With the deadline for entering this year’s Performance Marketing Awards looming, it is the ideal opportunity to share some of our top tips on crafting an award winning entry.
Now in its eighth year, the Awards are the night to recognise and reward truly exceptional performance marketing, and continue to offer a unique opportunity to support innovation in the industry.
With the number of entries that we receive increasing year-on-year, the importance of producing a comprehensive and concise entry is key to walking away from the Grosvenor Hotel with a Performance Marketing Award come April 29 2014.
Tips for writing your entry
1. Put yourself in the shoes of our judges – they spend on average three full days digesting hundreds of entries. Therefore, keep them to the point and be short, snappy and specific.
2. Ensure that your Executive Summary is kept to two pages maximum – judges are well in their rights to penalise lengthy entries.
3. Clearly demonstrate how you achieved your success.
4. Think about which elements make your entry unique.
5. Remember the core values of the awards; to demonstrate excellence, innovation and best practice.
6. Include hard figures and not just percentage increases.
7. Testimonials from clients can add credibility (but allow plenty of time for sign off!)
8. Convert your entry to PDF to avoid styling issues.
Common Mistakes
- Lack of perceived effort (simple spelling, layout and design issues).
- Lack of ROI demonstrated.
- Not referring your results back to your objectives.
- Not leaving enough time for client sign-off.
- Entry does not qualify for eligibility period (1st Jan 2013 – 24th Jan 2014).
Check the entry criteria
Before you get going, read the entry criteria in full!
It may be obvious, but in the past we have received entries that have absolutely nothing to do with the particular award they have entered. Reading each category description carefully will help you to fully understand the award that you are about to enter. If you still have any questions after this, then please send me an email or give us a call.
Ensure that your campaign is eligible
Submissions should relate to activity within the UK and the eligibility period of January 1 2013 – January 24 2014.
The Global Excellence in Performance Marketing Award is they only award that can refer to activity outside of the UK.
Please note that entries which have been submitted for the 2013 Performance Marketing Awards cannot be submitted in 2014, unless it can be proved that substantial developments have taken place.
Multiple categories can be entered based on the same campaign, however each submission must be personalised and tailored for the award category that you are entering.
TIP: Don’t forget about the vertical awards categories!
Supporting evidence
Supply a maximum of two pages of supporting evidence, which must be relevant and add value to your entry. Historically we have received entries clearly flaunting this, most notably a 40-page PowerPoint presentation – please note that this type of entry will be marked down!
Previous examples of successful supporting evidence include campaign snapshots, testimonials, photos and videos.
TIP: Put yourself in a judges shoes when collating supporting evidence.
We recently spoke with one of last year’s judges, LOVEFiLM’s Jason Norris, about his top tips on creating an award winning entry, “I always wanted to see numbers, but they should also be numbers that make sense. I am more impressed with 15% growth on a project that was hard work and already doing well than 90% from a smaller base to begin with that was easier. Optimisation and consistent long term improvement impress me most.”
Be aware that a failure to supply revenue figures or other elements that have been clearly requested in the entry criteria have previously resulted in being a deciding factor for winning and losing awards. Any elements of your entry that are regarded as sensitive data should be clearly marked Judges Eyes Only – this will ensure that it does not end up in the winners guide!
Other information to note
There are a number of templates that we have created that you can use for guidance. These are not mandatory, but even if you are not planning on using the templates it’s worth taking a look to get an idea of the headings that you should be using on your own entry templates. You can view and download all of the templates on the website.
If there is the need for clarification on a particular entry/set of entries, we may telephone you for further information.
Important deadlines
- 22.01.14 Nominations Open for Industry Choice of Partner awards
- 24.01.14 Entry submissions close
- 31.01.14 Late entries close at midnight
- 28.02.14 Nominations Close for Industry Choice of Partner & Hotshot awards
- 12.03.14 Shortlist announced
- 12.03.14 Voting Opens for Industry Choice of Partner & Hotshot awards
- 04.04.14 Voting closes at midnight
- 29.04.14 The Performance Marketing Awards Ceremony – Park Lane, London
If you have any further questions about the entry criteria for the awards, then please don’t hesitate to email andy.tozer@performancein.com or call the office on 0117 203 3010. For any event queries, drop events@performancein.com a mail.
Lastly, good luck! We look forward to seeing you at the Grosvenor House Hotel on the April 29 2014 for the eighth annual Performance Marketing Awards.