A few moments ago at Forrester's Forum for Marketing Leaders in New York, I announced the winners of the 2015 Forrester Groundswell Awards. Believe it or not, this is now the ninth edition of our awards — and it was one of our most competitive years yet. As always, the awards were based on Forrester’s Marketing RaDaR model and the way social programs can support the Marketing RaDaR. That means we presented awards in three categories:

  • Social reach marketing. This category recognizes social programs that effectively delivered marketing messages to new audiences — whether by word of mouth or by using paid social ads.
  • Social depth marketing. This category recognizes social programs that helped prospects explore products in detail and make purchase decisions — such as corporate blogs, branded prospect communities, and on-site ratings and reviews.
  • Social relationship marketing. This category recognizes social programs that engaged existing customers to increase their loyalty — whether through branded profiles on Facebook and Twitter, or through branded customer communities.

We received more than 80 entries for this year’s awards, from Romania, Tennessee, Saudi Arabia, and everywhere in between, and from industries as diverse as private jets, beauty, and engineering software. I was pleased to once again receive a number of truly oustanding submissions from outside the US and to recognize several of them as finalists and winners. The very best programs, as always, did more than just create fans and followers and engagement — they drove brand awareness, they closed sales, and they improved customer loyalty.

Here, then, are the finalists and winners of the 2015 Forrester Groundswell Awards:

 

Social Reach Marketing (Business-to-Consumer)

Finalist: Fashion Machine by Kocca and Mosaicoon

Finalist: Private Jet Launch by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Finalist: Family Memories by Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and VML

Winner: Facebook Couples by Wilkinson Sword and The Social Partners

 

 

Social Reach Marketing (Business-to-Business)

Finalist: Mitel Champions by Mitel

Winner: Relationship Beyond The Contract Campaign by HCL Technologies Ltd.

 

 

Social Depth Marketing (Business-to-Consumer)

Finalist: Premier Dealers Program by Lennox Industries

Finalist: Growing Customers at Scale Through WOM by Verizon Wireless

Winner: Customer and Prospect Community by Consorsbank and Lithium

 

 

Social Relationship Marketing (Business-to-Consumer)

Finalist: Google+ Easter Egg Hunt by Lenovo

Finalist: Social Publisher by Mary Kay Inc.

Winner: Pumpkin Spice Latte Fall 2014 by Starbucks and Swift

 

 

Social Relationship Marketing (Business-to-Business)

Winner: Expert Elite and Knowledge Network Communities by Autodesk