Ben Salaman’s Post

I'm excited to share that I recently participated as a juror for the Effie Awards UK, which is known globally for recognizing outstanding marketing achievements. Reviewing five impressive cases, each demanding around 45 minutes, across a wide range of industries and communication problems, was both challenging and enlightening. A big thank you to the Effie UK team: Rachel Emms, Alexandra Capes and Beccy Roberts, for the opportunity. I also want to thank my ex-coworker and brilliant strategic mind, Tania Barr, for connecting me with this fantastic experience. For those looking to improve their submissions (or submit their first one), here are some tips, in no specific order of importance: (1) Consistency - Make sure there's a clear connection between the four key pillars structuring the case. There has to be a red thread. (2) Rigorous evidence - Provide strong and clear evidence of effectiveness within your category. Jurors aren't necessarily experts in your category, so any performance benchmarks are welcome to help assess effectiveness. (3) Straightforwardness - Be precise about the problem you're addressing. Likewise, make it crystal clear how your work benefited the brand and the business (not just the societal problem alone). This experience has been a great learning journey, and I'm looking forward to seeing more top-notch work from our marketing community.

Navigating Awards in Advertising: A Dual Perspective   At Platinum Seed, we know that awards in the advertising industry can hold significant value, but we also approach them with thoughtful scepticism. As we approach awards-ceremony-season, this is our take on the dual nature of accolades: The Good: • Celebration of Creativity: Awards provide a platform to recognise and celebrate the incredible talent within our industry and help inspire teams to push boundaries.  • Credibility Boost: Winning an award can enhance an agency’s reputation, helping to build trust with potential clients and showcasing a commitment to quality and innovation. • Networking Opportunities: Award ceremonies gather the brightest minds in the industry, creating great opportunities for collaboration. The Less Good: • Subjectivity: Awards are often decided by a select panel, which means that what’s celebrated may not always align with our client needs. • Focus Shift: There’s a fine line between striving for excellence and chasing awards. While we love recognition from our peers, we will always strive to deliver impactful results for our clients. • Pressure to Conform: For us, it’s crucial to stay true to our vision and values. • Morale: While awards definitely boost morale, we hope that the real satisfaction comes from meaningful work and the positive impact we create. We celebrate every achievement, aiming to balance our pursuit of recognition with a focus on delivering real value. But who doesn’t love a good awards after-party?! #creativethinking #brandawareness #performancemarketing #Advertising #DigitalMarketing #Awards #Creativity #Innovation

Yesterday, I had the pleasure again of judging the final round Effie UK. The great thing about judging the final round is that you are only reading the fab entries that got shortlisted. The bad thing is that you need to be able to grade them from good to great. There were a few things that made the really great entries stand out to me: 1. They make the category challenge really clear and interesting from the start. They enlighten you enough about the category so you feel you know it, even if you don't. They are also clear on the brand size and how this impacts its challenge. Big brands, small brands or somewhere in between, all these have different and very interesting challenges to read about. 2. They go beyond a strong paid story to having a strong story also in earned and owned. Even better if they can extend the story to internal engagement and product development and show that this wasn't just a killer comms strategy, it was truly a marketing strategy 3. They don't try to fudge or ignore discounting other factors that might have influenced their results. They were honest, transparent and rigorous - even if there is a hole in the data. 4. Their entry is clearly written for the awards category, not cut and paste from another awards category. Obvious, but not always done. 5. The strategic or creative shift is so counterintuitive yet so simple and smart, you just fall in love with it I can't wait to see which of the amazing entries I read yesterday are awarded. #effectiveness #creativity #effies

Creativity. Effectiveness. Together. We’re always striving to create exceptional experiences for our customers, online and IRL. That’s why we’ve entered into an agreement to acquire the commercial assets of Effie, the global benchmark in marketing effectiveness. Subject to regulatory approval, Effie will join the LIONS Division; home to Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, WARC, Contagious and Acuity Pricing (formerly Brand View). We’re bringing together these interconnected worlds of creativity and effectiveness to create a new powerhouse in marketing for the global community. But that’s not all. We’re planning to supercharge Effie not-for-profit Effie Worldwide, Inc. to create The Effie and LIONS Foundation, Inc., subject to regulatory approval. With training for all marketing students, especially those under-represented in the marketing community, we will preserve and transform Effie’s impact to date, educating the next generation of marketing talent and ensuring the future health of the industry. Find out more: https://shorturl.at/9uyPL #Creativity #Effectiveness #Marketing

