Best Branded Series in Social Media - Shorty Awards

12th Annual Shorty Awards Categories

The final deadline to vote for your favorite nominee or to enter your brand or organization was on Thursday, February 20th, 2020.

Influencers

Honoring the most notable and viral influencers and creators from 2020. See below for official categories.

Brands & Organizations

The Shorty Awards honor the talented agencies, brands, and industry leaders behind the best and most innovative work on social media channels, campaigns, websites and applications.

From the 11th Annual Shorty Awards Best Branded Series

This award honors the most creative and effective use of a branded content series, such as a digital web series or docu-series, by a brand, agency, or organization.

See previous winners and honorees here.

Winner

AT&T Hello Lab Presents "Guilty Party"

Long gone are the days of passive consumption and primetime tune-in—we've officially surpassed the tipping point wherein audiences require a second screen and sanctioned hashtag while watching their favorite shows.Building on its long history of fostering connection, and its new role as an entertainment brand, AT&T challenged us to create the futu…

Finalists

4 Photographers Shoot The Same Model

Is it the camera, or the photographer? The average person may assume that expensive, high quality camera gear is all that is needed to take a spectacular, eye-catching photo. This series sets out to disprove such assumptions by allowing photographers to showcase their individual styles, despite shooting in the exact same circumstances.How it works…

DBS Sparks Mini-Series

SPARKS, an industry-first online mini-series, follows a group of young bankers navigating work and their personal lives. Inspired by true client stories, the mini-series depicts how these bankers challenge the status quo and go above and beyond when solving unusual client challenges.SPARKS started out as an experiment two years ago and eventually …

Extreme I.T. series

Our goal was to gain Lenovo some warranted notoriety; not just as the global leader in innovative consumer and commercial tech products and solutions, but as the experts in complex tech concepts on everyone's minds: topics like 5G, virtual reality, voice command and blockchain. But how do you cut through the clutter of explainer videos and deliver…

Momsplaining Season 2

Johnson's® partnered with ELLEN for the relaunch of their brand by sponsoring the second season of Momsplaining, a six-episode series that premiered in September 2018. Featuring Kristen Bell, the creator of two tiny humans, Momsplaining created a synergistic editorial environment for Johnson's® to be showcased. Johnson's® brand integrations were s…

You Know That Scene Series

Focus Features built their brand on releasing movies that deserve to be discussed, like Lost in Translation or Darkest Hour. Unfortunately, the internet thrives on polarizing hot takes rather than thoughtful, nuanced debate - hardly the type of environment best suited to discuss a nuanced triumph like The Phantom Thread. So they came to us to help…

Nominees

Texas Beef Council is tasked with finding a place on consumers' plates for beef through promotion, research and education. Beef Loving Texans, the consumer-facing brand of the Texas Beef Council, was created to increase visibility of beef, support the beef industry in Texas and represent the state's 140,000 beef farmers and ranchers. To reach today's Texan,…

Cheez Doodles Creates a Cheesy Cult Life Coach

After more than 20 years of media silence, Cheez Doodles fell off of consumers' radars with the exception of the Boomer loyalists. Snack brands like Cheetos, Doritos, Skittles, M&Ms, and Snickers are leading the youth snacking market with serious distribution and spending upwards of $30MM+ each in media, annually (Kantar Media, 04/17).Cheez Doodles is not o…

Discovering Routes travels with Diskubre

Discovering Routes travels with four young Filipinos to the Cordilleras of the Philippines to learn about their culture and hop on an inward journey to self-discovery. Elaine, Calvin, Feih and Alex bond through coaster rides, shamanic rituals, and ghost hunts, and make new friends on an 11-day adventure. But through the fun experiences, they gain perspectiv…

The main goal of the Olympic Channel original series Far From Home¸ presented by Bridgestone, was to highlight some of the most inspiring individual athletes in the lead-up to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. The content aimed to leverage a wider audience's historic interest in underdog sports stories in order to align those values of perseverance…

Bees get a bad rap. Yes, they make that annoying buzz sound, and they do give us nasty stings from time to time. But the truth is, bees contribute mightily to the survival of virtually everything we need to live on this planet. Because without them, the plants that feed us couldn't be pollinated and reproduce.One of biggest threats facing bees is declining …

Food Interrupted

Our food system is at a tipping point -- four of the top five causes of death in the US are food related, climate change continues to threaten food production, and antibiotic resistant superbugs, resulting in part from antibiotic use in food animals, have been cited by the UN as a global health emergency. Transparency and sustainability in the food industry…

