With the build-up to September’s prestigious Licensing Awards gathering pace, a highly qualified panel has judged the numerous entries to the Best Licensed Marketing Communication 2011 Award to arrive at an impressive finalists line-up for this award category, each of which demonstrate strong partnerships forged between licensed properties and key FMCG brands. The 2011 finalists in this category are: Monkey Coming Home & Christmas Campaign for PG Tips from Bulldog Licensing Mr Happy Should've Gone To Specsavers from Chorion Speedy Gonzalez Advertising Campaign for Virgin Media from Warner Bros Timmy Time Fairy Non-Bio Books Promotion from Aardman Rights Wallace & Gromit Christmas Stamps for Royal Mail from Aardman Rights Wallace & Gromit Great British Tea Party for Yorkshire Tea from Aardman Rights

The Judging Panel for this award, chaired by Richard Pink, managing director of promotions specialist Pink Key Consulting, comprised experts from the world of licensing, promotions and advertising, was, and consisted of:
Mark Brown of Weapon 7, Martin Croft of The Institute of Promotional Marketing, Alan Harrison of SmileyWorld, Richard Hollis of BBC Worldwide, Dave Lawrence of Brave, Andrew Thatcher of Blue Chip Marketing and Rosa Wilkinson of The Value Engineers.

Each member of the Judging Panel initially viewed the online submissions to this award and then met to discuss the merits the campaigns to arrive at the finalists and outright winner.

Commenting, Richard Pink who chaired the panel said: “We were all extremely impressed by the quality of all this year’s entries,” says Richard Pink, “there were many innovative and exciting examples and it proved very difficult to decide on a shortlist and a worthy winner, but we got there eventually!”

This specific award category – with its own dedicated judging procedure - was introduced into The Licensing Awards last year as a reflection of the important role promotions and marketing communications now play in the licensing industry.

The winner of this category will be announced when The Licensing Awards take place on September 13 - for the first time in The Great Room at London’s prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel. This year’s event is larger than ever and the evening is destined to be a memorable one for the 1,300 retailers, licensees, licensors and industry suppliers set to attend, with hosting duties being undertaken by award-winning funny man Greg Davies, star of the smash-hit E4 comedy The Inbetweeeners.

You can now get a real ‘behind the scenes’ look at the run up to The Licensing Awards by following them on Facebook and Twitter – click through from the Awards website (www.thelicensingawards.co.uk, become a fan and follow the news as it happens.

Tables for the Licensing Awards are selling fast but tickets are still available via the Awards website or from Tracey at Event Solutions and Promotions on 01372 841001 or e-mail tracey@eventsol.co.uk