A fortnight ago the leading companies in performance marketing descended on the Grosvenor House Hotel for the 8th annual Performance Marketing Awards.
Outstanding performance marketing was recognised across 27 individual categories and GDM Digital emerged as one of a host of new companies leading the charge in the space – walking away with the Industry Choice of Publisher award; and highly commended for Best Use of Display.
PerformancIN caught up with Tom Wright, Director – Affiliate Desk at GDM Digital to hear his thoughts now that the dust has settled on what was busy night for GDM at the PMAs.
What do you think gave you the edge in a fiercely contested shortlist?
Tom Wright: I think the edge we had was that we didn’t try to win the award. The very best thing about being chosen as the voted Industry Choice of Publisher is that we won it for simply doing what we do so naturally every day. We place a lot of importance on ensuring that every client feels important. Humans do business with other humans, not faceless corporations – it is for this reason that response time, empathy and going the extra mile goes a long way.
How did it feel to receive the winning amount of votes from your peers for the Industry Choice of Partner award?
TW: It’s just incredibly humbling. You must remember that this is only our second year operating in the affiliate space and to have won an award that is so prestigious so quickly really goes to show how much we care about the industry, the people in it and the work we do for them. We were up against some formidable competition including the likes of Quidco, Yieldify, TopCashBack.co.uk and Ve Interactive, and we are so proud to have been recognised for all of our hard work over the last year. We are extremely grateful to every one of our partners who voted for us and we are confident this award will further cement our position in the performance marketing industry.
GDM was also highly commended in the Best Use of Display Category, with partner Eventim. Are you setting your sights on going one better next year?
TW: We were delighted to be highly commended for the best use of display and obviously display is a large part of what we do. Eventim are a fantastic client to work with, open to new ideas and receptive to innovation, we can’t take all the credit. We are working on some very cool stuff at the moment so hopefully if we carry on doing what we are doing, we may be in with a shot next year.
Before the Awards ceremony kicked off GDM hosted the official Champagne reception, welcoming over 900 of the industry’s leading names into the Great Room at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Why was it important for GDM to be part of this year’s Awards?
TW: Everyone works so hard day in and day out, focusing on targets, numbers and CPA’s. I believe that the Awards are a critical part of balancing that out and bringing everyone, colleague and competitor alike, into the same space and celebrate success and progress in all its forms. Everyone loves to feel a part of something, we are a part of the performance industry and that’s why it’s important that we attend, sponsor and enter – it shows that we mean business being here.