Goldman Sachs: The Long & Short of It

In an effort to position Goldman Sachs as a thought leader in both the financial industry and in the public discourse, the firm produces a number of recurring content series highlighting insights from Goldman Sachs' economists, researchers, analysts and experts. The Long & Short of It is an original video series with two-to-three-minute videos showcasing Go…

Goldman Sachs’ Talks at GS Interview Show

Goldman Sachs has long been a thought leader across disciplines– not just in finance. And their ability to bring other thought leaders from every industry together, promoting progress and powerful discussion, is ingrained in the Goldman Sachs brand and mission. One way the firm positions itself this way is through its Talks at GS interview show, where it c…

Grey Goose’s 'OFF SCRIPT' on Facebook Watch in partnership with Group Nine Media and Sunshine

Grey Goose sought to strengthen its cultural relevance through great entertainment powered by social media. To that end, Grey Goose -- in partnership with Group Nine's JASH and the Sunshine Company -- produced a new show, 'OFF SCRIPT,' which was distributed on Facebook Watch by Thrillist. The Grey Goose original production starred Jamie Foxx and featured…

Herbal Essences - "Common Scents"

The goal of the campaign went beyond increasing Herbal Essences' reach in the market and highlighting them as a leader in natural products and customer engagement. We wanted to provoke a conversation that would get millennial women to see Herbal Essences as a cleaner, more natural choice than other brands and lead them to consider choosing the brand. We als…

Kappa Crypto was the first show of its kind to be fully sponsored on Snap Originals. When the show debuted in December 2018, it was bought in totality by Verizon Visible. This sponsorship, brought to Indigo Development and Entertainment Arts by NBCUniversal's Digital Sales team, was a seamless partnership due to both parties' mutual desires to be in front …

When it comes to financial education, statistics in the U.S. are quite alarming. Over half of the population says the most difficult topic to discuss with others is personal finance, and they would rather discuss death, politics, or religion. Additionally, 85% of Americans are anxious about their finances. To address this dilemma, "Kneading Dough" was creat…

MG CHANGEMAKERS

MG India (also known as Morris Garages) will unveil its first model in India next year. As a run up to the launch, the brand wanted to build its India story.As one of the world's most celebrated car brands, Morris Garages is poised to extend its proud legacy to the Indian roads with a clear vision to build the 'next generation automotive company', while als…

MTV Decoded Season 7

America is at a boiling point and it seems people are more divided than ever. So MTV created Decoded to bring these issues to the surface, dishing it out for our viewers in straightforward, honest language. On Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, Decoded gets to the bottom of some of America's most heated topics.

Mountain Dew Overs

Amplify Mountain Dew ICE launch in the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards through a multi-platform marketing campaign that achieves the following brand objectives:Drive product awareness & purchase consideration amongst A18-24, multi-cultural consumer segmentHighlight clear& refreshingnature of Dew ICEPosition Dew ICE as a catalyst to fueling spontaneous moments & …

Never Stand Still

Against the backdrop of decreasing trust in the tech industry (where the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer has shown a 19-point drop among the U.S. public), PayPal wanted to humanize the company and increase understanding of our mission to democratize financial services. PayPal CEO Dan Schulman has focused on values-driven leadership, often saying that "values c…

Olympic Outposts

THE OBJECTIVETo share Bridgestone's PASSION for the Olympic Movement and its stakeholders with a wider sports audience. To highlight the JOURNEY that athletes must take in the pursuit of performance. To demonstrate that sports BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER and makes the world better. And ultimately, to communicate this consistent message through content that drive…

Debuting in June 2018, One Jets Drive began as a vision to take the team's social media content to the next level in a way that had never been done before. The six-episode Facebook Watch series was created in an effort to bring fans closer to the organization and provide them with unique storylines surrounding the team. Each episode had the goal of providin…

Pizza Hut 'Hometown Heroes' (Produced by Verizon Media)

Establish Pizza Hut as the official pizza for football fans and create an emotional connection through content, all at scale.

Samsung needed to reach the next generation of mobile consumers. In a survey, 82% of U.S. teens said they owned an iPhone, and 86% said they thought their next phone would be an iPhone (Piper Jaffray, 2018). We needed to shift perception with Gen Z and get them to reconsider Galaxy.We had two goals:1. Change the way that Gen Z perceives Samsung2. Get Gen Z …

Leaning on an extensive background as a linear TV channel and foremost digital content producer, VICELAND endeavored to create a longform vertical video franchise that is unique to IGTV as a medium. Each SAUCE TALK episode averages 3-5 minutes and is comprised wholly of vertical video content, overlaid with original photography and animated graphics designe…

Scene Queens (Franchise)

