Last year was a banner year for Forbes. We won a record-breaking 62 awards across 30 client programs. To celebrate, we’ve put together this guide to help marketers learn value and how to make marketing awards.
Awards put marketers at the top and help them stand out against competitors.
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In a world full of ways to improve, from productivity techniques to marketing guides, a real advantage is to have a way to celebrate a job done. And in the world of marketing, celebrating a great job is tantamount to great recognition throughout the industry.
As the world’s largest business media brand, Forbes is committed to strengthening global voices that seek success and entrepreneurial freedom, and we value the work we do for our top -level client partners to help them reach out. the global Forbes audience of changemakers.
We are also proud to report that the work we have done for these top-tier client partners led Forbes to a record-breaking awards year in 2021 — with 63 recognitions in well-known marketing and advertising awards.
What are marketing awards?
Marketing awards are a powerful and meaningful way for brands and marketers to commemorate creativity and effectiveness, recognize hard -working teams, and, ultimately, drive more business while celebrating great work.
For Darren McColl, Neiman Marcus ’chief marketing officer and veteran award competition judge,“ marketing awards bring together the world’s best creativity for debate and discussion so that the subjective has a basis for improvement and evolution. “
Marketing and advertising award competitions really started in the 50s and 60s. The Cannes International Festival of Creativity had its first outing in 1954, and the first Clio Awards were presented in 1959 to recognize television advertising. These were closely followed by competitions such as D&AD (1962) and The Andys (1964).
In recent years, we’ve also seen an increasing number of awards shows honoring technology companies and the media industry, such as the Webby Awards and Digiday Awards that help brands make an impact. But what is the value — and how can you win them?
Why enter awards?
While the awards have show awards, they’re not just for the show. Winning an award means your work receives an additional layer of credibility and power. It also gives your brand further proof that what you have done is really remarkable and worthy of recognition. Other reasons to enter the awards include:
- Show your impact
- Pay attention to your creativity
- Stand up against competitors
- Build more influence in the industry
- Woo potential customers and clients
- Celebrate your inner team
It’s one thing to say you’re doing a great job — and it’s another thing to have lots of awards to prove it.
“After judging the Digiday Awards in 2021, I am even more proud of Forbes’ investment in the awards and its dedication to highlighting the incredible work we do for our client partners, ”said Danielle Rubino, the vice president of brand development and marketing at Forbes.
How do you know where to go?
Danielle Rubino, Rashaad Lambert, and Sinclaire Fonville at the 2021 Eddie & Ozzie Awards gala
Forbes
From “Best Native Advertising” to “Branded Content Partnerships” to “Data Gathering and Execution,” there really is category and competition for everyone (even SNL laughed at it last year).
So how do you know where to go? At Forbes, our goal is to spotlight our client’s incredible work. With that in mind, we look at competitions where well-known brands submit so that our partners can stand up against their competitors. We also make sure that any competition we submit to has three R’s: recognized, respectable and respected.
Ask yourself these questions as you consider your options:
- What is your budget? How much do you have to spend on entries for a campaign? Use this number to narrow down your options.
- Who else is attending? Take a look at past winners — and gauge if you want to be part of the mix.
- Does this category make sense? Make sure the category you choose is relevant to the goal and results of the campaign.
- Does this competition have three Rs (known, reputable and well respected)?
Hint: some of our favorites we won last year include the Eddie & Ozzie Folio Awards, Stevie Awards, Webby Awards, Digiday Media Awards, Communicator Awards and Content Marketing Awards.
What makes an award-winning case study?
To win awards, you need an award-winning case study. But what exactly is the reason why a case study is worthwhile? First thing’s first, you need a compelling story.
To create a compelling story, you must know what accentuates your campaign. What about this implementation unlike anything anyone in the industry does? And what unique insights came out of the project? Once you’ve got this nugget of information, you need to make your story arc. For most competitions, that means making memorable copy for the following blurs:
- Purpose
- Madla
- Strategy
- Hanging
- Results
Be prepared to use all of this information and — even better — create an award submission template that can be approved by multiple stakeholders. You can adapt the pre -approved copy for each competition as needed. Some other items you will need in your template are the launch date, team credits, associated links, additional imagery and a title.
Unorganized entries can fail the judges and be discarded due to lack of information or not being well thought out. The more comprehensive your entry is, the more likely a judge will focus on insights into why your project deserves glory.
Another way to find out what will be entered is to judge a competition to see what the notable entry is. “Judging by such awards gives you the opportunity to debate with peers what’s good and why,” McColl said. “It creates dialogue that ultimately informs the personal choices we have to make as marketers in a commercial business world.”
What else makes you eligible for a campaign?
Well, just ask some of Forbes ’award -winning clients from this year, including Square, Adobe, Office Depot, Salesforce, ServiceNow, The Macallan, Tableau and more.
To learn more about our award-winning storytellers, subscribe to Forbes Connections — a monthly digest for data-driven marketers with insights, research and inspiration. Each month we feature a storyteller spotlight, to help you sharpen your marketing strategies.
What great work are you celebrating? Share it with us on social (Instagram, Twittero LinkedIn).
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