It’s awards season – in our industry, at least. Last week it was the Recruitment Marketing Awards (where we were winners, in case we hadn’t mentioned). And the RAD Awards are coming up in January. But what does winning an award actually mean?
I’ve worked in agencies where awards are everything. I’ve even sat in on briefs where the account manager’s asked for “an award-winning idea,” or said, “the client wants to win an award with this one.”
But I’ve also worked with people who think the whole awards palaver is just a complete waste of time. And money.
So, which is it?
The prestige. The kudos. The glamour
Awards ceremonies are a great night out, aren’t they? If you’ve been nominated, turning up’s a great way to reward your team. And if you actually win, then you can let your hair down, party all night and forget about the office in the morning.
And yes, there’s a lot to be said for that rush of euphoria as they announce your name and you realise you’ve won. And if you’re the one who actually gets up on stage and collects the bauble, even better. (I once collected an award from Stephen Fry for Best Copy and it gave me a real sense of achievement.)
But what about afterwards? Will that award gain you anything more than some free drinks, a few embarrassing dancefloor selfies and a night in an overpriced hotel room?
The cost. The let-down. The sore heads.
After all, attending the ceremony’s not cheap. In fact, you can spend a small fortune on buying a table. And, yes, it’s a good way to impress your clients. But if you’ve been nominated for a piece of work you did for them, they’re probably more than happy with your agency anyway.
And what about if you don’t win? That feeling of euphoria can soon evaporate when you see someone else heading for the stage to collect what should rightfully be yours. And anyway, look at it – how could the judges have chosen that over your masterpiece?
So, you drown your sorrows and commiserate with other people who also should have won. And you take the dubious decision to hit the dancefloor. Until the music fades, the lights go up, and someone suggests going to the hotel bar. The next thing, you’re downing tequila slammers. Eventually, you stagger to your hotel room, with a niggling thought in the back of your mind that you’ve foolishly agreed to a client call for about three hours’ time.
So, what have you actually gained?
What award?
So, is winning awards really worth it? Well, for my money, it all depends on two key things. What’s the award? And how big’s your organisation?
The actual award matters because it depends on how other people in your industry regard it. In the film industry, it seems nothing trumps the Oscars. And in UK recruitment marketing, the two prestigious awards ceremonies that everyone looks up to are the Recruitment Marketing Awards (RMAs) and the RAD Awards. And yes, I know there are others – I’ve actually won some of them – but they just don’t have the same clout.
So, if you’re looking to impress other people in your industry, then winning – or even being nominated for – an RMA or a RAD can really help. That’s why for us, as a small two-person business looking to work with recruitment marketing agencies, winning an RMA is a big deal.
Size matters
In fact, I’d argue that winning any award is a much bigger deal for us than for one of the larger recruitment marketing agencies. Why? Because bigger agencies are already on the radar of potential clients. So, if a client sees that a big agency’s won an award, it’s just confirmation that they’re dealing with someone who knows their stuff.
But for smaller businesses like ours, awards get our name in front of potential clients who may not even know we exist. And it tells them that when we say we produce quality work, we’ve got the proof.
Being a winner
So, being an award winner means something to us. And I know you’d expect us to say that, but it’s true. Because it can make a genuine difference to our business.
So, if you received an email from Welch Words recently reminding you that we won at the RMAs and that we always enjoy working with new clients, we’re not just bragging for the sake of it.
Although yes, we are bragging, obviously – we’re winners, after all. But there’s a purpose behind it.
And I’ll see you on the dancefloor next year…
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