The last time I collected an award was the 2016 St. Anselm’s Battle of the Bands, for a rendition of ‘Give it away’ by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, so it’s safe to say I didn’t know what to expect when we entered the Manchester Deansgate Hotel last Thursday evening. Having worked with our clients to build solid case studies showcasing some impressive results for each entry, we were made up to have been shortlisted for 10 awards. And so, with my fingers (and toes) crossed, I shuffled through the venue’s double doors.
Greeted to a packed-out room and a violinist playing ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, we sat down and embraced the buzz. The lights dimmed and the stage gave way to our hostess, Kay Crewdson, a meteoric booking for fans of weather forecasting. She predicted that we were in for a wet evening, but if I’m honest, I’m not sure what she meant by this.
Then followed a 3-course meal. The bread was early and Hazel from our creative team made use of a TikTok hack of stabbing the butter package with a fork before squeezing out the contents, partly onto the roll and partly onto her long nails, highlighting the dangers of online misinformation.
Next out was 10 bowls of curried cauliflower soup, a risky move by the organisers given the number of white shirts in the house, but we escaped unscathed. Moving onto the main which was a giant skin-on chicken breast with some small gnocchi and veg accompaniments. A great choice—filling but not too much. To finish off, we were treated to a quadrant of pud. One of which, Dulce de Leche, I had never tried before. It’s a sort of rich sweetened milk from South America and if you haven’t had the chance to try it yet, drop everything and do that now. I thought it might be the highlight of the evening, but then we moved onto the awards…
The air was thick with agency anticipation, and you could’ve cut the atmosphere with a winklepicker. The lights dimmed and Kay entered the stage.
Best collaboration with a content creator – Winner
Trunk & Greene King Sport – Owning the Sports Feed
“An exciting collaboration that delivered strong organic results alongside impressive creativity. Achieving these outcomes without paid amplification is particularly noteworthy. They demonstrated a deep understanding of sports fans and how to create content that genuinely engages them.”
This felt like an early point on the board for us, in a campaign that we were feeling particularly confident in. This settled the nerves on our table, and we began to relax into the evening.
Best use of video – Winner
Trunk & Greene King Sport – Owning the Sports Feed
“A standout example of strategically using TikTok as a true editorial channel. The execution was slick, the creators were carefully selected, and the metrics were highly impressive. It was particularly outstanding that these results were achieved without paid amplification.”
Another one, in quick succession! And we were back up on stage no sooner than we’d sat down. Having worked on this campaign from the beginning, through our initial concept meeting and 0 followers to thousands of followers and collecting our second award, it felt surreal. I was so happy to be able to celebrate alongside the people that made it happen.
Best use of social media – Silver
Trunk & Greene King Sport – Owning the Sports Feed
“An impressive approach that paired outstanding creativity with a deep understanding of the target audience and their social behaviour. This standout TikTok-led campaign featured a clear strategy, a strong editorial approach and search-aware execution. The results speak for themselves!”
Like London busses! Even heavily pregnant Senior Social Media Manager Cariad couldn’t stay seated for this hattrick of campaign awards.
Best digital tool or software – Winner
Trunk – CreatorAmp
“Their work demonstrated an outstanding, highly commercial innovation with a clear purpose and proven real-world success. They delivered a simple, compelling narrative that resonates. CreatorAmp stands out by bridging the critical operational gap between influencer discovery, contracting, and measurable ROI, providing a solution that was both strategically and commercially transformative.”
This has been a great tool for us to use alongside other campaigns, a straightforward solution for us to collate influencer information together and connect them with relevant brands. Sometimes simple wins.
The evening gave way to a half-time interval and short quiz, which gave us a great opportunity to network with the other agencies and hear about the campaigns they had put themselves forward for.
Best digital marketing campaign (Third Sector) – Winner
Trunk and FareShare – Fuller Lives
“They delivered an outstanding demonstration of purpose-driven SEO within budget constraints, achieving measurable growth. Targets were clearly defined, technology was modern and the reporting was fully transparent. Their approach, which seamlessly combined fundraising and volunteer acquisition within a single creative system, showcased both strategic vision and operational excellence.”
FareShare are a standup organisation and even without the award have been incredibly rewarding to work with. The content that we captured for this campaign was poignant, highlighting growing food inequality in the UK. It’s a special feeling to do work for a company that has such a positive impact in the world, and the recognition of this campaign was a personal highlight for me.
Best integrated campaign – Winner
Trunk & Greene King Sport – Hosting the Nation
“The creative idea of bringing people together around sport aligned perfectly with the brand, combining fun and effectiveness with both commercial impact and social appeal. The team demonstrated a clear understanding of the underlying strategy and insights, executing a platform that required a delicate approach with precision and care.”
This project was a mammoth undertaking; all parts of the agency came together to deliver a multi-platform campaign. I personally believe this is one of the best projects we’ve executed as an agency, an all-round win for every staff member.
Best charitable/CSR award – Winner
Trunk & Business Beats Cancer Manchester – We Mean Business
“Their deep commitment to the cause and the quality of execution were highly impressive. The impact and research on individuals were outstanding, and the combination of creativity, leadership and staff participation makes this a truly compelling and authentic CSR programme.”
The announcement of this award was particularly poignant for our table, with our CEO Jon Butler’s ongoing involvement with the charity, something that is very close to his, and all our hearts at Trunk.
I awoke the next morning with a dry mouth and an order confirmation for a jar of Dulce de Leche, feeling proud of the work we have put in over the past year and happy that we had the chance to celebrate our wins together. We now set our sights on the upcoming year and the many opportunities we will have to showcase our talent and hard work. 2026, we’re coming for ya!
