Award-Winning Marketing Campaigns From Around the World

The annual IFLA BibLibre International Marketing Award offers a look at what our peers around the world are accomplishing. The contest is run by the Management & Marketing section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). It's sponsored by BibLibre, a French company that supports open source software solutions and more for libraries.

This contest “honors organizations which implement creative, results-oriented marketing projects or campaigns.” Librarians enter in an effort to win recognition and prize money.

Take a look at the winners of the 15th IFLA BibLibre International Marketing Award competition to get inspiration and to learn about some of the best promotions and projects in the field today.

First Place: New York Public Library, New York City, USA

Youth Fine Amnesty campaign

This effort aimed to target and reactivate 478,000 patrons with unpaid late fees, including the 196,000 youths whose accounts were blocked because of fines.

In October 2017, the NYPL, along with New York City’s Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Library, offered a one-time fine amnesty deal for all patrons age 17 and younger.

The libraries publicized the deal with an outreach campaign that included direct mail targeted to young patrons, printed material in a variety of languages, a media relations scheme, and well-planned messaging. With 41,000 young people reactivating their cards, the project was considered a success.

Second Place: Invercargill City Libraries, Invercargill, New Zealand

Keeping Up With the Librarians magazine cover spoof

The project's original Facebook post read, “It has been 10 years since the Kardashians first graced our screens. To celebrate, our social media team decided to have a totally impromptu, definitely not planned, photo-shoot.”

A team of staff members re-created a semi-risqué photo of six Kardashian/Jenner women that had originally run on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter, and, according to IFLA, it became a “social media marketing sensation.”

The real staffers of Invercargill

The goal was to connect with a more broad, younger audience to create a sense of relevance for libraries in the digital age via pop-culture references and humor. The awareness campaign had more than 1 million Likes, 12,000 reactions, and 5,000-plus shares around the world.

Third Place: National and University Library, Zagreb, Croatia

Greetings From Zagreb project

The goal of this Croatian initiative was to promote the organization's digital library in an innovative way by creating a digital cultural product that combined heritage (old postcards of the city of Zagreb), technology, and tourism. The project included developing the first mobile app by a library in Croatia, and a web portal.

The campaign was aimed at locals, tourists, and the general public, most of whom were not acquainted with the library’s digitization projects.

The first-place winner will get 2,000 euros (about $2,450); second place will get 1,000 euros (about $1,220); and third place will get 500 euros (about $610). All winners must use their monetary awards to further their marketing efforts. In addition, the top two winners have their representatives’ airfare, lodging, and registration costs paid so they can attend the IFLA World Library and Information Congress this August in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This year’s contest drew a total of 56 submissions from public and academic libraries around the world; China sent in the most, with 23. IFLA’s award jury chose seven honorable mentions:

* Canada: University of British Columbia Library

BC Historical Newspapers

* Germany: ZBW–Leibniz Information Centre for Economics

Image Campaign for ZBW Economists

* China: Guangzhou Library

Guangzhou New Year Poetry Festival

* Egypt: Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Bibliotheca Alexandrina Information for Africa

* China: Chongqing Library

Night of Grimm’s Fairy Tales

* Russia: Novosibirsk State Regional Scientific Library

Library on the Grass