Martech India Awards 2020 | Categories

1. Enterprise martech vendor of the year

This category reflects martech vendors with solutions targeted at large or ‘enterprise’ level organisations (with annual turnover of More than INR 1.0 billion). The submission should demonstrate what the organisation has done within the last year that is exceptional and differentiates it from competitors and other organisations with a similar target audience. This could reference factors such as [but not exclusively]: recent marketing activity, new product launches, product enhancements, events and conferences (both proprietary or third party ones), CSR, customer engagement activities, channel programmes, etc.

Wherever possible or relevant, the vendor should demonstrate how it has worked towards a specific plan for the year, in order to achieve specific objectives

2. MSME martech vendor of the year

This category reflects martech vendors with solutions targeted at micro, small or medium sized businesses. (with annual turnover of less that INR 1.0 billion) The submission should demonstrate what the organisation has done within the past year that is exceptional and differentiates it from competitors and other organisations with a similar target audience. This could include reference factors such as [but not exclusively]: recent marketing activity, new product launches, product enhancements, events and conferences (both proprietary or third party ones), CSR, customer engagement activities, channel programmes, etc. Wherever possible or relevant, the vendor should demonstrate how it has worked towards a specific plan for the year, in order to achieve specific objectives.

3. Emerging vendor of the year (less than three years old on July 31, 2020)

This category reflects new martech vendors and platforms that have only recently arrived in the market. Submissions should explain the impact that they have had since launching, how they have sought to disrupt the market, and how they have managed the challenge of delivering accelerated growth a fast-moving and highly competitive environment.

4. India-founded martech vendor of the year

India's home-grown martech scene is the focus of this category – vendors entering this category most have originated from India, although they may have consequently expanded outside of it (even to the point where the majority of their activities and/or customers exist outside of it). As with the category above, the submission should demonstrate what the organisation has done within the last year that is exceptional and differentiates it from other vendors in this ecosystem or their wider competitors. This could include reference factors such as [but not exclusively]: recent marketing activity, new product launches, product enhancements, events and conferences (both proprietary or third party ones), corporate social responsibility programmes, thought leadership activities, customer engagement activities, channel programmes, etc. Wherever possible or relevant, the vendor should demonstrate how it has worked towards a specific plan for the year, in order to achieve clearly articulated objectives.

5. ABM tech vendor of the year

This category reflects vendors whose technology enables account-based marketing activities – be they strategic or programmatic in nature. Submissions should show what the organisation has done in the past 12 months to demonstrate genuine leadership in the category and to set it apart from its competitors. This should relate to various aspects of its activities, potentially including: product launches/ developments, marketing campaigns and programmes, channel/partner engagement, CSR, topic evangelism, wider industry engagement or campaigning.

6. Content marketing tech vendor of the year

This category recognises vendors whose technology enables brand organisations to better create, manage, distribute, or analyse content for marketing purposes. Given that this is a broad and rapidly evolving category, submissions must explain how the vendors and their technologies allow users and customers to become more effective in their use of content marketing, and how they are both enabling and keeping pace with the veracious appetite for content marketing.

7. Demand generation vendor of the year

This category reflects vendors that provide solutions that enable demand generation-based marketing. Submissions should show what the organisation has done during the qualification period to demonstrate genuine leadership in this mature and well-established category and to set it apart from its competitors. This should relate to various aspects of its activities, potentially including: product launches/developments, marketing campaigns and programmes, channel/partner engagement, CSR, topic evangelism, wider industry engagement or campaigning.

8. Social media tech vendor of the year

This category reflects vendors that provide solutions that enable any kind of social media marketing. Submissions should show what the organisation has done during the qualification period to demonstrate genuine leadership in this diverse and well-established category, and to set it apart from its competitors. This should relate to various aspects of its activities, potentially including: product launches/developments, marketing campaigns and programmes, channel/partner engagement, CSR activities, topic evangelism, wider industry engagement or campaigning.

9. Marketing automation vendor of the year

This category is designed to recognise the standout vendor in this specific category during the qualification period. Submissions should show what the organisation has done to demonstrate genuine leadership, and to set it apart from its competitors in this category. This should relate to various aspects of its activities, potentially including: product launches/developments, marketing campaigns and programmes, channel/partner engagement, CSR activities, topic evangelism, wider industry engagement or campaigning.

