There are now more award shows than days of the year to give them out in.
Never before, has such an ocean of excellence swelled forth in real life, upon stage and most importantly, on Instagram.
We are the Agency Of The Year, says every agency, every year.
Marvellous, innit.
And when you want to shine a bit more than your agency does, get on to the 30 Under 30, 20 Under 20 and soon, doubtless, on the 10 Under 10 lists. How utterly important you are. Walk with pride you must. To have three extra big ones to shell out for the “processing costs” is a hallmark of exquisite financial planning. You deserve the W! Take that bow on the magazine cover you rockstar!
At the bottom of the barrel, there’s a show for as many people as there are in agencies. With 5 Star ballrooms being booked, booze sponsors ready to share their wares, breathless comperes drumming up excitement and above all else, the same rousing music for the inevitable marches to the stage that will follow. All very exciting, very dramatic and such good Instagram content. A terrific return on investment, the price of entry fees plus the price of attending the gala dinner thereafter is making only the organiser truly win.
At the mid level, some shows actually have Jury Members that might be respected for being impartial and fair. Or, they might be Regional shows on their way up to being National shows. Some are making sincere attempts to actually be a real awards show and for that I am truly grateful. Not everything that you enter there, wins. Not everything that is judged, wins gold. Not everything that wins elsewhere wins here. They have a voice and they’re beginning to look to push the boundaries of the craft.
At the top it’s a clear divide between most of the industry competing at one show, versus a few select agencies competing at another show. A curious case indeed, but such is life. On the brighter side, at least there’s a fair and rigorous system that doesn’t reward things that shouldn’t be anywhere near an awards show. And while that brings forth the best of the creative work, I’m also a huge fan of the Effies in particular as the last bastion of real advertising done on real brands for real results. No, this isn’t a sponsored plug either, it’s just respect where due.
Once we go global, the fall of Cannes has already been much bemoaned. Today, just about anything with the right amount of pre Cannes hype can win. Now that Cannes has a new owner, I wonder if the festival will return to being the Oscars of the Ad world or slide into being a party zone despite most of ad land crashing and burning.
I’m personally a huge fan of D&AD. I do admire their ethos and principled functioning tremendously. Perhaps as they go along, a little less Anglo Saxon world view might nudge it into being the best show in the world, over the One Show even.
Well anyway, here’s the point. Please, I beg. Get back to harnessing your creativity, to solve real world problems for your clients. It’s a hard and long game to play. But when you crack it, you’ll feel a surge of pure energy that goes way beyond winning Grand Prix at the Upper Dharavi Awards. Who knows, that piece of work may well actually change the client’s fortunes, and in time, win the Grand Prix at the shows that matter.
To work for awards every Sept to December because your holding companies stock prices go up depending upon how much metal you win for them is a mug’s game.
You can’t pay a builder in Cannes Lions, you need hard cash. Ask to be rewarded appropriately. Winning awards fuels your ego. But it’s money and a lot of it, that fuels your family and sends your kids to college.
This fallacy that Creatives (or hell, even Suits these days) should be happy winning awards as the ultimate compensation is a large mountain of ca ca we’ve been fed. Change it around pronto in your career. Or, start your own agency. Life’s too short. But it’s the only thing worth winning at.
Rayomand J Patell is an advertising veteran and InspiRAYtion is a weekend column on everything about advertising and marketing.
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