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Top Advertising And Design Awards

September 14, 2020 By Peter 3 Comments

A Lovely List Of The Top Advertising Awards

And deep thoughts on why you should even bother doing the advertising award game.

TA DA — A New 2020 Advertising Award: The Side Show

The Side Show is an award for — well, here is what they say:

We’re here to celebrate the side projects of those in the advertising industry. Side projects showcase another angle of ourselves, a side some rarely get to see, and we believe that side should be rewarded. We look forward to seeing you show off your bold, your whimsical, your unexpected, and your original sides. (Also: There’s insanely impressive judges & cash prizes. We may have ‘side’ in our name but diversity is our main focus.)

Submissions are due by October 9th at 11:59 PM, PST and are open for everyone from student to c-suite, creatives and non-creatives alike. Late submissions will not be accepted.

I like this idea. It is fresh, is more inclusive, and should help us to see some of the better work done outside of, well, people’s main work thing.

Next: You might want to listen to or come back to this Advertising Stories podcast – How To Win More Webby Awards.

This interview is with Matt Faulk, yup the guy that runs the Webby Awards’ actual ad agency. Plus… Matt’s agency = Basic = just happens to win more Webby Awards than anyone.

OK, the advertising award list also includes a few of my views on advertising awards objectives and strategies. It is mindblowing how many advertising agencies do not know how to enter an award show — to win.

Note: This advertising awards list gets updated. Let me know if I am missing an award.

Advertising Awards Are Good… But, Maybe Start Here:

A comprehensive guide that will help your agency become a winner in today’s market – The Advertising Agency Survival Guide.

Why Enter Award Shows? Do You Have Business Objectives And A Strategy?

Winning the right advertising awards is good for business and agency and client morale. Just make sure you know why you are entering. Too many agencies don’t approach the award process with a plan or objectives beyond the search for ego fulfillment. This can make the whole effort a bit too C R A Z Y. But, you know that. Or, do you? Go here to hear an advertising award judge on his less than optimal experience reading agency entries.

I have a memory about the power of awards from my first day at Saatchi & Saatchi London way back in the 1990s. I walked through the creative floor and noticed a tall glass case randomly stuffed with lots of creative trophies. This haphazard display delivered two messages: 1) Saatchi wins lots of awards and 2) they don’t take these too seriously. Of course, the second point was bull shit. Saatchi was always about looking like a winner and the award case proved that point in a cheeky manner. It worked better than the usual and obvious shelf of awards that sit behind the ad agency receptionist’s head.

I have always had mixed feelings about advertising awards. On one hand, they are, like winning an Academy Award, i.e. ridiculous. No one ad, digital program or actor is the “best.” On the other hand (the one with the wallet), they are way expensive. As an agency owner, I often cringed when a creative director came to me with his hand out asking us to spend hundreds on award entries.

However money aside, advertising awards have some very big advantages for agencies, clients, and creative-class workers:

The awards celebrate creativity itself. Creative strategies, art, copy and the media platforms that deliver the work.

They help our most talented people get noticed.

They help smart well-designed agencies get noticed by occasionally confused clients who need second party confirmation when selecting an agency. To me, this is a very important point and one that makes writing those increasingly expensive entry checks worth the cost. Awards should be a big part of an agency’s business development program – not just an ego stroker.

To put all of this go-for-it into context, I wrote about the Portland agency Pollinate a few years back that has done very well (!) by hammering Advertising Age’s Small Agency awards show. The blog post, “How To Win The Ad Age Small Agency Award? Twice?” is a demonstration of the value of entering and winning an award that has meaning for prospective clients because it is delivered via an industry-leading publication. Check it out.

Last point before the list. Award judges have told me that around 30% of agencies do not know how to create an entry that is designed to win. Poor copy, poor strategy, even typos. Many agencies rush through the process at the very last minute. Do you? Do you have an annual award plan? Who is in charge?

My 13 Favorite Advertising & Marketing Awards

Is Your Advertising Agency Famous And Unignorable

August 24, 2020 By Peter Leave a Comment

My friend Michael Moszynski, Founder and CEO of London’s global advertising agency LONDON Advertising, recently sent me an agency Press Release with the headline: “LONDON Advertising ad campaign sees its awareness surge an impressive 50% and overtake Adam & Eve in Populus poll.” I’d say that LONDON Advertising is able to say “yes” to the question… “Is Your Advertising Agency Famous And Unignorable.’

LONDON Advertising got to fame and unignorability by running a real broad awareness advertising campaign for the agency (and working on being famous for years). Yes, you heard me right. They actually used real (LOL) advertising to up their image and awareness in the UK. I’ve written about this campaign here: Does Your Advertising Agency Advertise Itself?

