DMi Partners Wins 2025 Internet Advertising Competition Awards for Best Food Industry and Best CPG Email Message Campaign

“Applegate and DMi Partners: Flexing a Viral Influencer Campaign into Meaty Email Growth” Earns Top Honors in Two Categories

/EIN News/ -- PHILADELPHIA, April 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DMi Partners (DMi), the award-winning full-service performance marketing agency specializing in affiliate, email, paid search, and SEO, today announces it has won two 2025 Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Awards from the Web Marketing Association. The accolade highlights DMi’s continued leadership in delivering performance-driven, creative digital marketing strategies for its clients.

DMi received the Best Food Industry Email Message Campaign and Best Consumer Goods Email Message Campaign awards for its entry, “Applegate and DMi Partners: Flexing a Viral Influencer Campaign into Meaty Email Growth.”

DMi Partners first began working with Applegate, makers of the nation's leading natural and organic meat brand, in 2023 to address deliverability issues that were suppressing email performance. At the start of the engagement, Applegate’s open rate was just 18.4% due to Gmail restrictions. DMi implemented a strategic approach by targeting only engaged users to rebuild sender reputation, ultimately achieving a 99% deliverability rate. With this strong foundation, DMi launched a campaign in January 2024 leveraging Applegate’s clever Meathead initiative featuring influencer Tyler Cameron. The campaign saw standout results, including a 70.2% open rate—28.5% above average—and click rates up to 25% higher than Applegate’s benchmarks.

“We’re proud to see our work with Applegate recognized by the Web Marketing Association,” said Patrick McKenna, CEO and Founder of DMi Partners. “This campaign is a perfect example of how powerful creative, combined with strategic timing and data-driven targeting, can transform a cultural moment into sustained brand engagement. It also speaks to the strength of our partnership with Applegate—where shared vision and close collaboration led to something truly impactful.”

“For more than 37 years, we’ve pushed the industry forward with no antibiotics ever, organic meat, and regenerative agriculture to help create a positive impact on people, animals and the planet,” said Rob O’Donnell, Vice President of E-Comm and Digital Marketing at Applegate. “Partnering with DMi allowed us to take a viral cultural moment and extend its reach in a meaningful and measurable way. This campaign is a great example of how creativity and performance can work hand in hand.”

Methodology
Established in Boston in 1997, the Web Marketing Association (WMA) was created with the mission to establish a benchmark for excellence in Internet marketing and corporate web development. The Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Awards, inaugurated in 1999, were designed to honor outstanding companies and individuals across various industries. Judging criteria for these awards include creativity, innovation, impact, design, copywriting, use of the medium, and memorability. Judges are meticulously chosen for their professional expertise and comprehensive understanding of the latest advancements in advertising design and technology. Their objectivity ensures entries are evaluated according to a predetermined set of criteria, maintaining the integrity of the competition. Winners are posted at https://www.iacaward.org/iac/winners.asp.

About DMi Partners
DMi Partners is a full-service performance marketing agency working with today's leading consumer, B2B, and e-commerce brands like Henkel, Sargento, and Anthropologie. The agency's innovative email and affiliate management accompanies a best-in-class suite of digital services, including SEO, paid search, e-commerce, branding, interactive social media marketing, and advanced marketing analytics designed to engage target audiences to drive revenue.

Founded in 2003, DMi Partners today has over 100 clients and 85 team members nationwide, including Philadelphia, California, Georgia, and Colorado. Staffed by big-agency talent and offering the personal attention and agility of a boutique, DMi Partners has been recognized for managing award-winning campaigns and a proven track record of delivering the highest quality marketing strategy, execution, and results. Learn more by visiting www.DMiPartners.com and LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, or contact us at info@DMiPartners.com.

Media Contact:
Audree Hernandez
JMAC PR for DMi Partners
DMi@JMACPR.com