Revelling in its 8th glorious year, the widely acclaimed Digital Marketing Award once again recognized and celebrated outstanding achievements in Bangladesh digital marketing landscape by honouring 74 exceptional digital campaigns across 24 distinct categories. The grand award gala, which has become the benchmark for digital marketing excellence in the country, was held at InterContinental, Dhaka. The highly anticipated event, an initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum, was presented by Meghna Group of Industries (MGI) and brought together the brightest minds and most innovative professionals in the field of digital marketing.
Campaigns active on digital platforms between November 1, 2023, and October 31, 2024 were eligible for nomination. The competitive spirit was at an all-time high, with an astounding 1057 nominations submitted for consideration. The rigorous selection process for the Digital Marketing Award 2024 was conducted through a meticulously designed two-level jury evaluation, ensuring that only the most outstanding campaigns emerged victorious. The process began with an extensive shortlisting phase, where 10 jury panels comprising 103 esteemed jurors carefully evaluated and narrowed down the primary selected campaigns. These shortlisted entries then proceeded to the highly competitive Grand Jury round, where 7 grand jury sessions consisting of 90 distinguished category experts conducted a thorough review to determine the best of the best.
The awardees were recognized across four ranks. This year, 47 campaigns were awarded Bronze, 24 campaigns secured the Silver Award, 3 campaigns received the prestigious Gold Award. Notably, for this edition, there were no Grand Prix recipients, reflecting the jury unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards of excellence. This year gala event saw an overwhelming response, with more than 500 digital marketing and business professionals in attendance.
During the welcome speech, Sajid Mahbub, Group CEO & Executive Editor of Bangladesh Brand Forum, said, “We are in the midst of a digital revolution where marketing is no longer just about storytelling but about real-time engagement, hyper-personalization, and data-driven decision-making. The integration of AI, automation, and analytics has fundamentally reshaped how brands connect with their audiences. The Digital Marketing Award is not just a celebration of excellence; it is a testament to the ever-evolving nature of our industry. It serves as a powerful reminder that innovation, adaptability, and strategic creativity are the key drivers of success in the digital space. As we move forward, we must not only recognize our achievements but also challenge ourselves to push the boundaries further and redefine the future of digital marketing in Bangladesh.”
The Digital Marketing Award, since its inception, has consistently encouraged industry professionals to rethink traditional marketing approaches, experiment with new digital tools, and embrace the power of technology to create more engaging, impactful, and result-driven campaigns. This year winners demonstrated the potential of digital marketing to influence consumer behavior, drive business growth, and redefine brand-consumer relationships in an increasingly competitive and digital-first world.
The 8th edition of Digital Marketing Award was preceded by the 11th Digital Summit. Initiated in 2014 by Bangladesh Brand Forum, the Digital Summit is the apex platform for the country digital marketers.
Guided by the overarching theme “Digital Renaissance: Innovating for Tomorrow Consumer,” this year summit took a forward-thinking approach to analyzing the intersection of technology, consumer psychology, and brand engagement. The discussions underscored how brands must rethink their strategies to forge stronger and more meaningful connections with the next generation of consumers, particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
The event featured a meticulously designed agenda, comprising an exciting lineup of 2 Keynote Sessions, 4 Panel Discussions, and 2 Insight Sessions, all aimed at offering deep insights and practical solutions for digital transformation.
The 11th Digital Summit featured two exclusive keynote sessions conducted by reputed speakers like Zaved Akhtar, Chairman & Managing Director, Unilever Bangladesh Ltd.; President, Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce
& Industry (FICCI); Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, Leadership Consultant, Telecom Expert, President, Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB); Founder & Managing Partner, BuildCon Consultancies Ltd.
The panel discussions featured timely and impactful topics like “The New Age of Consumer Engagement: Hyper-Personalization & Experience Economy,” “Data-Driven Creativity: Marrying Insights with Innovation,” and “The AI Revolution in Digital Marketing: Navigating the Future, and Cancel Culture & Digital Marketing: Surviving in the Gen Z Era.”
The panel and insight sessions included distinguished and reputed local speakers like Ahsanur Rahman, Svp - Head of Media & Digital Marketing, Bkash Ltd.; Urfi Ahmad, General Manager, Vml Bangladesh; Dipesh Nag, Managing Director, Grameen Danone Foods Limited; Sayeda Umme Salma (Jhumur), Chairman & Ceo, Brandgear; Muhammad Nafeezul Bari, Head of Digital Transformation & Innovation, Adcomm Limited; Md. Ehsanul Hoque, Regional Partner Director, Apac, Mediam Bangladesh Ltd.; Arifur Rahman, Director - Digital Media, Starcom Bangladesh; Kaymun Amin, Founder And CEO, AdPlay Technologies Ltd.; Joshua Adhikari, Regional Director - South Asia, Eskimi; Tanzeen Ferdous, Chief Executive Officer, Delhivery Ltd.; Drabir Alam, Chief Operating Officer & Director, X - Integrated Marketing Agency; Munaf Mojib Chowdhury, Head of Brand & Communication, Axentec Plc.; Md. Saimum Hossain, Co-Founder And Head of Business, Geeky Social; Assistant Professor, University Of Dhaka; Tasfia Tasbin, Co-Founder & CEO Markopolo.Ai; Ayesha Farzana, Senior Vice President, Grey Advertising Bangladesh Ltd.; Sharmin Rahman, Head of Corporate Brand, Grameenphone Ltd.; Hasib Hasan Chowdhury, Executive Creative Director, Adcomm Limited; Jaiyyanul Huq, Chief Creative Officer, Dotbirth Limited; Raquib Chowdhury, Executive Creative Director, X - Integrated Marketing Agency; Mahadi Hasan Sagor, Managing Director, GEEKY Social and Ishtiaque Shahriar, Executive Vice President and Head of Department - Digital Assets & Communications, Communications Division, bKash Limited.
An initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum, the 11th edition of Digital Summit and 8th DMA was presented by Meghna Group of Industries (MGI); Knowledge Partner – Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB); Official Carrier Partner – Turkish Airlines; Hospitality Partner -InterContinental Dhaka; Technology Partner – aamra technologies limited; PR Partner – Backpage PR.
Journalist Mizanur Rahman Sohel, head of the online at Daily Bhorer Kagoj, has received the Global Star Award 2024 for his special contribution to online journalism. Supreme Court Justice Faisal Mahmud Faizee handed the award to Sohel at a city hotel on Friday (17 January).
Global Star Communication awarded the best films, television dramas, OTT, songs, dances, and journalism for the calendar year 2023. In addition, legendary Bengali film actress Anwara, legendary Nazrul Sangeet exponent Ferdous Ara, and NTV director Nur Uddin Ahmed were awarded for lifetime achievement in their respective fields.
The 2024 jury board consisted of former Secretary of the Ministry of Information Syed Margub Morshed, actress Rozina, ATN Bangla advisor Tashiq Ahmed, TRAB President Salam Mahmud, choreographer Ivan Shahriar Sohag, Global Star Communication Chairman Mashaed Rahman Moon and entertainment journalist Masid Ron.
Mizanur Rahman Sohel has been leading the online edition of the traditional newspaper Bhorer Kagoj since 2023, prior to leading Jugantor for seven years as departmental head. After taking over, he came into wide discussion due to the rapid increase in the rank and revenue growth of the Jugantor online edition.
He is serving as the General Secretary of the Online Editors Alliance, the flagship platform for the heads of online and digital divisions of Bangladesh leading news media, newspapers, and television outlets. Sohel has published 27 books so far on self-development, branding and marketing, education, and information technology.
Lazarus key operation – “Operation DreamJob” – continues to evolve with new sophisticated tactics that have persisted for more than five years, according to Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team. The latest targets include employees from a nuclear-related organization, who were infected via three compromised archive files appearing to be skill assessment tests for IT professionals.
This ongoing campaign leverages a range of advanced malware, including a newly discovered modular backdoor, CookiePlus, that was disguised as open-source plugin.
Kaspersky GReAT uncovered a new campaign linked to Operation DreamJob (also known as DeathNote), attributed to the Lazarus group. Initially targeting cryptocurrency businesses since 2019, the campaign expanded last year to the IT and defense sectors in Europe, Latin America, South Korea, and Africa.
Recently, Lazarus targeted employees at a nuclear-related organization in Brazil and an unidentified sector in Vietnam. Over a month, two employees received multiple archive files disguised as IT job assessments. The group evolved its delivery methods, using trojanized VNC software, including AmazonVNC.exe, to deploy malware like Ranid Downloader, MISTPEN, RollMid, and a new LPEClient variant.
They also introduced CookiePlus, a backdoor disguised as ComparePlus, a Notepad++ plugin. Once activated, CookiePlus collects system data and adjusts its execution schedule.
AKIJ Agro Feed Ltd., a part of AKIJ Resource, has officially launched a wide range of high-quality feed products to empower livestock farmers and agro-entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. This new product catalog, recently unveiled at an event at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka, promises to meet the quality demands of dealers, farmers, and nutritionists. Under the slogan "Result Hit," the initiative is set to revolutionize the agricultural sector by boosting growth and productivity in poultry, cattle, and fish farming. By harnessing the power of advanced European machinery, AAFL ensures maximum efficiency and results without human intervention.
The launch event successfully gathered hundreds of influential business partners, key figures in the agriculture industry, and notable leaders from various sectors. Dr. Md. Reajul Huq, the Director General of the Department of Livestock Services, was the esteemed Chief Guest for the occasion.
The event also saw the presence of distinguished individuals, including Sheikh Jasim Uddin, Managing Director & CEO of AKIJ Resource; Faria Hossain, Chairman of AKIJ Resource; A. K. Joaddar, Vice Chairman of AKIJ Resource; and A.T.M. Habib Ullah, CEO of AKIJ Agro Feed Ltd. The event marked a significant moment for the industry, reflecting the growing collaboration and commitment to excellence in agriculture and business.