Help You Getting Your Advertising Agency Famous And Unignorable

#1. How did LONDON do it? Read their PR and think about your agency

Here is a quote from the press release (gotta love that England still has Lords)…

In a Populus poll of awareness of UK ad agencies among over 2,000 members of the public, LONDON Advertising demonstrated the power of its ad TV and Outdoor campaign to promote its own brand with an outstanding set of results.

Lord Cooper, Founding Partner of Populus, said:

“Amongst the public, brand awareness of LONDON Advertising rose by an impressive 50% in just a month. LONDON Advertising is now 6 times more well-known than highly established agencies like VCCP. The increase in awareness of LONDON Advertising was the only statistically significant change in the month between our two polls, so their campaign clearly cut through. Among the critical sub-group of consumer opinion influencers, LONDON Advertising now has the highest awareness of any of the agencies covered in the poll, at 27% – its campaign taking it past Adam &Eve.”

Here is the press release sweetly shouting about LONDON. Results of LONDON Advertising advertising campaign

#2. How do y’all get to famous?

Quick story. A while ago I moved to London to work at the original Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide on Charlotte Street. I quickly found out how famous Saatchi was when I got in a cab and told the driver the address. He said, “Oh, you are going to Saatchis.” From then on I’d just say that I was going to Saatchi. If you said your agency name to an Uber driver (let’s pretend she does not have the app for a second) would she know YOUR address?

OK. How to get to famous? Three “simple” but, ya know, like, important things.

Make being famous and unignorable an objective. A second on the idea of being unignorable… Imagine the alternative?
Is your advertising, digital, social, PR or whatever agency marketing designed to be famous and unignorable?
Show the world that you are (!) unignorable. Shout it. This is precisely how Maurice and Charles Saatchi did it. They made damn sure that the world thought that Saatchi & Saatchi was famous. This was an objective. This was LONDON’s freakin objective, too.

Oh, while you are at it, how about your personal brand? Are you famous? Did you see the video on my Home Page? For some of you… yes, I ripped off the name association idea from the great conceptual artist Chris Burden. Steal like an artist.

Need more fame???? Contact me.

The Smartest African American Advertising Agency

August 20, 2020 By Peter Leave a Comment

The Real Power Of African American Advertising

Wil Shelton runs L.A.’s Wil Power Integrated Marketing, a major force in African American advertising and marketing. Here is just one not-ordinary thing that they do:

“Wil Power Integrated Marketing is positioned in more than 40 urban markets nationwide with well-established business relationships with over 100,000 African American salons and barbershop nationwide and the ability to reach over 100 million consumers annually.”

How many advertising agencies have a unique idea as powerful or as unignorable as that?

WOW!

I was blown away when I heard about the Wil Power Integrated Marketing approach to marketing to the African American community. While all agencies, Wil Power included, fuss over their digital programs, few get “out on the street” to meet people and talk to them where they hang out. Wil Power gets it and has harnessed the power of America’s salons and barbershops – where millions of people meet to discuss their lives and what they do, eat, drink watch, and buy.

From an advertising agency business development perspective, Wil Power offers its national Fortune 500, entertainment, streaming, and telecom clients a solution that is totally unique — it is based on Wil Shelton’s perspective and hard work that get him and his clients inside over 100,000 salons and barbershops.

Yes, there is more. Have you listened to Wil on how to solve the problem of racism in advertising and marketing? In particular, the low numbers in African American senior advertising and marketing positions? Go ahead, take a listen — “Kamala Harris And Advertising…”

Links To Wil Shelton And His African American Advertising & Marketing Solutions…

Wil Power Integrated Marketing

Wil Shelton on LinkedIn

Hypnotism coming: Remember to subscribe to Advertising Stories. Remember to subscribe to Advertising Stories.

A nice thing for me… Feedspot has recognized Advertising Stories as being a top 15 advertising podcast.

Kamala Harris And Advertising. Not.

August 13, 2020 By Peter Leave a Comment

Kamala Harris And Advertising. Could Kamala Get A Senior Job At An Ad Agency? Probably Not.

I pose the question about Kamala Harris and advertising as a thought-starter that leads to my discussion about the rather poor numbers of African-Americans in senior marketing and advertising roles. WOW, what an understatement.

I recently interviewed Wil Shelton, the CEO/Founder of L.A.’s Wil Power Integrated Marketing agency. Wil Power is a unique independent African-American market expert agency. The power of Wil Power comes from its work at “Harnessing the power of word of mouth in the African American market through Urban Beauty Salon and Barbershop marketing.”

In this interview, I asked Wil for his thoughts on what I consider the appalling state of African-American representation within leadership at the four major advertising agency networks (2 percent) and the CMO ranks at the Association of National Advertisers (3 percent.) That’s why I ask the question, could Kamala Harris get a job in advertising? Do the words Kamala Harris and advertising sound like a deal in 2020? Not in today’s advertising and marketing worlds.

