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Discuss this article (0 Comments)The dos and don'ts of awards entries
by ArabianBusiness.com staff writer on Sunday, 17 December 2006
One of the most commonly heard sayings in advertising is "let the work speak for itself." But unfortunately it doesn't seem to apply when it comes to entering awards.
Agencies will do anything to get their hands on those shiny gongs. Some will send their entries in gigantic, gift-wrapped boxes, while others will attempt to bribe the judges with free confectionery (which doesn't work, by the way).
With the deadline for entries to the Campaign Creative Awards just three weeks away, agencies from Cairo to Qatar are choosing which work to enter in a bid to claim gold, silver or bronze in the 12 awards categories up for grabs.
Everyone has a different idea of what the judges will be looking for, so we decided to ask a few people with experience of entering awards (and winning, in many cases) for their advice. But be warned with the closing date just around the corner, they will still be keeping a few ideas close to their chest.
Guilherme Rangel
Creative director, Team Y&R Dubai
Do:
Have fun. Send exceptional work. Clear concepts. Excellent execution. Send to the top five awards. Feel proud. Wear black.
Don't:
Do the work as an obligation. Send good work. Confusing concepts. Average execution. Send to the other 195 awards. Feel cocky. Wear black.
Creative director, Team Y&R Dubai
Do:
Have fun. Send exceptional work. Clear concepts. Excellent execution. Send to the top five awards. Feel proud. Wear black.
Don't:
Do the work as an obligation. Send good work. Confusing concepts. Average execution. Send to the other 195 awards. Feel cocky. Wear black.
Sara Anani
Creative director, Arc MENA
Do:
"Do assess your work internally. Depending on which award show you're entering, always make sure that your work is up to scratch. Best way to tell? Look at previous years' winners and assess. Do double check your entry. If it's a digital entry, ensure that the CD/DVD is double and triple checked on different computers before sending it off."
Don't:
Don't leave things to the last minute. Take at least two weeks to prepare your submission, making sure you have met all the requirements for the submission criteria. Don't assume that good creative work speaks for itself. The creative alone may not show the full success story; always submit entries with a brief explanation."
Creative director, Arc MENA
Do:
"Do assess your work internally. Depending on which award show you're entering, always make sure that your work is up to scratch. Best way to tell? Look at previous years' winners and assess. Do double check your entry. If it's a digital entry, ensure that the CD/DVD is double and triple checked on different computers before sending it off."
Don't:
Don't leave things to the last minute. Take at least two weeks to prepare your submission, making sure you have met all the requirements for the submission criteria. Don't assume that good creative work speaks for itself. The creative alone may not show the full success story; always submit entries with a brief explanation."
Arnaud Verchère
Managing partner, Tonic Communications
Do:
"Make sure you PR the work beforehand. Get your explanatory notes right, if needed. Make sure the work you send is worthy of an award."
Managing partner, Tonic Communications
Do:
"Make sure you PR the work beforehand. Get your explanatory notes right, if needed. Make sure the work you send is worthy of an award."
Rob Phillips
Creative director, Memac Ogilvy, Dubai
Do:
"Remember you are presenting to a panel that haven't got much time. Do some work for them so they don't have to do so much work in terms of presentation, mounting it on boards. If a creative director doesn't put any effort into a presentation then the jury will not bother either. And only send in work that you believe will win and do try and push the comfort zones."
Creative director, Memac Ogilvy, Dubai
Do:
"Remember you are presenting to a panel that haven't got much time. Do some work for them so they don't have to do so much work in terms of presentation, mounting it on boards. If a creative director doesn't put any effort into a presentation then the jury will not bother either. And only send in work that you believe will win and do try and push the comfort zones."
Manfred Offerman
Executive creative director, Fortune Promoseven, Abu Dhabi
Do:
"There is no easy formula. A good idea doesn't just fall in your lap. No matter who you are, or where you are in the world, the greatest ideas very often strike at 2am, after three full wastepaper baskets, two empty pizza boxes, and more espresso in your veins than blood. That's when you start trembling and when you suddenly know you might have hit a goldmine. And funnily enough, it sometimes happens, that this piece of advertising gets later awarded in one of the creative festivals. As usual, the best advice lays buried within our own work. Don't give up. Just do."
