Community Response Award
This new award category offers recognition to partner organisations or someone within a partner organisation that has provided innovative support or services to the industry or the community this year amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Winner — Kenshoo (UK)
- First Runner Up — RED Online Marketing (NL)
- Second Runner Up — Greenlight Digital (UK)
Inclusive Culture & Marketing Award
Awarded to the partner who demonstrates the strongest commitment to inclusive practices both culturally within their company and in driving the messaging and importance of developing inclusive marketing campaigns with their clients.
- Winner — NMPi by Incubeta (UK)
- First Runner Up — Merkle (UK)
- Second Runner Up — MediaCom (UK)
Rising Star of the Year
Awarded to a Select partner that has demonstrated the most accelerated focus this past year with Microsoft Advertising.
- Winner — Adzooma (UK)
- First Runner Up — Happy Idiots (NL)
- Second Runner Up — Mabo Media (UK)
Independent Partner of the Year
Awarded to an Elite Independent Partner that engages with Microsoft Advertising in true partnership to deliver success to their clients. This partner demonstrates a unified approach and advocates usage of Microsoft Advertising products and features.
- Winner — DEPT (NL)
- First Runner Up — Adapt (UK)
- Second Runner Up — Ad’s Up Consulting (FR)
Client Partnership of the Year
Awarded to a client and their respective partner who has shown excellence in their digital advertising campaigns. This new award takes into consideration revenue, feature adoption and overall collaboration in areas such as marketing, thought leadership and insights.
- Winner — Fosby (NL)
- First Runner Up — Happy Idiots (NL)
- Second Runner Up — Infoserve (UK)
Agency Partner of the Year
Awarded to the agency partner who has showed excellence in partnership with Microsoft Advertising across the board.
United Kingdom
- Winner — Impression
- First Runner Up — Essence Global Ltd
- Second Runner Up — Greenlight Digital
Continental Europe
- Winner — KEYADE (FR
- First Runner Up — Publicis Media (IT)
- Second Runner Up — Webrepublic (CH)
Channel Partner of the Year
Awarded to the channel partner who has showed excellence in partnership with Microsoft Advertising across the board.
- Winner — Smarketer GmbH (DE)
- First Runner Up — Smarter Ecommerce GmbH (AT)
- Second Runner Up —Push (UK)
Congratulations to our winners and finalists in EMEA. Our APAC and Americas winners can be found in their regional blogs as well.