Media Federation of Australia pauses 2018 MFA Awards to reset + focus on client effectiveness

The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) Board has today announced a ‘reset’ of the annual MFA Awards. The program will be paused for the 2018 season to refocus efforts towards redesigning the Awards to align with the MFA’s new effectiveness and client advocacy agenda – part of a new strategy also launched today.

The MFA Awards will relaunch in 2019 bigger and better than ever, to continue the tradition of rewarding and celebrating outstanding work, while also educating and inspiring agencies, advertisers, media owners and the wider industry on media’s role in delivering effectiveness.

Says Joe Lunn, chair of the MFA Awards Committee: “We’re proud to be leading this important industry conversation, on behalf of the MFA Board and its members. The purpose of the MFA Awards has always been to celebrate ‘work that works’, and this is a great opportunity for us to re-evaluate the standards by which we judge success, not just in terms of awards but as a wider industry. We’re excited about creating an event that not only recognises the best in the business, but also provides an opportunity to share thought leadership and advance industry best practice.”

MFA Awards sponsors and MFA members have supported the move, agreeing that increased leadership around effectiveness of campaigns and client advocacy comes at the right time for the industry.

Says John Broome, CEO of Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) and long-term sponsor and supporter of the MFA Awards: “Recalibrating the MFA Awards program to better reflect what’s important for clients and what delivers value will help move the industry forward. The AANA is proud to be a long-time supporter of the MFA and its Awards program, and we look forward to celebrating when the awards relaunch in 2019.”

This move is the first step in the MFA’s new strategy for 2018, which focuses on effectiveness and client advocacy with a particular emphasis around measurement and accountability, in addition to attracting and retaining the best talent in the industry. The MFA will roll out a number industry level-initiatives to drive this new agenda over the next 12-18 months.

Says Sophie Madden, CEO, MFA: “It’s an important moment for the MFA and for the wider industry. We’re working in a rapidly changing media environment with more choices than ever before in terms of how to reach target audiences, and – as an industry – we need to be able to clearly demonstrate the value media agencies deliver in making those choices for clients.”