With the news that Ascential has acquired Effie Worldwide to become a stand-alone initiative within Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, there is further evidence that awards in the advertising sector are beginning to be held to higher scrutiny by those who invest heavily in entering. 🦁 🏆 “The coming together of Lions and Effie is a powerful testament to the fact that effectiveness and creativity in marketing are inextricably linked. All enlightened businesses know that creative, effective marketing drives growth," explains Philip Thomas, CEO of Ascential. Proving return on investment is something marketers are constantly being questioned about, and that is reaching as far as the plethora of industry accolades that always seem to be handed out. Entries into the Effectiveness category for Cannes Lions this year hit an all-time high too. Dani Gibson spoke with industry executives to understand how and why the perception of industry awards are changing and what they mean to different people. Thanks to Simon Cook, Laurent Simon, Matthew Waksman, Susie Walker, Pablo González de la, Guy Melzack and Brent Nelsen for sharing their thoughts too. I shall paste the URL in the comments below for you to read via Creative Salon Worldwide for free. 👇 #CannesLions #Effieawards #advertising #marketing #business #awards

The allure of Business Award recognition is undeniable. For Australian businesses, it represents a golden opportunity to shine a spotlight on their accomplishments, bolster brand reputation, and attract new customers. However, with a myriad of awards programs available, selecting the right ones can be a daunting task. This article will guide you through the process of identifying the right awards programs and categories that perfectly align with your business’s unique strengths and expertise. ➡️https://lnkd.in/gHb3EpA6 #awards #businessawards #categories #pr #win #findingtherightfit #whyawards #growth #challenge #inspo #success #blog

Loved judging at the Effie UK awards again last week. These are my favourite awards as they are the ones where ROI and business outcomes is the key metric of success not creativity. In fact you are briefed to watch the work after you have read the paper so you aren’t led by it. At Merlin Entertainments marketing has always had a commercial & sales remit to drive the P&L with multiple levers across price, promotions, channel mix, product development and guest experience. Marketing investment has a significant impact on our business & so do other levers and uncontrollable factors like weather, inbound and outbound tourism. It was fascinating to see at the shortlist stage how few papers really understood the place that marketing plays within all the drivers of performance or indeed what an industry leading ROI is. It's tough to get shortlisted so please be extremely proud if you do. Equally if you are an agency strategist or upcoming marketer who wants to go far remember your role is to understand the whole business, customer insight and the place of marketing within that not just the contribution of the advertising

****Danger****. *****Controversial***** *****Highly Opinionated***** This could be misread as the pot calls the kettle black; I will accept that if interpreted this way. Ahead of Cannes, I wanted to raise a question for all in the marketing ecosystem. There's a noticeable trend among highly recognized CMOs prioritizing their personal accolades and public appearances on Linkedin. This award, that ranking, and a constant banter amongst a few very senior, highly talented CMOS. The focus is often on collecting awards and acknowledging speaking spots at expensive boutique events that aren't for the masses (rhymes with Hospital) rather than diving deep into enhancing partnerships that are crucial for mutual success. Have Marketers gone too far in promoting their personal brands? Should they better balance their public roles with their fundamental duties, ensuring their teams and clients truly benefit from their expertise and not just their fame? Do we shift the conversation more openly about... - true collaboration and what it takes - the trend to diminish an agency and reduce it's ability to have a return on investment - the death of long-term relationships - the impact of procurement in managing relationships - creativity; brand vs. performance marketing - emphasis on creativity that builds brands over time vs. driving quarterly/weekly boosts in sales at the exclusion of the long-term - promoting agencies and talent vs. themselves This is meant to be a discussion. I'm open to all opinions. It's an observation not a fact. I may be overly sensitive to what I am seeing. Maybe, maybe not. I'd value your view as I form my own. #Chiefmarketingofficer #CMO Association of National Advertisers Ad Age ADWEEK #soulpurposeinc

We’re the Agency of the Year at the 25th Effie® México! 🥇🎉 This award is proof that when creativity and strategy come together, great things happen. To our team, partners, and the brands who inspire us every day – thanks for believing in us! 🏝 ____ About: ISLA is the first Creative Agency in Latin America with the mindset of a Business consultancy. Born at the intersection of creativity, strategy, media, and data, it is capable of transforming brands’ business and making them a part of popular culture. Our purpose is to help the new generation of marketers transform the headwinds and volatility of this new era into tailwinds that propel them towards achieving their challenging business goals.

Wow, Big news today from Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity & Effie Worldwide Awards 🏆 These awards are more than just accolades; they represent the pinnacle of creative and strategic achievement in our industry. Creative Marketing that Matters 💥 #CannesLions #EffieAwards #AdvertisingExcellence #Creativity #Effectiveness #MarketingSuccess