GWADS Best of Best Awards

Big Board Jeopardy

...showcased the 2019 winners, including First Place winners Seattle Times, Sacramento Bee, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Las Vegas Review Journal, Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

2020 Best of Best Awards

Newspapers once again shined at the GWADS 2020 Virtual Best of the Best Awards contest! Successes in print and digital engagement, acquisition and retention were shared. Entries showcased the innovation and results that characterize the winning strategies in our industry.

The competition retained its focus on 5 key areas: Digital Subscriber Growth, Digital Engagement & Retention, Social Media Marketing, Print Growth, and Print Subscriber Retention. Competition were for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place winners in each category.

Winners were announced at the ADMA Virtual Annual Meeting on July 16, 2020 and are listed below.

Digital Subscriber Growth

Effectively monetizing your digital readers is becoming more important in our industry. What have you done to increase digital subscriptions?


2020 Winners

1st Place
Albuquerque Journal
Multiple Strategic Site Changes

 

2nd Place
The Spokesman-Review
Support Local Journalism campaign

 

3rd Place
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Dynamic, Personalized Paywall and Vegas Nation

Digital Engagement & Retention

Interacting with readers through your website, social media and newsletters is important to build a connection and retain readership. What success have you had in engaging and retaining your digital readers?


2020 Winners

1st Place
The Spokesman-Review
Spring Sweepstakes

 

2nd Place
Seattle Times
Improved Payment Processing through Live Messaging, Emails

 

3rd Place
Skagit Vallely Herald
Retention Email Campaign Series

Social Media Marketing

Social media can be used to gain print/digital subscribers, increase engagement of current readers, general brand awareness and community partnerships. What have you done to take advantage of social media marketing?


2020 Winners

1st Place
San Francisco Chronicle
Targeted Editorial Content on Social Ads

 

2nd Place
Idaho Statesman
New Digital Subscriber Engagement via Social Posts

 

Print Growth

Acquiring new print subscribers (including single copy) is more important than ever. What is your most successful effort to acquire new print subscribers/readers?


2020 Winners

1st Place
Idaho Statesman
Executive Editor Direct Mail Promotion

 

2nd Place
Sacramento Bee
Red Tag FSI Sale

 

3rd Place
Sacramento Bee
Special Editions to Drive Single Copy

Print Subscriber Retention

What was your most successful campaign/effort to retain your print readers?


2020 Winners

1st Place
Bay Area News Group
"Headliners" Customer VIPs

 

2nd Place
The Olympian
eBilling Telemarketing and Contest Promotion

 

3rd Place
The Bellingham Herald
Digital Only Saturday

BECOME A MEMBER

Your membership goes to support this nonprofit organization committed to continuing education and sharing of ideas. Members get preferred rates at events, the opportunity to network, learn revenue-generating strategies, and stay in the forefront of ongoing digital engagement. The Board of Directors look forward to your participation and support in advancing our audience development program.

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