The Church of England has won an award for its digital campaign over Christmas last year.
Through a series of videos and use of social media under the hashtag #JoyToTheWorld, the CofE reached 1.5million people and was named 'best use of digital' at the Digital Impact Awards in London on Tuesday night.
Beating Oxfam, the National Union of Teachers and the Royal College of Nursing to collect the prize, the campaign is part of a three year digital and social media programme aimed to reversing the decline in church attendance.
One judge described the #JoyToTheWorld campaign as 'very smart' as well as having 'strategic and dynamic approach which involved a complete rethink in communications strategy'.
The award adds legitimacy to the CofE's decision to bolster its digital communications team last year, hiring Adrian Harris as its first head of digital communications on a salary three times more than the typical vicar's stipend.
Andrew Thomas, publishing editor of Communicate magazine and founder of the Digital Impact Awards, said: 'Last year was one of the most competitive of years in the entire history of the awards programme. Yet this year's awards signified the leaps and bounds that digital communications are continuing to make across the professional plateau. The sheer quality and character of the evening's winners exemplifies not only the homogeneity of today's digital communications, but equally its importance.'