10. Marketing analytics or reporting vendor of the year

This category reflects vendors that provide analytics, insight or reporting solutions. Submissions should show what the organisation has done during the qualification period to demonstrate genuine leadership in this diverse category, and to set it apart from its immediate competitors or the wider market. This should relate to various aspects of its activities, potentially including: product launches/developments, marketing campaigns and programmes, channel/partner engagement, CSR activities, topic evangelism, wider industry engagement or campaigning.

11. Martech vendor campaign of the year

This category specifically reflects marketing campaigns, programmes or activities developed and run by martech vendors (and, where relevant, their agencies) to promote their own products, services or solutions. In this instance, ‘martech’ is defined as any technology that could reasonably be used by marketers to execute their roles – in any aspect of it. Submissions should clearly express the business issue that the campaign was devised to address, the objectives of the initiative, explain how the solution was devised and showcase the results that were achieved.

Industry and people

12. Inhouse marketing technologist of the year

This category is designed to recognise individuals within marketing teams who have been significant in driving or enabling their brand’s effective and successful use of marketing technology. This could be any level within the team – e.g. a CMO or marketing leader who has reorganised a marketing department in order to better align and integrate technology; a head of marketing operations, who has built a robust tech stack and transformed internal processes; a marketing manager who has gone out of their way to demonstrate depth of knowledge and aptitude in martech and transformed their personal effectiveness.

13. Martech team of the year

This category recognises entire teams within marketing functions that have demonstrated genuine leadership through martech deployment, management and/or development. Submissions could reflect a marketing operations team within a larger marketing department; another discrete group within a larger marketing team; or for smaller companies, the team could comprise the entire marketing department. The composition and makeup of the teams in question must be outlined within the submission, together with the objectives they were focused on achieving or challenges they were faced with, and how they collaborated with the wider sales, marketing and/or IT functions.

14. Martech agency of the year

This category recognises marketing agencies that are showing leadership in use (and possibly deployment or development) of martech for their clients, helping them to drive better results and deliver more effective marketing. Submissions must show how agencies demonstrated a depth of knowledge in the functionality or capability of martech platforms to drive campaign or programme planning and execution to new levels, as well as their recognition of this as a competency among their clients and ideally the wider market.

15. Martech consultancy or integrator of the year

This category recognises excellence among firms focused on helping marketing teams to build or develop their tech stack and enhance their use of martech, in line with corporate and departmental strategy – although not necessarily with any involvement in actually using this technology to execute plans and deliver marketing.

16. Martech visionary of the year

This category recognises individuals who have shown true leadership in terms of understanding and communication of issues relating to martech, and its successful utilisation by brand organisations. The individual concerned is likely to work for a vendor, consultancy/integrator or agency, in a position where they have significant public or client profile. Submissions must explain how the individual in question has personally succeeded in helping marketers raise their game in terms of martech – perhaps by their personal engagement or consultancy work, or through their compelling communication of new thinking and ideas.

Use of Martech

17. Best use of marketing automation

This category is designed to recognise excellence in the use of marketing automation to deliver highly successful marketing campaigns. Submissions must explain overall programme objectives, and how technology was utilised to maximise results or effectiveness, plus how automated activity worked in harmony with other channels, and how creative or emotional themes were developed to their full potential within the functional parameters of the platform. Any new or unusual uses of marketing automation technology should be highlighted, as should any new functionality or features that were pioneered for this initiative.

18. Best use of AI

This category reflects the use of AI to drive a marketing activity, regardless of the objective, channel or audience. Submissions must explain how AI was deployed to meet a specific challenge or objective, and why an AI-based solution was deemed to be likely to be superior to alternatives. They must also highlight how AI technology or AI-based solutions were integrated into the wider programme activity or tech stack and demonstrate results.

