UM shines at the MMA

The Malaysian Media Awards (MMA2013) has announced Universal McCann as the Agency of the Year, which also swept the Grand Prix and Gold for Integrated Campaign.Universal McCann walked away with 6 Gold, 5 Silver and 3 Bronze from all 13 categories.The second spot went to Mindshare Malaysia, while third place saw a tie between Zenith Malaysia and Starcom Mediavest Group.Nestle Products won the Advertiser of the Year after winning 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze.Organised by Media Specialists Association (MSA), the MMA recognises media campaigns that have delivered exceptional results through strategic brilliance and innovative execution.According to Juliana Chua, chairman of MMA 2013, the MMA today not only celebrates, rewards and recognises these exceptional talents, but also facilitates and provides opportunities for talents to continue developing themselves.Speaking on MSA's focus on talent development via MMA, Girish Menon, president of MSA announced that MSA set aside RM1 million for talent development initiatives for the next five years with the objective to provide opportunities and a platform to facilitate continuous growth amongst talents in the industry."In this age of easy access to information, it becomes even more important for all of us in the industry, irrespective of experience or seniority to continue our pursuit of knowledge and excellence. The fund will be utilised via a cash award of RM15,000 for the Gold Winners from each category from this year's MMA onwards for the next 5 years," he continued.The Agency of the Year Award was presented to the agency with the highest cumulative points from all categories.