R/GA, Wieden+Kennedy, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, HyperFactory lead Webby Awards nominee list

New York – From can’t-live-without mobile apps to offbeat guerillamarketing campaigns on Facebook, the nominees unveiled today for the13th Annual Webby Awards reveal how interactive advertising isincreasingly shaping popular culture.

Hailed as the “Internet’shighest honor” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leadinginternational award honoring excellence on the Internet, includingWebsites, online film and video, interactive advertising, and mobileWebsites.

Nominees harnessing platforms like social networks, mobile, and videoto impact popular culture include Crispin Porter + Bogusky’sFacebook-based phenomenon “Whopper Sacrifice” (Online Guerilla &Innovation), 42 Entertainment’s cross-platform viral hit “Why SoSerious? The Dark Knight Alternate Reality”(Integrated Campaigns; ViralMarketing), the ubiquitous “Yearbook Yourself” by Colle + McVoy (ViralMarketing), and “The Extreme Sticky Notes Experiments” for Post-It(Branded Content) by Eepybird, the duo behind the famous Diet Coke andMentos videos.

A full list of all nominees can be found at www.webbyawards.com/nominees. 

Unlike other awards shows, where only judges choose the winners, TheWebby Awards also gives the public an opportunity to decide who willtake home a Webby. Starting today through April 30, the entireadvertising community is invited to cast their votes in The WebbyPeople’s Voice Awards at http://pv.webbyawards.com

R/GA’s 14 nominations put the agency in contention for the first-everAgency of the Year Award, which will be presented to the agency thatperforms the best across all Webby Awards categories. Other agencies incontention include: Wieden + Kennedy (8 nominations), Crispin, Porter +Bogusky (8), Hyperfactory (8), DDB (6), Razorfish (5), GoodbySilverstein + Partners (4), BBDO (4), Lean Mean Fighting Machine (3),Poke (3), and Euro RSCG (3). Of the advertising holding companies, thetwo front-runners are Omnicom with 17 nominations, followed byInterpublic with 15.

“This year’s nominees underscore online advertising’s escalatinginfluence on popular culture, thanks to the innovative use of platformslike Facebook, YouTube, and mobile phones to permeate the publicmindset,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of The WebbyAwards. “By leveraging these new platforms, these brilliant campaignsare engaging with audiences in new and effective ways.”

This year’s winners will be announced on May 5th, 2009 and honored at astar-studded ceremony in New York City on June 8th. The gala, hosted bySaturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers, will showcase the Webbys’ famousfive-word speeches. Past headline-grabbing speechmakers include Al Gore(“Please don’t recount this vote”) and Stephen Colbert (“Me. Me. Me.Me. Me.”)

The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of DigitalArts and Sciences, a 650-person judging academy whose members includeCrispin Porter + Bogusky’s Alex Bogusky, Betawave’s Matt Freeman,AKQA’s Rei Inamoto, and TBWA’s Colleen DeCourcy.