EU SEARCH AWARDS WINNER BARCELONA 2022

As a relatively young agency D3 was delighted to have been shortlisted in 6 categories at this year’s European Search Awards

The event was a fantastic opportunity to meet talented teams and individuals from across the sector, as well as for the D3 team to enjoy a few well earned days in the beautiful city of Barcelona.

We were blown away to walk away with both a Gold and a Silver award for our work!

What are the European Search Awards?

The European Search Awards, a We Are Search event celebrate the very best of SEO, PPC and Content Marketing across 44 European countries. Each year, hundreds of leading search and digital agencies enter the awards to showcase their hard work and exceptional results across 75 hotly contested categories.

From the best use of search in retail, travel and gaming, to the best PPC campaigns, the best SEO campaigns and much more. There really is a category to celebrate the vast array of brilliant work taking place across the industry. 2022 Award Winners.

The event was hosted by Ricky Merino at a gala dinner and awards ceremony at La Llotja de Mar, Barcelona, on Thursday 26th May 2022.

What categories were we shortlisted in?

The European Search Awards felt like an unmissable chance for us to have our work recognised on an international scale amongst some of the very best digital agencies.

We chose to enter 6 different categories, with our submissions focussing on our work with client Traveline Cymru. In February 2021, Traveline Cymru came to us wanting to promote their new ‘myhealthjourney’ website, which provides public transport information for hospitals and medical settings across Wales.

Set against the backdrop of essential travel restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic, a small budget and tight time frame, we carefully selected audiences for this PPC and Social campaign across Google, YouTube and Facebook to maximise reach and relevance. 

With over 1 million impressions and nearly 12,000 clicks, we were thrilled with what we were able to achieve in such a short space of time, making this the perfect showcase for our award submissions.

We were over the moon to discover we had been shortlisted in the following 6 categories:

1. Best Low Budget Campaign (PPC/Small): With Coronavirus pandemic constraints as well as Traveline Cymru’s not for profit status, this was a low-budget campaign with ambitious targets. We told the campaign story through bespoke illustrated imagery that was clear and consistent, used careful audience targeting, relevant messaging and calls-to-action to maximise the campaign’s reach and increase brand awareness.
2. Best Use of Search (Health/Small): We felt our ‘myhealthjourney’ campaign would stand out from the crowd in this category. The aim of the campaign was to help thousands of healthcare workers and their patients across Wales reach their healthcare appointments, on time and as safely as possible
3. Best Small PPC Agency: D3 is a small organisation, with Managing Director and award-winning PPC specialist Kate Horsington at the helm. The success of D3 over the last 2 years is testament to the teams hard work and ambition to deliver the very best for our clients using data driven approaches that work but don’t bamboozle.
4. Best Use of Search (Travel/Leisure) (PPC): Following the success of the ‘myhealthjourney’ campaign, entering this award category was a no-brainer. The campaign was designed to increase brand awareness and help those making essential journeys. The campaign was also underpinned by messages of considering the environmental benefits of using more sustainable transport modes, which influenced use of keywords and topic targeting.
5. Best Use of Search (Third Sector/Non for Profit): Traveline Cymru is an organisation that provides free public transport information. It was important to us that the campaign was delivered in accordance to their brand identity, which included being bilingual. With its Welsh language component, Facebook was an important part of our campaign strategy.
6. Best Use of Search- Retail/E-Commerce (PPC/Small): Delivering strong revenue growth in competitive markets with our client Keto-Pro underpinned by a data-driven product strategy to improve profitability.

How did the Awards event go?

The awards took place at the beautiful La Llotja de Mar, Barcelona, on Thursday 26th May 2022. Representing D3 was Managing Director Kate Horsington, Luke Maggs, and Ellie Jerman.

This was the first time we had all been able to travel face-to-face (with all work on this campaign having taken place remotely) so there was even more reason to celebrate. We spent a few days ahead of the event exploring Barcelona and finally headed to the drink’s reception, dressed to impress!

Once all the guests were seated in the ballroom, Ricky Merino kicked off the evening’s proceedings and introduced event organisers We Are Search. We then tucked into a delicious 3 course meal and got to know our talented table neighbours and fellow Award Winners Reprise Digital

With our drinks at the ready, it was wonderful to witness so many talented agencies from across Europe be recognised for all their hard work. We were humbled and blown away when Ricky announced that D3 came out on top winning Best PPC Low Budget Campaign (We also picked up a Silver award for the best use of search (health) with our innovative Traveline “Keep Healthcare Moving” campaign!)

On winning these two prestigious accolades, D3 Managing Director, Kate Horsington, said:

 I was at an absolute loss for words when it was announced we had won. To say unexpected would be an understatement, but I couldn’t be prouder for our work to be recognised in this way. A big thank you to the judges for their expertise and feedback, which we will take on board as we continue to drive D3 forward and grow from strength to strength in the years to come.

Ellie Jerman, representative of client Traveline Cymru, added:

 To attend the European Search Awards and represent the Traveline Cymru and D3 teams was an absolute joy. And to walk away with both a win in the ‘Best Low Budget’ category and a silver award in the ‘Health’ campaign category is beyond our wildest dreams. I cannot thank Kate enough for her hard work, determination, and sheer talent that made this campaign such a success. The odds were stacked against us, with both budgetary constraints and essential travel restrictions in place during the time of running the campaign. For Kate to achieve such exceptional results in the digital elements of this campaign and for this work recognised on the European stage is just incredible. 

What did the Judges say?

The judges commended the campaign results we delivered against the very challenging backdrop of essential travel restrictions in place due to the Coronavirus pandemic. They also praised our creative approach to incorporating Welsh language elements into the campaign when this isn’t easily recognised by Google.

It was noted that the campaign’s target audience was very well researched and segmented, which in part led to the success of the campaign, alongside the actional framework to influence behaviour around which it was set.

Most notably, the judges were impressed with the results we were able to deliver within a very small campaign budget.

What’s next for 

Being an award winning agency is testament to all of Kate’s hard work, but also the work of the entire Welsh transport industry to keep public transport services running for key workers and those making essential medical journeys during the pandemic. We can’t wait to see what opportunities the next year brings and and look forward to helping many of you along the way

If you would like to discuss what D3 can do for your organisation, please email: ppc@datadrivendecisionsltd.com