Executive creative director, Fortune Promoseven, Abu Dhabi
Do:
"There is no easy formula. A good idea doesn't just fall in your lap. No matter who you are, or where you are in the world, the greatest ideas very often strike at 2am, after three full wastepaper baskets, two empty pizza boxes, and more espresso in your veins than blood. That's when you start trembling and when you suddenly know you might have hit a goldmine. And funnily enough, it sometimes happens, that this piece of advertising gets later awarded in one of the creative festivals. As usual, the best advice lays buried within our own work. Don't give up. Just do."
Chris Bell
Managing partner and director of client servicing, Face to Face
Do:
"It is amazing to see how many entries don't answer the brief. They will go off in a hundred and one directions but they don't answer what has been requested. That, to me, is a fundamental thing. Make sure you answer on the brief."
Don't:
"It is not one of those things that you should enter into as a half measure. You do it properly 100% or you don't do it at all. It needs 100% commitment to it. That throws up two things. First of all, only put in work that you can realistically look at yourself in the mirror knowing it is going to have a fair chance of winning. And the other thing is one of time. When there is a written component to it as well, that invariably takes more time than you ever assume it should do, especially if you are doing it properly. Building in enough time is crucial."
Managing partner and director of client servicing, Face to Face
Do:
"It is amazing to see how many entries don't answer the brief. They will go off in a hundred and one directions but they don't answer what has been requested. That, to me, is a fundamental thing. Make sure you answer on the brief."
Don't:
"It is not one of those things that you should enter into as a half measure. You do it properly 100% or you don't do it at all. It needs 100% commitment to it. That throws up two things. First of all, only put in work that you can realistically look at yourself in the mirror knowing it is going to have a fair chance of winning. And the other thing is one of time. When there is a written component to it as well, that invariably takes more time than you ever assume it should do, especially if you are doing it properly. Building in enough time is crucial."
Nassib Boueri
Managing director MENA, Wunderman
Do:
"First of all, you need to select the right work to be entered in the right category. Secondly, the entry must be critically examined on the basis of 50% idea - 50% execution. For the DM category at the Cannes, what matters most is the effectiveness and response rates of the creative piece of work. Not only should it have a unique idea but must also be impactful in terms of achieving its sales and marketing objectives. Since awards are a yardstick of an agency's efficiency, the most crucial bit is to identify what pieces are to be entered. What works best is, if relevant and experienced people in the agency sit down and critically assess the pieces of work. And then jointly decide on the ones which they think deserve to go forward."
Managing director MENA, Wunderman
Do:
"First of all, you need to select the right work to be entered in the right category. Secondly, the entry must be critically examined on the basis of 50% idea - 50% execution. For the DM category at the Cannes, what matters most is the effectiveness and response rates of the creative piece of work. Not only should it have a unique idea but must also be impactful in terms of achieving its sales and marketing objectives. Since awards are a yardstick of an agency's efficiency, the most crucial bit is to identify what pieces are to be entered. What works best is, if relevant and experienced people in the agency sit down and critically assess the pieces of work. And then jointly decide on the ones which they think deserve to go forward."
Mazen Hassan
Creative director, JWT Bahrain
Do:
"Award shows are like battle grounds of the best ideas in the industry. Keep this in mind. Send only the best work that would stand a fighting chance on a global arena. If you really can't decide, send it anyway. Study the categories very well. Some categories are more competitive than others. Presentation. Presentation. Presentation. Given how much time each juror spends with each piece of work, I can't over emphasise the importance of a strong clean presentation. Ideas for global brands stand far better chance than those for obscure local shops. Explain any local cultural relevance that would make the work more understandable to a global panel."
Don't:
"As a general rule, especially with the big international shows, don't submit work published extremely close to the award show deadline. This might make your work look 'scammy' and will automatically disqualify it. And never submit unpublished work."
Creative director, JWT Bahrain
Do:
"Award shows are like battle grounds of the best ideas in the industry. Keep this in mind. Send only the best work that would stand a fighting chance on a global arena. If you really can't decide, send it anyway. Study the categories very well. Some categories are more competitive than others. Presentation. Presentation. Presentation. Given how much time each juror spends with each piece of work, I can't over emphasise the importance of a strong clean presentation. Ideas for global brands stand far better chance than those for obscure local shops. Explain any local cultural relevance that would make the work more understandable to a global panel."
Don't:
"As a general rule, especially with the big international shows, don't submit work published extremely close to the award show deadline. This might make your work look 'scammy' and will automatically disqualify it. And never submit unpublished work."
Vincent Fichard
Senior copywriter, Fortune Promoseven
Do:
"Firstly, make sure it is proper work. And the more you answer the brief, the better chance you have of winning. You have to be a bit lucky. You could do well one year and then get nothing the year after. Consistency is the hardest thing to achieve."