Hailed by the New York Times as "a cultural phenomenon," VH1's Emmy Award Winning RuPaul's Drag Race is like no other reality competition show on TV. With sickening looks and draw dropping reveals, the series has stomped the runway right into the hearts and minds of fans worldwide. As our studio partners are always looking for fresh ways to engage with our …

A football team strives to tell its best stories from the gridiron, often sagas of great determination, adversity and the relentless pursuit of victory. However, take a step back and you'll realize that some of the Minnesota Vikings finest narratives are the entirely offbeat, off-the-field anecdotes which largely have gone untold."SkoLOL" was a custom anima…

Spread the Happy Season 2

In partnership with Ferrero's Nutella, Brand Programming Studios created the Spread The Happy Series, an episodic, multi-season digital series created to influence the act of sharing joy and love. Each episode features a different character study of someone who embodies "spreading the happy," whether it be through their own remarkable talents, their joyful …

StoryBooked Two

Our goal was to drive loyalty member engagement outside of the stay occasion by making our viewers feel inspired by Marriott and its loyalty programs. We also set out to establish the Marriott loyalty benefit of delivering personal fulfillment through travel. With 30 brands in over 110 countries, loyalty to the Marriott portfolio enables travelers to be tr…

Talking Snack presented by Hefty

You can find WWE Superstars in an arena most nights of the week. For Talking Snack, we wanted to take them away from the familiar setting of a wrestling ring or backstage scene so they can get candid about their lives outside the ring. A kitchen offered a setting where we could both showcase the Superstars trying something new and teach the audience how to …

The Alienist Docuseries

TNT's "The Alienist" goes back in time to the dawn of psychology and the first study of serial killers. Based on the novel by Caleb Carr, the psychological thriller takes place in 1896 New York, as a never-before-seen ritualistic killer targets young male sex workers and baffles police. Daniel Bruhl plays Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a famous "alienist," who delves…

The Voices of Bears Ears

The Utah Office of Tourism — in partnership with San Juan County — produced and distributed a four-part video series titled "The Voices of Bears Ears" showcasing local perspectives of the sacred and fragile lands of Bears Ears Country within Southeastern Utah. This series was developed in response to the upsurge of attention and visitation in and around Bea…

UpUpDownDown League of Legends Series

WWE partnered with Riot Games to create a groundbreaking e-Sports multi-platform campaign featuring 6 original pieces of content airing on WWE's video game YouTube Channel UpUpDownDown, culminating in a 90-minute live-streamed e-Sports event at the Riot Games Arena. The goal was to execute WWE's first-ever "League of Legends E-Sports Entertainment-Style Eve…

VetriScience Take Good Care Video Series

VetriScience pet supplements have been used by veterinarians for over 35 years, but in recent years the brand started selling directly to consumers through retail and e-commerce. As VetriScience expanded its reach, the brand needed to find ways of forging an emotional connection with consumers in an increasingly competitive space being filled with new brand…

Sadly, drain openers are not often the most sought after cleaning products. Research has shown that the decision to purchase a particular drain opener is made closest to the shelf. And, Liquid-Plumr®'s business was stuck in a clog.Top-of-mind awareness in the category is owned by Drano and sales of Liquid-Plumr® were not growing (despite the category growin…

Women Crush Wednesday: STEM Edition

MTV's Instagram TV series Women Crush Wednesday: STEM Edition was crafted with a clear mission: to encourage our female audience to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) by showing a diverse array of women in different STEM fields. Statistics show that boys and girls are equally successful in STEM subjects until age 12, at which po…

adidas Originals SHPTLKS

Our objective was to excite and engage our largest streetwear community and satisfy their thirst to learn more about adidas' Consortium franchise: an open-sourced collaboration network that puts creative control in the hands of adidas' most influential sneaker retailers.

iHeartRadio Fan Vs. Artist Trivia

iHeartRadio's brand objective is to connect fans with their favorite artists through music, events and unforgettable experiences. The iHeartRadio digital team decided to utilize their strong social media presence along with their relationship with the world's biggest musicians to create a branded series that would deliver unique opportunities for super-fans…

iLobola Nge Bhubesi

Lion Lager is an iconic South African beer that once held the lion's share of the beer market back in the 80s and 90s before being shelved in the 2000s due to strong competition in the market.When relaunching the brand in 2018, we recognised that South Africa is the most unequal country in the world and when it comes to brand communication, alcohol brands o…

About the Shorty Awards

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media.

Millions of people participate in The Shortys to recognize individuals and organizations producing great content on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, TikTok, and the rest of the social web.

the 12th annual shorty awards will take place on may 3rd.