With the Performance Marketing Awards fresh in their minds, our panel of judges shared their advice on how to write an award-winning entry to increase your chances of winning at the next awards show!
Our interactive session provided attendees with the unique opportunity to learn from a panel of experienced judges who have previously evaluated award applications for our established shows — don’t worry if you missed out, you can catch up below!
Harry Avent, Affiliate and Partnerships Manager EMEA at The Body Shop, Jared Field, Head of Performance Marketing at Ted Baker, and Matthew Higgins, Managing Partner, Affiliates, Ecommerce, Retail Media & Social Shopping at Dentsu International acted as the audience guides in the exclusive webinar.
The key takeaways
During the webinar, the panellists shared their insights and best practices on how to create a compelling award application that effectively showcases your accomplishments, strengths, and unique value proposition. They also discussed the key elements of a winning entry, including how to craft a compelling narrative, choose the right supporting materials, and present data and metrics in a compelling way.
The panellists provided practical tips and advice to help applicants improve their chances of success and stand out from the competition. One piece of advice that kept returning to the discussion was the importance of keeping entries “clear and concise” when it comes to the overall narrative.
“It’s not a word count game.”
“In terms of building a narrative, it has to link together, so don’t write them all as individual sections. They need to match each other. If you’re talking about the KPIs, the structure of the campaign, and the research and the insights, that all needs to link together,” explains Matthew Higgins, “It often seems that when it comes to the results section, people treat it as an independent paragraph. Judges then have to go fishing.”
Jared Field was quick to agree with the points made, adding that a disjointed entry can really throw the judges off. He continues, “It’s important to have a really clear and coherent structure that flows logically to allow the reader to understand the campaign’s progression.”
Then quoting Einstein, he rephrases, “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, then you don’t understand it. You’ve got to keep the judge engaged so they can understand it if it’s a completely new sector to them.”
“Clarity is your friend.”
Adding to the conversation, Harry Avent said, “The main thing for me, to be clear and concise is key. Obviously, you can talk about your results and have client feedback that is important, but if you waffle on for three paragraphs with no point, you’re clutching at straws a little bit.” Emphasising the importance of clarity, he finishes, “It needs to be a clear narrative that works for you and puts across your point. It’s key in the narrative to have a point.”
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Do you or someone you know have what it takes to be a judge for our awards? We would love to hear from you! You can apply to be a judge, or nominate someone else, by filling out our
judge application form. We hope to see you in our next judging panel!
This webinar was designed to help you increase your chances of winning. By learning from the judges themselves, you'll gain a better understanding of what it takes to create an award-winning entry and how to showcase your achievements in the most effective way possible! So what are you waiting for? Watch the webinar below!
