The new category will include three sub-sections -- interactive advertising, interactive services and enhanced television -- in order to recognise the breadth of marketing activity within the interactive TV sector. A jury of creatives will judge the winners over a period of four rounds.
The decision to introduce the new category follows research undertaken by D&AD in partnership with Sky Interactive. The two organisations have teamed up in an attempt to encourage the creative community to make better use of the young medium.
In a future initiative, Sky and D&AD will invite creative agencies to participate in three focus groups, which will act as forums at which the future direction of the medium can be debated.
Jon Williams, the jury foreman for the new category at the D&AD Awards 2005, praised the decision to include interactive TV in the Moving Image & Radio section of the awards scheme.
Williams, who is the interactive creative director for Publicis Dialog, said: "Interactive TV, with its inherent brand-enhancing capacity, should be viewed primarily as a broadcast medium, not purely a direct response tool.
"This is the tipping point it needs to bring it to the attention of the next generation of digitally aware creatives."
Earlier this year, Sky Interactive and D&AD offered a £250,000 interactive TV campaign to the agency that produced the most innovative interactive TV ad.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum here.
.jpg)
.png)