BLWN wins 10 awards at AOTY and MARKies 2025: Celebrating integrated creative, strategic, and people-powered marketing success

This post is sponsored by BLWN.

“True team spirit is when every win matters, not for the trophy itself, but for the shared journey behind it.”

That spirit came through at the Agency of the Year and MARKies Awards 2025, where BLWN’s standout performance marked its pivotal moment. In a competitive arena shaped by agility and impact, BLWN earned 10 awards across branding, design, digital and omni-channel.

🥇 GOLD

• Boutique Agency of the Year + Local Hero
• Most Effective Use – Omnichannel

🥈 SILVER

• Brand & Design Consultancy of the Year
• Most Effective Use – Digital
• Most Effective Use – Customer Acquisition

🥉 BRONZE

• Independent Agency of the Year
• Lead Generation Agency of the Year
• Digital Agency of the Year + Local Hero

Over the years, BLWN has steadily grown into an industry leader. By refining and expanding its niche, it has earned the trust of key clients such as KLIA Ekspres, The Exchange TRX, and Sunway Property, unlocking bolder ideas that resonate beyond a single campaign.

At its core, the agency believes any success stems from synergy – the intersection of strategy, copywriting, design, social and digital marketing – where ideas are sharpened through collective growth that drives creative clarity and impact.

From strategic insights to measurable impacts

“We go beyond briefs to uncover the business problem behind the marketing ask,” said Monica Shenton, head of content and strategy.

“It’s not enough to just understand the audience. We map the entire context: what motivates action, what barriers exist and where the brand can meaningfully enter the conversation.”

BLWN's strategy-first approach ensures that every big idea is both insight-based and outcome-driven, creating impactful campaigns thanks to its analytical approach. Nonetheless, it maintains the firm belief that no methodological framework is one-size-fits-all.

Data becomes emotion through storytelling

A key component of successful marketing is emotional connection – and BLWN's copywriting team achieves just that by striking an emotional chord and balancing what brands want with what audiences actually respond to.

“As brand loyalty takes root, our goal goes beyond conversion and moves towards keeping a brand alive in people’s minds. And for that, we need copies that speak, spark emotions and stick,” stated Vinothini Ananda Krishnan, BLWN’s copywriting manager.

Creative design breathes life into strategy and storytelling

A brand’s narrative becomes more tangible through a unique visual identity.

Where design in branding often skews overly rational or aesthetic, BLWN strikes a balance that aligns with the brand’s goals.

Wong An Jie, BLWN’s art director, asserted: “Design in branding should fuse both storytelling rationale and creative instinct. Every element must be guided by a clear narrative purpose, while still allowing instinctive choices to shape work that feels authentic and effective.”

Adopting a social-native mindset

Nowadays, many still misunderstand the role of social media in driving brand engagement; treating it as a secondary channel to amplify campaigns developed elsewhere, rather than a strategic lead.

“Brands should be reconsidering their approach to social media and instead ask: ‘How would this campaign look if social media was the starting point?’” emphasised Michelle Tan, head of social media at BLWN.

“This shift will help brands see social media as a creative playground for real-time, two-way conversations that can unlock new possibilities for genuine storytelling.”

Never losing sight of the end goal

As digital marketing technologies and trends change swiftly, BLWN relies on being adaptable and precise by grounding ideas in data to create a feedback loop that informs strategy and guides creative decisions.

“It’s one thing to have data, but it’s another thing to know what actions to take based on the data,” said Ee Guan Shern, BLWN’s head of performance marketing.

“The key is to make the connection between data and people, which allows us to effectively optimise, adapt and scale in real time – not just to improve performance, but to keep brands meaningfully connected to their audiences at every step.”

Culture keeps everything in motion

According to Mark Lee, chief executive officer of BLWN, the agency’s teamwork journey is what led to these recent award recognitions.

“Keeping the same degree of teamwork, creativity and relevance that got us here is the real accomplishment. People are noticing and our work speaks for itself. That proves we’re on the right track – so the question is: what will we do about it?” Lee left a grounded note on where the team stands now.

The answer lies in its culture. Collaboration, transparency and always striving for greater heights continue to be the guiding values of BLWN – with trust, curiosity and grit continuing to shape the road ahead.

What’s next?

Lee made the mission clear: “We’ll continue to collaborate with partners who believe in our ability to turn bold, disciplined ideas into real impact. Our model works – now it’s about staying the course and pushing boundaries with those who trust us to lead. Ultimately, BLWN aims to leave a disruptive mark on the local – and eventually the APAC – marketing scene.”

About BLWN

BLWN is a 360-degree creative marketing agency guided by the mantra: “When Strategy Meets Creativity – Magic Happens”, helping brands say things the way people want to hear them through strategic and innovative creative solutions.

With expertise spanning branding, strategy, social media, digital, design, content and on-ground activation, the agency builds campaigns that drive measured effectiveness.

As a founding board member of the Strategic Asia Marketing Alliance (SAMA), BLWN helps shape the region’s marketing future through cross-market collaboration and shared innovation.

Learn more at www.blwn.com.my.