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?
