For
years, I entered work I did for clients into various advertising
and communication competitions such as those sponsored by the
North Dakota Professional Communicators, the American Advertising
Federation and the International Academy of Visual Arts. Opinions
in the industry regarding the value of these competitions, and
the awards they bestow, run the gamut.
"They
help agencies recognize their talented people and show their clients
that they're doing good work," goes one argument.
"They're
self-serving, self-congratulatory," said one colleague.
"They're
nothing more than a popularity contest, a beauty pageant,"
said another.
I
always did it for three reasons:
1)
Winning made me feel good.
2)
I could show clients they really were getting good work.
3)
I was able to get the name of my business into the newspaper.
But
then I started re-evaluating. Staring me right in the face were
these reasons for entering compared to the FredComm
mission: "To drive clients' success through creative, compelling
and
results-oriented concepting, writing, editing and communication
consulting services." Clearly, my motivations were out of
line with that mission.
Then,
in early 2010, I read the following in "Your Marketing Sucks"
by Mark Stevens, president of the agency MSCO and a leading expert
on ROI-based marketing.
Every
company, and every firm they employ, should be forbidden to enter
any marketing or advertising contest. No more submissions for
Clios. No more "most creative ad by a Midwest agency"
competitions.... No more nothing that has to do with ego as opposed
to sales.
Fact
is, my clients really don't care if some judges with advertising
backgrounds say an ad, brochure or website is good. They care
about whether the piece helps generate leads, bolster brand recognition
and close sales.
Over
the years my work has won awards here and there, and I've been
part of teams that have won even more. It's been fun, I appreciate
the groups that have presented them to me, but now it's done.
If
you're interested in seeing the list of FredComm
honors and awards bestowed over the years, click
here.
As
for me, an awarding run has come to an end. Now, I'm back to the
mission.
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