If we do things the same as everyone else, we can only achieve so much. The key is to do things differently. That is what tonight is all about.
So said Tim Bourne, the new chair of the Marketing Agencies Association, at its glittering Best Awards, which challenged entrants to push the envelope and #DoDifferent.
The winners didn’t disappoint. From Cherry London and its O2 Priority campaign to Proximity London “raising eyebrows and subscriptions” for The Economist, those taking home awards demonstrated creativity, innovation and a little bit of courage for good measure.
A number of agencies stood out in particular. The Hub won more awards than any other, taking home five trophies for its work with YHA Adventures, Costa Express and even its own team, which was celebrated for the way it encouraged creativity and professional development.
In relation to the YHA campaign, which won in both the content and opportunist marketing categories, it was the simple yet clever execution that stood out.
“What was really smart for me from a content perspective was that it felt like a totally different approach to content than what we’re used to,” said Geoff Gower, exec director of ais London and a judge on the awards. “The content had been sourced in a really smart way by getting the YHA managers themselves to go and shoot the 360banner arms.”
Another multiple winner was FCB Inferno’s This Girl Can campaign, which won in the Idea category and in Best of the Best: Charity, education or public Service.
“It’s so incredibly rare to get a campaign that is so embraced by its target audience and This Girl Can did that. It had fantastically strong insight and the work was beautifully executed, from start to finish, across all disciplines. It had such a great spirit and attitude,” said judge Simon Mannion, creative director of iris Worldwide.
Iris Worldwide was recognised as best overall agency, for the way in which it builds participation brands and uses its view on the world to shape its work. Described as “purposeful, proactive and innovative”, the agency was particularly highlighted for the way in which it harnesses the power of customer participation.
Adam Fish, a creative director at iris, said they were thrilled to win: “We’ve been working really hard to create successful, effective advertising for the people we work with. We’re really engaged with people and have done things that audiences respond to and interact with. The most important thing for us is that we start conversations that everyone gets involved with – talking with people instead of just talking to them.”
Elsewhere, Lucky Generals won best breakthrough agency for its “brave output” and excellent results, while AMVBBDO won the inaugural PrideAM award for its Guinness Rugby World Cup campaign.
But it wasn’t just the agencies that were working differently. In the true spirit of the #DoDifferent Best Awards, the MAA has also been shaking things up.
“We live in a world where tech is disrupting and there are so many different ways to connect with the consumer. Whereas traditional awards ceremonies focus on the individual disciplines such as best TV ad or best press or best sales promo, we’ve removed those prejudices,” said outgoing MAA chair, Simon Hathaway. He explained how the awards categories had been reorganised to “reflect the real world, which is full of real people who don’t care about the different media disciplines”.
Recognising the impact of social on the way in which audiences engage with brands – coupled with the different attitudes found among key demographics, such as millennials – means that the MAA and its members need to work harder than ever to create content that cuts through.
“The changes coming are going to be bigger than ever. Young people are growing up with a completely different mindset towards communications,” added Bourne.
“There is no dependence on TV and they have a distrust for brands, which is largely fed by the media. Clients and agencies must adapt the way in which they work.
“The smart clients are no longer budgeting by discipline; they’re budgeting by business plan – they’re agnostic to the tool and the channel. It’s about strategy, creative and execution. If it’s not all flawless, it’s not going to work,” said Bourne.
This was also reflected in the way the awards were judged. “We got the agencies and the clients together and looked at the campaigns from both sides,” Hathaway said, explaining how the judges looked for use of insight and the ways in which a campaign influenced consumer behaviour in addition to the quality of the creative.
As last night’s programme highlighted, the Best Awards “prove the value of sticking your neck out, dancing to the beat of your own drum and, basically, being brave.”
With the quality of winners so high, next year’s entrants have got their work cut out to make the grade. After all, “it’s been done” has never won.
This advertisement feature is paid for by the Marketing Agencies Association, which supports the Guardian Media & Tech Network’s Agencies hub.
