(Source: Business Wire)The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) closed this year's highly successful MIXX Conference and Expo with the presentation tonight of the fourth annual MIXX Awards. The MIXX Awards are the only honor devoted exclusively to interactive advertising, and the only juried competition that recognizes excellence in both creativity and effectiveness. For the first time, the digital advertising campaigns were evaluated by senior executives from agencies, publishers and marketing organizations deliberating together, sharing their distinct perspectives on what makes advertising creative successful. Tonight's multimedia gala was emceed by Rob Norman, GroupM Interaction Worldwide CEO.

"The sheer volume of submissions coupled with the extraordinary level of creativity that cut across such a wide swath of platforms and technologies speaks to the vitality of the interactive advertising industry," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "Interactive advertising is breaking new ground in engaging consumers in ways that we had not even dreamed of, and the pace of change will only continue to accelerate."

This year, submissions jumped by nearly 40 percent, and were sent in from hundreds of leading agencies, representing traditional advertising agencies and native digital shops which entered work across virtually every major vertical industry.

The gala's ultimate honor, Best in Show, went to TEQUILA\ and Nissan for its "Rogue Launch." TEQUILA\ and Nissan took home additional honors for digital video, digital integration and VOD and interactive television, winning golds in all three categories. "The Rogue Launch" was based on consumer insights geared to Generation X males who wanted to still feel "in the game" and tap into a sense of playfulness. The campaign was credited as the most successful new car launch in Nissan's history.

Goodby Silverstein & Partners, last year's Best in Show agency winner, won two golds this year in Product Launch and Business-to-Business for its campaign "Adobe Layer Tennis" for the launch of Adobe's Creative Suite 3. And in a testament to the breadth and variety of brands' interactive campaigns, some marketers were honored in multiple categories for work with different agencies. BMW, for example, was honored for its work with three different agencies--Dotglu, JOGO Media and GSD&M Idea City across the categories of Direct Response and Lead Generation, In-Game Advertising and Social Marketing, respectively.

The MIXX Awards are the only juried advertising competition that evaluates all critical components of the interactive marketing mix, including strategy, creative, execution and results. To view the complete gallery of the MIXX Winners please visit: www.mixx-awards.com/gallery

The Complete List of 2008 MIXX Award Winners: