The Guardian and the MAA invite you to come and view the Best Awards finalists in a free to attend exhibiton on Tuesday 6 March and Wednesday 7 March from 6.30 - 9pm at Guardian HQ.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Linda Larsson at linda.larsson@guardian.co.uk
Scott Knox, managing director of the MAA spoke to us about the exhibition and some of the stand-out entries you can expect to see:
"Why should people be excited about the exhibition? The key is an idea that starts off in once space then goes through others. With the NSPCC, what started off as something in social media and then through to PR and then went on to support what they did through advertising, so it just snowballed.
That's what we're trying to explore - what is great communication now? It's not just about briefing an agency and saying 'we need a TV ad', it's about saying 'this is the problem, this is what we're trying to achieve' and then coming up an idea and then that idea needs to work through different channels. You've got to start with a notion of open creativity. What some types of marketing tend to be held back by is the thought that you have an agency, client or brand owner that thinks 'I need an ad', then once that ad's done we'll try to figure out how we execute that in stores, then the direct mail pack, loyalty, the different channels. They're going about it the wrong way.
The standout case study is the NSPCC campaign run by Livity, it just shows the power of a great idea. It was something that started off in social media that could go through many different channels and it shows what a massive impact it had on their organisation. It picked up three awards including 'Best of the Best' and people will be able to come and read what it's all about and what it achieved.
What all the winners have in common is identifying the business problem, the consumer target market and what channels that audience touches.
The key is starting with the consumer and working back rather than starting with a TV ad and bolting ideas on. Trying to shoehorn a social media idea into advertising doesn't work."
The Best Awards exhibition takes place 6.30-9pm on Tuesday 6 March and Wednesday 7 March 2012 at Guardian News & Media, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU.
Confirm your attendence and RSVP to linda.larsson@guardian.co.uk
