NMG bags four nominations in 2022 Inma global media awards

The Nation Media Group (NMG) has bagged four nominations in the prestigious 2022 International News Media Association (Inma) global media awards that recognise industry excellence.

NMG is among the 333 finalists announced in the 2022 Global Media Awards, which have been presented by Inma since 1937.

Regional, national and group brands are competing in 20 categories.

One of the nominations is in the category “Best Use of an Event to Build a News Brand”.

This resulted from the 2021 Kusi Ideas Festival, held in Accra, Ghana, to bolster pan-African development ideas, which also generated good revenue for the media house.

“The location selected for the third edition of the festival was almost poetic in that Accra plays host to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) headquarters, therefore providing the perfect venue to discuss the 2021 theme – How Africa Transforms after the Virus,” Inma awards organisers said on their website.

The event attracted 34 speakers, a majority from across Africa, as well as internationals with an interest in or expertise on the continent.

Some 1,080 delegates from different age groups and demographics attended the conference in person, while another 17,000 from 72 countries and 401 cities tuned in via NMG’s digital platforms and social media pages.

NMG was also nominated in the Best Initiative to Acquire Subscribers category for the Nation.Africa paywall marketing campaign.

The campaign grew subscriptions by a month-to-month average of 12 percent in 2021, while a flash sale saw a 64 percent growth in subscriptions.

NMG also landed a nomination in the Best Idea to Grow Advertising Sales category for its Climate Action: Why It Matters campaign.

The campaign was designed and executed as a call to action by different stakeholders to combat the effects of climate change in Kenya and beyond, in line with the objectives of the climate conference COP26 that took place in Glasgow, Scotland, last year.

Increase the reach

The series, which focused on different monthly themes, brought to the national limelight the subject of climate change, sparking intense conversations and discussions on the urgent need to combat the crisis.

The company has also been nominated in the Best Product Iteration category for the “Nation.Africa Product Iteration” campaign.

The campaign was designed to increase the reach of the website by growing audiences and tapping markets other than Kenya.

It grew registrations by six percent month-on-month in 2021 and subscriptions by 12 percent.

Registrations for the NMG-owned Daily Monitor in Uganda also jumped by 74.7 percent.

NMG Editor-in-Chief Mutuma Mathiu said the nominations have validated the position of NMG’s journalism in Kenya and the world.

“Each year, we pursue innovative ways to improve our journalism to serve our audiences well. Our readers and viewers are at the centre of what we do daily,” Mr Mathiu said.

“We have opened up our newsrooms across the region to ensure that we listen to our audiences more so that they can drive our journalism.”

Inma said the first-place winners, regional winners and the global “Best in Show” will be unveiled on June 9 in a virtual announcement.

“Judging was held in February with 50 media experts from 24 countries and was focused across 20 categories, including news brands, media platforms, subscriptions, advertising, data and insights, product, and newsrooms,” Inma added.

The Inma community consists of nearly 20,000 members at 900-plus news media companies in 83 countries.

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