19. Best use of analytics/Best use of predictive analytics or intent technology

This category is designed to recognise excellence in the use of analytics or data insight platforms to deliver highly successful marketing campaigns. Submissions must explain overall programme objectives, and how a specific platform or combination of different platforms was deployed to increase campaign effectiveness – for example, in enabling better targeting at the planning stage, to refine effectiveness during execution, to attributing results once the programme or campaign has been concluded.

20. Best use of VR or AR

This category is designed focuses on use of virtual reality or augmented reality platform to deliver more effective marketing. Submissions must explain the circumstances in which AR or VR was selected a necessary or appropriate tool to meet the programme objectives, and how the deployment of this technology was integrated effectively into a wider programme and mix of channels. It must also demonstrate how effectiveness was measured and seek to explain how the AR or VR solution increased the success of the campaign through its usage.

21. Best use of martech for ABM

This category is designed to reflect use of martech to enable successful account-based marketing (ABM) – at either the strategic or programmatic levels (or a combination thereof). Submissions must explain how the platform (or platforms) were deployed as part of an overall ABM programme, and the value that they added in terms of achieving objectives. Where possible, the submission must explain any results that were achieved through the technology that would not have been possible otherwise. Where relevant, the submission must also explain how the technology was effective in strengthening sales and marketing alignment.

22. Best use of martech for demand generation

This category is designed to recognise excellence in the use of martech for demand generation programmes or campaigns. Submissions must explain overall programme objectives, and how the platform (or platforms) were deployed to maximise results or effectiveness. They must also outline the full range of channels/techniques utilised, and how creative or emotional themes were developed to their full potential within the functional parameters of the platforms. Detailed results must be included.

23. Best use of martech for CX

This category is designed to recognise excellence in enhancing the customer experience of a brand, at any stage of the journey, but ultimately leading to a demonstrable and tangible commercial result. Submissions must outline the nature of the challenge that the brand was seeking to address, and how the technology deployed was effective in doing that. Where relevant, the submission must show how the impact of the tech was felt by multiple departments.

24. Best use of martech for customer engagement

This category is designed to recognise excellence in the use of martech for customer engagement campaigns or programmes, in order to achieve a stated related objective (for example contributing towards a demand generation campaign, reactivating lapsed customers, upselling to existing ones, launching a new product). Submissions must explain the marketing challenge that the programme was designed to address, and how the platform (or platforms) were deployed enable that, or to maximise results or effectiveness. Detailed results must be included

25. Best use of martech for sales enablement

This category is designed to recognise excellence in the use of martech platforms or solutions to enable the sales team and increase their performance or effectiveness. This may be as part of a specific campaign, to assist in a change in activity (such as a product launch) or as part of a more general programme to drive increases in sales, better process, or increased productivity. The submission must explain how the platform or platforms were used by both marketing and sales to achieve the stated objective and provide relevant stats to demonstrate effectiveness around changes in behaviour or utilisation, as well as final sales numbers.

26. Best use of martech for social or influencer marketing

This category is designed to reflect the role of technology in enabling social media marketing or influencer marketing, for a specific programme or as part of a wider strategy. The submission must explain the objectives that the social or influencer programme was designed to achieve, how it fitted into any wider marketing or business context, and how the platform or platforms deployed increased its effectiveness or enabled efficiencies. It must also demonstrate results and ROI, and how any related revenue was attributed.

27. Best use of martech for live events (online or real world)

This category is designed to reflect the role of technology in enhancing events – either those held online or in a face-to-face environment. Submissions must explain how the martech platform or platforms were used to help marketers increase the effectiveness of the event in achieving objectives – either individually or in tandem. Improvements enabled by technology could relate to any aspect of the event – i.e. in terms of its overall management/logistics, in the communication and promotion prior to the event, engagement with delegates or sponsors during the event, or communication/ feedback once the event had been concluded.

28. Martech transformation/acceleration project of the year

This category is designed to reflect the bigger picture of martech strategy or tech stack deployment, when organisations have significantly accelerated or upgraded their stack and increased their investment to enable more effective marketing. Submissions should explain the business objectives of this transformation project, and the limitations or challenges with the existing martech infrastructure. It should outline the planning and implementation process, challenges faced along the way, and show the composition of the new tech stack, as well as the impact that this has had on the organisation’s marketing.

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