South China Morning Post First Hong Kong Newspaper to win Awards from Global Print Marketing Association.

South China Morning Post has been awarded two first prizes and a second at the 71st International Newspaper Marketing Association Awards held last week in Chicago, USA. The global competition generated 1,019 entries from 206 newspapers in 37 different countries.

The Post won first place for its media kit, "All you need to know" in the category of Newspaper Research, Data Books and Media Packets, 75,000 to 300,000 circulation beating El Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela. The judges commented that the Post’s media kit was, "An excellent execution. Clean in design and type, reflecting an effort beyond expectations."

Another first place was awarded for the "Figures" campaign in the category Direct Mail, 75,000-300,000 circulation, beating The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand. This campaign was a series of three direct mail pieces in the shape of human figures designed to reinforce the Post’s excellent audience numbers with creativity and humour. The judges commented, "A wonderful integrated campaign that puts the message front and centre in an appealing way. Achieved remarkable recall rates."

The Post was also awarded second place in the category Promotion of the Newspaper as an Advertising Medium for its "Print Conference". Held in November 2005 this event aimed to highlight the importance of print in the marketing mix.

The 71st INMA Newspaper Marketing Awards, honouring excellence in newspaper marketing worldwide, were presented April 6-7 before nearly 350 delegates to the INMA World Congress of Newspaper Marketing in Chicago.

Judging annually is based on concept, creativity, copy/graphic design, production, and overall effectiveness, as well as results. Chairman of the 2006 awards competition was Cesar Pizarro, business manager of the Miami Herald Publishing Company in the United States, and a member of the INMA Board of Directors.

Commenting on these developments Amanda Turnbull, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Post said, "We are the first newspaper in Hong Kong to win awards from INMA and we are really delighted with these results – to be recognized at this level from a global organization is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the talent and hard work of our team."

The Post’s winning team consisted of Monica Poenaru, Louisa Chiu, Maverick Wong, Priscilla Wong, Jo Chui, Beth Hon and Grace Chan. Design was contributed by Andrew Rutherford, formerly the Post’s Design Director and now head of Andrew Rutherford Design.

The International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA) was formed in 1930 and is a non-profit member organization dedicated to recognising and extending marketing activities of newspapers, and serving as the industry’s premier marketing ideas association. Today, the fast-growing INMA has more than 1,000 members in 70 countries, mostly senior marketing officers at daily newspapers.

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About SCMP Group Limited

SCMP Group Limited (SEHK: 583) is one of the leading newspaper and magazine publishers in Asia. Its flagship publication, South China Morning Post, is the leading English language newspaper in Hong Kong with the most affluent and influential readership. Other publication titles of the group include the Sunday Morning Post, the Chinese editions of Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, CosmoGirl! Maxim and Automobile magazines.

To learn more about the SCMP Group, go to scmpgroup.com.

For more information contact Amanda Turnbull, Director, Marketing and Communications on 2250-3130 or email amanda.turnbull@scmp.com.