Agency of the Year returns

After last year's successful run that saw a packed audience of more than 500 agency, media and marketing professionals, Advertising + Marketing magazine's Agency of the Year makes a return on 7 June for its fourth edition at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur.In response to industry feedback, this year sees the award's most dramatic evolution since a judging panel was introduced in 2011. Unlike previous instalments, where the finalists were decided by a nationwide survey, this year's Agency of the Year is open to all agencies based in Malaysia.However, the core methodology of the awards remains unaffected. Still free to enter, and still decided entirely by client-side marketers, Agency of the Year will see eight contested AOTY categories and 23 MARKies categories.Agencies will be assessed based on criteria that looks at an agency's overall performance, its products and services offering, staff management and development, and the agency's contributions to the industry."By not restricting the awards to only short-listed agencies, and opening it up to all agencies, we hope this will encourage more agencies, especially those that have done great work but have always been below the radar, to come out and be noticed," said Ee Laine Wong, editor for Advertising + Marketing magazine.Agencies may also highlight some of their best campaigns and projects by entering the MARKies, a component of the awards that looks at the creative ideas or the innovative uses of media behind each work in specific.The deadline to enter Agency of the Year and The MARKies categories is 30th April 2013.List of Agency of the Year categoriesOverall Agency of the Year (Winner determined based on the best performing agency from the eight discipline-based categories open for entry)Creative Agency of the YearMedia Agency of the YearPublic Relations Agency of the YearEvent Marketing Agency of the YearDirect Marketing Agency of the YearDigital Agency of the YearBrand Consultancy of the YearMarket Research Agency of the YearList of the MARKies categories:Creative IdeasBest Idea - Direct MailBest Idea - EventsBest Idea - Integrated MediaBest Idea - Loyalty & CRMBest Idea - OnlineBest Idea - Out of HomeBest Idea - PrintBest Idea - Public/Media RelationsBest Idea - Retail/ShopperBest Idea - RadioBest Idea - SocialBest Idea - TVBest Idea - ViralBest Idea - Web DesignMedia UsageBest Use of AppsBest Use of Integrated MediaBest Use of MobileBest Use of OnlineBest Use of OOHBest Use of PrintBest Use of RadioBest Use of SearchBest Use of SocialTo find out more about the awards, the entry guidelines and criteria, and to submit entries, please visit: http://aotyawards.com/MY/For sponsorship information contact Shomi Malik on +603 2072 0355, shomim@marketing-interactive.comFor entries and table bookings, or other enquiries, contact Joven Barcenas +65 6423 0329, jovenb@ marketing-interactive.com