The Strategic Mailing Partnership (SMP) has revealed the winners of its prestigious 2025 Awards at a glittering ceremony held at The Steel Yard, London. More than 300 leaders from across the print and mailing supply chain gathered to celebrate the campaigns, people, and businesses that are pushing the boundaries of creativity, sustainability, and performance.
Hosted by comedian, writer, and actor Hal Cruttenden, the evening shone a spotlight on three hotly contested categories: the Mail Performance Award, the Sustainable Campaign Award, and the Bright Futures Award.
Lucy Swanston, Chair of the SMP, encapsulated the driving force behind the event: “The Awards are about celebrating the ingenuity, creativity and collaboration that make mail such a powerful channel. Every winner has shown how innovation, sustainability, and talent are driving our industry forward.”
Mail Performance AwardSupported by Headline Sponsor Whistl, the Platinum Mail Performance Award was awarded to Webmart, working in partnership with Exodus Adventure Travels, for their ground-breaking Welcome Home Programmatic Mailing. The campaign harnessed live booking data, automation, and creative design to deliver highly personalised and timely communications.
Judges praised it as, “a brilliant use of programmatic mail – timely, creative, and impactful, perfectly marrying data, personalisation and print.” The results spoke volumes, with rebooking rates climbing by more than 50 percent compared with the control group.
Gold Awards were presented to five standout campaigns. Precision Proco was recognised for its DFS Home Movers campaign, while Formara impressed with its USP College Welcome Days initiative. Join the Dots (Salocin Group) was celebrated for the Comic Relief: Post with Purpose campaign, Nutshell Creative won for its work with Rohan, and Whistl Door drop Media triumphed with its innovative campaign for Tails.com. Go Inspire also received a Highly Commended accolade for its EE Christmas Tech Catalogue.
Bright Futures AwardNow in its third year, the Bright Futures Award was sponsored by Marketreach and celebrates professionals under the age of 30 who are shaping the future of the industry. Gold went to Hannah Murphy of PSE Agency, whose rapid progression and exceptional leadership on data-driven direct mail campaigns have already delivered significant results for clients. Silver was awarded to Isobel (Bells) Arnold at Paragon, with Bronze presented to Claire Behan of Canon UK. Highly Commended recognition went to Paige Ellis-Gibson at Greens the Signmakers.
The judges explained why they chose Hannah for the Gold Award, describing her as, “a rare blend of creative and analytical skills – Hannah can see the bigger picture while never losing sight of the detail. Her leadership on client campaigns is already delivering results well beyond her years.”
Sustainable Campaign AwardSustainability was also placed centre stage at the event. With the category sponsored by UK Mail, The Gold Award went to Webmart for its transformation of the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) Catalogue. By using its EcoMetrics carbon calculator to identify opportunities for change, Webmart reduced pagination, introduced recyclable mail wraps, and shifted production methods – cutting carbon emissions by an impressive 79 percent, while still delivering record sales.
The Silver Award was presented to Join the Dots and Whistl for the RSPCA’s Christmas Campaign. Judges praised its use of smart targeting to reduce waste, while increasing donations – underlining how intelligent use of data can achieve both environmental and commercial results.
A Celebration Of Collaboration And InnovationThe evening was made possible by the support of SMP Members and its generous sponsors: Whistl, UK Mail, Marketreach, Address Intelligence (AIM360), BBS – Intelligent Use of Data, Blake Envelopes and Packaging, Bowe Group, Canon, ISCorp, JICMAIL, Konica Minolta, Premier, Print ePS and The Software Bureau.
The guests and sponsors were thanked for helping showcase the extraordinary value of mail and strengthening its long-term growth as a marketing and communications channel. The Awards continue to deliver on the SMP’s goal of evidencing the strategic role that mail plays within multi-channel campaigns, while raising the profile of the sector and its leading lights.
Lucy highlighted the importance of the event and its contribution to the industry’s long-term success: “From programmatic mailings that work in conjunction with digital platforms to deliver rich personalisation and consumer engagement, to sustainable catalogue redesigns that cut carbon while boosting sales, and the extraordinary talent coming through in our Bright Futures category – the 2025 winners demonstrate the vitality and potential of the mailing industry.
Brendan Perring 0796 962 8839
info@thestrategicmailingpartnership.co.uk
www.thestrategicmailingpartnership.co.uk