Everybody loves winning awards. Not only do they ensure you have a very happy team swanning about the office for the next few weeks and a justification for getting riotously drunk to celebrate, but they can also truly raise the profile of an agency and a brand.
The problem comes in the fact that there are literally hundreds of awards for those in marketing and business – I'm convinced there's an award for the best award out there somewhere. So how do you identify the ones that will help mark you out as a business?
When I joined the MAA 10 years ago, some great agencies were coming to the fore and providing a challenge to the status quo. I'm glad they did or we wouldn't have the varied landscape of agencies that we have today. And that's what the Best Awards have set out to do since their inauguration 21 years ago: to recognise the work and the agencies that characterise the industry of tomorrow. For the Best Awards, everybody is equal and profile doesn't count – it is simply about the work and what is getting real results with consumers.
The marketing world at the moment is an exciting one with so many options to explore which in itself makes it complicated. But it has to be said that, driven by the diversity and ever-changing nature of today's consumer, the best in the advertising world are beating a path towards the consumer of tomorrow. They are building dialogue with their audience by being driven by new channels, such as social media and mobile tablet devices, and combining these with the best that traditional methods have to offer.
Consumers are soaking this all up and sharing it, commenting on it and reacting to it. And so it is harmonious, complementary and creative communications – where all elements appear seamlessly integrated – that will cut through. Being awarded for this shows that an agency is at the top of its game.
It is by establishing this position as an indispensable lead agency, at the heart of the big strategy and winning awards for integration, that will set an agency apart. Multi-channel excellence is where the best are and where we all should aim to be.
Scott Knox is managing director of the Marketing Agencies Association (MAA)
