How Much Do Clients Care About Advertising Awards Shows?
by Dan Gershenson
If you’re in a position to influence agency decisions, I have a simple enough question for today.
I just want to know, once and for all, if you ever chose an advertising agency primarily because of the fact that they won creative awards.
There’s no right or wrong answer to this. Was it a:
A) Determining factor in your decision
B) Nice support point to help justify your decision
C) A total afterthought that had no bearing on your decision
I know that generally speaking, agency people value them for a variety of reasons. There’s absolutely no doubt how good it feels to win and to accept an award with your team. I know and I get it. But I’m wondering whether or not there’s a disconnect if the outside world views these shows with as much weight. Frankly, with the changing economic and media landscape (we’re awarding for TV spots above all in a world that’s shifting more to digital by the day?), I’m just not as sure as I once was. I think they like getting a plaque of the award on their wall. But how much does that really mean? I think they like telling the people above of the agency’s success, but how much do those people above really care?
Does it help indirectly with reputation building? Sure. I can see that. But I’m talking about direct impact if that’s possible.
Agency folks are welcome to answer this question similarly –
What’s the ROI of entering?
Can you measure it and draw a direct line from statues to new business or more pitch invites?
Or was that even your goal? Was internal morale building as a result of victories the primary goal instead and new business was a nice “extra”? And if you didn’t enter, why?
Ponder that and let me know your thoughts if you would. Again, there’s no wrong answer and I realize the answer can depend on different types of client personalities and values. But I’d like to hear the shared stories and views regardless. Many thanks in advance.
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