Star Media Bhd : Group wins big

Company bags three Sparks Awards for print and online achievements

KATHLEEN ANN KILI [e-mail]

Three times lucky: (From left) Suria FM programme manager Adiwati Zainuddin, Fredericks, mStar executive editor Rozaid A. Rahman, business development senior manager Juniza Yasmin Hussein, advertising sales and business development senior manager Jeanie Chiew, Chua, advertising sales and business development assistant general manager Sara Chacko and Star Radio Media Group sales manager Kenny Yeap posing with the awards during the Spark Awards ceremony at Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore.

SINGAPORE: The Star Media Group edged out the competition to win big at this year's Sparks Awards, bagging three prizes.

It won gold in the Best Launch/Re-Launch by a Media Owner category with R.AGE TV, a video site for its youth news and lifestyle platform, at the awards gala dinner held at Four Seasons Hotel here on Thursday.

In the Best Event by a Media Owner category, it took the silver with its inaugural Anugerah Pilihan Online (APO) 2016.

It also clinched the bronze for its Goodday Milk print campaign in the Best Media Solution category.

The media group had also received nominations in the same category for its Wonda Kopi Tarik and Calpis Etika print campaigns, as well as its TV/online video for the school cheerleading competition Cheer 2015.

Digital Services Unit (mStar) senior product manager Michael A. Fredericks said mStar, The Star's Bahasa Malaysia portal, had grown from strength to strength, bagging two awards since its relaunch in 2014.

'We won for our inaugural APO event. We are truly proud to be taking home the award,' he said.

APO 2016, which attracted close to 800,000 online votes, was jointly organised by mStar and group radio station Suria FM to recognise celebrities in various fields who are popular on social media.

It was sponsored by local beauty product company Dnars.

'I speak on behalf of the team when I say that this award makes all the hard work, late nights and sweat worth it.

'With APO 2016's success, mStar is slowly but surely making itself known as a brand to be reckoned with,' he said.

R.AGE editor Ian Yee said its goal has always been to deliver world-class, cutting-edge journalistic content for young Malaysians.

'But we would not have been able to deliver on those lofty ambitions if not for the support of the Star Media Group,' he said.

Group advertising and business development general manager Chua Chee Beng said he was glad that The Star was among 'the forerunners in creative execution in the country'.

'Print has always been viewed as static but over the years, we have come to realise that it is actually dynamic content and this has taken print to another level.

'We are fortunate to be working with clients who are equally creative and willing to explore new creatives to engage with readers by coming up with interactive content,' he added.

The Spark Awards, organised by Marketing Magazine, received hundreds of submissions from media agencies across the region in 31 categories covering media solutions, products and services.