Client case study From old-fashioned to tech-forward Immediate Media uses Award Force for data exports, communication tools, ease of use Reviewer:Jenna Morris,Group Marketing Manager Reviewer: Jenna Morris,Group Marketing Manager Fast facts about Immediate Media Industry: Business and media awards Location: UK Award Force client: Client since 2017 Employees: 2,000+ employees Background Multi-platform media business focussed on special interest markets Formed in 2011, Immediate Media is home to the biggest and most loved lifestyle brands in the UK, including Radio Times, Good Food, Nutracheck, HistoryExtra and BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine. Immediate is part of BurdaInternational, the international arm of Hubert Burda Media, one of Germany’s largest technology and media companies. A family company with a history spanning more than 100 years, Burda combines traditional publishing with digital innovation and invests in new and emerging digital business models. Burda operates more than 500 brands worldwide in the news, tech, food, living, gardening, fashion, lifestyle, health and entertainment sectors. BurdaInternational operates in 11 countries, primarily across Europe and Asia (employing 2,400 people), with a multi-channel platform offering that includes media, e-commerce, and other innovative services, which appeal to the passions of its consumers. About the awards Multiple awards programs recognising family-centred products Made For Mums is the UK’s number one site for parenting product reviews. Their award-winning reviews are renowned for their thoroughness, expertise and honesty, and are trusted by parents to guide them in making informed choices. Within their parenting portfolio, Immediate Media use Award Force for three award programs: MadeForMums Awards Junior Design Awards Toy Awards Immediate Media has used the Award Force platform since 2017. “And we’ve never looked back,” said Jenna Morris, group marketing manager. Program challenges before Award Force Time to move on from “frustrating and old-fashioned” system “We didn’t have enough user ability,” Morris said of their previous system, who said they didn’t have control over aspects of their program’s platform, especially the data and results and entry updates. “It was frustrating and old-fashioned,” Morris said of the old system. They knew they had to change their platform and turned to the internet for help, which is where they found Award Force. “We researched a range of different options before changing platforms and Award Force outshone the competition,” she said. Previous system Limited user ability Not enough control Frustrating and old-fashioned Award Force Powerful flexibility Easy and fast onboarding User-friendly Friendly and helpful support The Award Force choice Easy to adopt and onboard; even easier to use … everyone on the team was on board with the new platform in no time. “ When it was time to make the decision, Morris said, they chose Award Force for their: “Fantastic customer service” The wide range of controls the user has over the look and feel of the platform And “the ability to conduct our own data pulls without going to a third party (which previously had been time-consuming and frustrating!) “ Because of the Award Force onboarding, Immediate Media was able to configure their new platform quickly and easily. “Our biggest risk was getting our notoriously skeptical journalists on board with using new technology – if Award Force didn’t perform then this was going to add huge strain to the performance of our awards programs. But, the training and support we received from Award Force soon put any of these worries to rest and everyone on the team was on board with the new platform in no time.” Favourite features Powerful data exports, easy broadcast emails Data exports “We love being able to choose exactly what data we need to look at and then export this accordingly.” Program managers in Award Force can export spreadsheet reports from any table in the system in a CSV file format. Some of the exports available include entries, users, scores and comments, judging leaderboard, judging progress, votes leaderboard, and payment transactions. Learn more about data export and reporting. Streamlined program communications “We are also a big fan of broadcasts – they have revolutionised the way we connect with our entrants,” Morris said. Program managers in Award Force can send bulk communications to entrants or judges. Simply define your recipients, compile your message and hit send. Use it to advise on entry or judging round deadlines, to advise entrants of shortlisting, additional information requests and more. Streamlined program communications “We are also a big fan of broadcasts – they have revolutionised the way we connect with our entrants,” Morris said. Program managers in Award Force can send bulk communications to entrants or judges. Simply define your recipients, compile your message and hit send. Use it to advise on entry or judging round deadlines, to advise entrants of shortlisting, additional information requests and more. The Award Force results Improved communication Happy community Easy data insights Fast adoption Read more testimonials