Note that the marketing communications agencies Wieden+Kennedy with its Workforce Data and San Diego’s Basic are working to increase diversity and inclusion. My guess is that these two agencies, when asked if Kamala Harris and advertising could work together would be a YES. Would WPP say yes? That’s your guess.

This is inclusive “career” copy from a notice on Basic’s President Matt Faulk’s LinkedIn page. Basic is looking for some new people. I bet that Kamala Harris and advertising would work at Basic:

As we look to further develop a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, we’re currently looking for Creative Directors, Design Directors, Senior Designers, and Producers (all levels) to come join our team.

The Full Transcript Of The Wil Shelton Interview. And Why Kamala Harris And Advertising Might Not Have Been.

The interview was modified for clarity and brevity. This Interview Was Held Before Ms. Harris’ Appointment.

Peter: Hello, Advertising Stories people. Today I am talking with Wil Shelton, that’s with one L, and he is the CEO of the marketing agency, Wil Power Integrated Marketing. Again, with one L.

This conversation is about diversity, the lack thereof, and hopefully the opportunity of driving more diversity and inclusion in marketing and advertising. This must be a conversation you have often Wil, is that right?

Wil: Yeah, I do have it often. At this time, in this era that we’re in, yes.

Peter: Let’s just jump into that for a second. When you say this time, we have an increased consciousness of the lack of diversity, the problems of endemic… You fill in the next word. Do you think that the world that we’re living in now, the awareness of the really big idea of Black Lives Matter, do you think that will have a positive effect on the growth and expansion of diversity within the marketing and advertising communities? [Read more…] about Kamala Harris And Advertising. Not.

Life After Advertising Podcast Series

August 3, 2020 By Peter Leave a Comment

I’ve Written About Life After Advertising Before.

I am going to accelerate my discussion about the idea that there can be a wonderful life after advertising. I will cover lots of options over the next few months because I am seeing people leave the communications marketing industry for a bunch of reasons. Many people have planned to leave, many have had it foisted on them due to the pandemic, some are leaving advertising companies to go freelance and some are simply selling their agencies. Oh, yeah, some just need some NEW!

Today I (well my artificial assistant Sara) is offering some food for thought. Here are five resources that you can use to get your ball rolling as you exit the agency world.

Head over to How to Create a Million-Dollar Business This Weekend to read how Tim Ferris and Noah Kagan think that you can start a million-dollar business. LOL, yes this weekend.

From Noah: “For some reason, people love to make excuses about why they haven’t created their dream business or even gotten started.

This is the “wantrepreneur” epidemic, where people prevent themselves from ever actually doing the side-project they always talk about over beers.

The truth of the matter is that you don’t have to spend a lot of time building the foundation for a successful business. In most cases, it shouldn’t take you more than a couple days.

Think I’m joking?

We made the original product for Gambit in a weekend.

“WTF?!” Yes, a weekend.

In just 48 hours, some friends and I created a simple product that grew to a $1,000,000+ business within a year.”

Want to run a “passive income” business? No this does not really mean just sitting back and watching the moolah roll in. This does require work. But, it may be less workaholic than writing 87 Instagram posts per week. Pat Flynn is the passive income master who can get you started and rocking. Go to his Smart Passive Income blog for years of how to. he also writes extensively about the tools that you might use – like how to build and run a podcast.

I love this one. Great daydreaming or just do it. I was just turned on to this list by a dude that lives in Ho Chi Minh City and runs a global online marketing company. Want a comprehensive list of online businesses that you can buy? The well-named Empire Flippers has that list. I’m going to help you cut to the chase. Here is an interview that Passive Income’s Pat Flynn did with Empire Flippers’ CEO.

Don’t want to start a new business? Maybe you’d rather get out on the road? Head out to Overland to hear about building a long-distance van life – anyone can do this. Sure beats being on your mom’s kitchen table Zoom calls. And, if you want to see some real-life people that are making a living traveling in their van, check out Kara and Nate’s We Bought A Van on YouTube (they will show you a great lifestyle pivot). Back to your new van… Here is the Overland site.

OK, one more. Last week I interviewed Michaela Alexis about her move from advertising agency life to becoming a leader in LinkedIn training. Head over here… How Michaela Alexis Rocks LinkedIn Learning.

Upcoming Advertising Stories episodes will cover African-American advertising and agency ownership (an the poor level of diversity in the industry); eCommerce conversion rate optimization and how to go from ad person to client-side. All of these topics will be interviews with experts.

Use the handy links on this page to subscribe.

A nice thing for me… Feedspot has recognized Advertising Stories as being a top 15 advertising podcast.