Advertising Awards

If you have ever been to an advertising agency, even as a casual visitor during the advertising awards season, you would have noticed a palpable tension in the air. Admittedly, an advertising agency always has an air of tension about it. But this tension is especially evident during the advertising awards season. And with good reason! For most agencies thrive on the brief but fulfilling advertising awards season to give themselves a reason for their existence. And if at the end of the advertising awards season, they are able to walk away with a couple of awards, they get all charged up to produce even better advertising!

For most outsiders, advertising awards are merely a self-aggrandizing opportunity that advertising agencies indulge in. In most case, they are not wrong. Even within the advertising industry. Advertising awards are viewed with some disdain by a few agencies, while others go all out to claim and treasure their advertising awards. But do advertising awards actually serve a purpose? Speaking for myself, I think they do. Look at it this way. Day and day out, advertising agencies all over the world strive hard to promote the products and services of their clients. While this is a job like any other, it does demand large amounts of time, talent and perseverance. While the agencies do charge for this, an advertising award is a sort of a motivation for them to do much better.

It is like an award for any other service provided. Most manufacturers provide awards to their best dealers. Most retailers have awards for the best sales people. So why can’t advertising agencies constitute and give out awards for their creative and servicing persons? This is why advertising awards are all the rage. And most agencies strive especially hard to gather an award winning portfolio. A copywriter or an art director with a couple of advertising awards is a much sought after entity. And they too would like to embellish their portfolios with advertising awards.

For most people in the advertising business, whether they are from the creative or the account servicing side, Cannes is the biggest advertising awards function held each year. Getting a Golden Lion advertising awards is akin to getting a Nobel Prize in any other field. While the monetary rewards may not be anywhere near that of a Nobel Prize, the satisfaction derived from a Cannes Advertising Award is something that cannot be described in mere words.

There are several other regional, national and global advertising awards as well. The One Show advertising awards are another category of advertising awards that have come to become an institution in their own right. As are the Cleo advertising awards for creative people. The Golden pencil advertising awards too have their own followers and faithfuls. And all the advertising clubs across the world have some or the other sort of advertising award that they give out to recognize excellence in advertising.

It is my personal belief that most advertising agencies view these awards as a recognition of their excellence and strive hard to maintain their standards. Of course, there will always be the odd agency that creates advertisements merely for the advertising awards show. But such agencies will soon find themselves running out of real clients.