Don't:
"Everyone wants to win an award so it can get a bit dirty, with some people running a campaign just to win an award. There are a lot of fake campaigns. Don't enter work that makes it look like you want to win too much. It should be proper advertising."
Senior copywriter, Fortune Promoseven
Do:
"Firstly, make sure it is proper work. And the more you answer the brief, the better chance you have of winning. You have to be a bit lucky. You could do well one year and then get nothing the year after. Consistency is the hardest thing to achieve."
Don't:
"Everyone wants to win an award so it can get a bit dirty, with some people running a campaign just to win an award. There are a lot of fake campaigns. Don't enter work that makes it look like you want to win too much. It should be proper advertising."
John Mani
Creative director, Partnership Advertising
Do:
"Be your own biggest critic. Objectively take a look at the work available and see if it stacks up against what has been released in the market. Award entries are costly. Make sure you enter the work in the right category so that it has a better chance of winning. Be very prudent when entering work in certain categories. Make sure you give the right 'title' to the entry and, if necessary, any write-up that will help bridge language/cultural understanding."
Don't:
"Don't enter work just to cater to egos within the agency. Creatives always think that the work they produce is the best in the world. Don't enter just for the sake of entering. It's just money down the drain."
Creative director, Partnership Advertising
Do:
"Be your own biggest critic. Objectively take a look at the work available and see if it stacks up against what has been released in the market. Award entries are costly. Make sure you enter the work in the right category so that it has a better chance of winning. Be very prudent when entering work in certain categories. Make sure you give the right 'title' to the entry and, if necessary, any write-up that will help bridge language/cultural understanding."
Don't:
"Don't enter work just to cater to egos within the agency. Creatives always think that the work they produce is the best in the world. Don't enter just for the sake of entering. It's just money down the drain."
Manoj Ammanath
Creative director, Brandcom
Do:
"Be your own judge. Be ruthlessly critical of your own work. Pick the pieces that are worthy of an award and enter with confidence.
"Remember, just because you are close to the work doesn't necessarily mean that the jury will feel the same. Be shrewd and choose the categories carefully, and enter your work where the chances of standing out are better. If a piece needs explanation, do so in a manner that will convince the jury."
Don't:
"Don't live in a well. Don't think you deserve the Grand Prix because you think so. Get to know what everyone else has done in the categories you are entering. And choose quality over quantity. If half a dozen great pieces are all you have, so be it. And, finally, don't lose heart if you lose. There is always another award show just around the corner."
Creative director, Brandcom
Do:
"Be your own judge. Be ruthlessly critical of your own work. Pick the pieces that are worthy of an award and enter with confidence.
"Remember, just because you are close to the work doesn't necessarily mean that the jury will feel the same. Be shrewd and choose the categories carefully, and enter your work where the chances of standing out are better. If a piece needs explanation, do so in a manner that will convince the jury."
Don't:
"Don't live in a well. Don't think you deserve the Grand Prix because you think so. Get to know what everyone else has done in the categories you are entering. And choose quality over quantity. If half a dozen great pieces are all you have, so be it. And, finally, don't lose heart if you lose. There is always another award show just around the corner."
Neha Mishra
Traffic manager to Ed Jones, regional creative director, Saatchi & Saatchi
Do:
"If all else fails, do read the entry rules. Ideally more than 24 hours before the final deadline. Do allow another day to sneak in that extra orphan entry that the creatives pleaded for with the CD and won. Do ensure the info for your entry is with the low-life traffic manager early enough. She will not love you if she spends her weekend tying up details."
Don't:
"Don't leave the list with the CD for too long. He'll lose it. Don't ask the creatives what to enter. You'll have a list longer than your arm but less useful. Don't go to finance just before the courier is due they don't like awards and they don't like short notice."
Traffic manager to Ed Jones, regional creative director, Saatchi & Saatchi
Do:
"If all else fails, do read the entry rules. Ideally more than 24 hours before the final deadline. Do allow another day to sneak in that extra orphan entry that the creatives pleaded for with the CD and won. Do ensure the info for your entry is with the low-life traffic manager early enough. She will not love you if she spends her weekend tying up details."
Don't:
"Don't leave the list with the CD for too long. He'll lose it. Don't ask the creatives what to enter. You'll have a list longer than your arm but less useful. Don't go to finance just before the courier is due they don't like awards and they don't like short notice."
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