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10 Things You Need to Know About Entering Awards Entering awards can be a game-changer for your brand, but knowing how to navigate the process is key. Our guide will walk you through the essential steps and insider tips to help you craft compelling applications and maximise your chances of standing out. What you’ll discover: How to choose the right awards for your brand Crafting an impactful application Common pitfalls to avoid Strategies for showcasing your achievements effectively Don’t miss out on this opportunity to elevate your brand and enhance your award entries. Download your free guide now and start your journey to award-winning success! https://lnkd.in/e7ctjhY2

What are the Effie Awards about? Are they about momentary glory? Do they also create some sort of envy? What about learning opportunities? Maybe it is just a competition? But couldn't they be more than that? Of course, the idea of Effie is built upon all of above. But in particular, Effie is an opportunity for the marketing and communications community to get inspired to create more efficient and creative campaigns and a unique opportunity to celebrate these campaigns together. Effie encourages mutual appreciation, fair play, and validates successful campaigns. The marketing and communications community has gone through significant changes over the years, but it has never given up on asserting itself or celebrating its achievements. This year's Effie Gala will be about celebrating a job well done that we can all learn from. The Effie Awards are about a mature, constructive, and open community learning to transcend individual egos for the common good. Catalin Albu, Stefan Chiritescu, Diana Crâșmariu, Elia Cazan, Laura Moisă, Razvan Acsente, Laurentiu Semeniuc, Nastase Oana-Raluca, Ioana Cadir, Gabriela Luca, Monica Dudau, Sergiu Mircea, Carmen Miruță, Monica Eftimie, Victor Dobre, Diana Flutur, Valer Hancas, Dana Nae Popa, Stefan Iordache, Dana Bulat, Andrei Cohn, Ionut Datcu, Bogdan Santea, Catalin Gaitanaru, Laura Tampa

We are excited to announce that we will be joining Ascential’s LIONS Division, alongside their impressive portfolio of brands - Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, WARC, Contagious, and Acuity Pricing (formerly Brand View) (subject to regulatory approval).    LIONS and Effie are the most powerful benchmarks of creativity and marketing effectiveness. We look forward to what we can achieve with the global marketing and business communities, and how we can demonstrate that really effective and creative marketing is a route to growth for all organizations.   Our mission to lead, inspire, and champion the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness globally remains unchanged. Our ability to deliver it at scale and across our Academy, Insights and Awards programs becomes even greater. Our heritage as a not-for-profit will be preserved and transformed into a new global foundation: The Effie and LIONS Foundation, Inc. (subject to regulatory approval). The Foundation will be dedicated to educating the next generation of talent, offering training for all marketing students, especially those under-represented in the marketing community. The rigor and process of the Effie brand will remain, and our team will continue to deliver to the high standards you expect from us. Our new alliance has the potential to bring extraordinary value to our industry and we could not be more energized for what’s next. Creativity. Effectiveness. Together. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eSWsH8J2 #effies Traci Alford Jae Goodman Philip Thomas

Industry awards are everywhere... I say, sitting in the sunshine in the south of France 👀, but do they really matter? Beyond the glitz, they can boost morale, attract business, and validate hard work. Yet, with rising costs, is it time to demand more? Are awards just for show, or do they prove true success? With entries at Cannes Lions shifting towards effectiveness, it’s clear agencies seek proof that their strategies work. This year, entries into the Effectiveness category hit record highs. The shift towards effectiveness is not just a trend but a necessity. Agencies and brands are chasing proof of real impact, not just shiny trophies. I caught up with Laurent Simon, Susie Walker, Pablo González de la Peña, Brent Nelsen, Guy Melzack and Matthew Waksman who emphasise that awards should showcase how creativity drives tangible value for brands and society. Link to full article in the comments! #awards #advertising #canneslions #brands #creativity #effectiveness

Time is running out to vote for this year's #WFA Global Marketer of the Year award, so if you haven't yet, get involved! It was a pleasure as always to produce the #films for the five nominees this year which can all be seen via the link below. #videocontentcreation #marketing #insights

Last week was a busy week in business (as usual) but even more so with exciting birthday events, award nominations and lots of fun client ‘stuff’ mixed in … This week is looking good too, to be honest - I’m so grateful to be busy in such a weird time for the marketing industry and many other industries!! Here’s a snippet of my week and what I’ve got coming up. How’s it going for you? #marketingconsultant #idomarketing #marketingstrategy

Should I or shouldn't I? 🤔 Trying to decide if you should enter a retail real estate marketing initiative for ICSC Global Awards MAXI? Here are a few tips mentioned by past MAXI winners and current judges. Does it... ☑ Effectively use resources to meet or exceed the marketing goal(s) created to address a specific business need? ☑ Demonstrate an innovative or creative approach to solving the situation? This can either be a first-of-its-kind or a new twist. The MAXI recognizes innovation and excellence, so it needs to stand out and be worth emulating. ☑ Address the judges' criteria and questions outlined in the competition rules? If so, enter your program. Not only may you earn an industry award, but winning entries will be shared with your peers which makes all of us better and elevates the impact of our marketplaces. Listen for other MAXI entry tips on this recorded webinar: https://lnkd.in/gfNXmvX3 I'll share other best practices for MAXI entry leading up to the entry deadline of February 23. Good luck! #ICSCMaxi #retailrealestatemarketing

As a marketing professional who's been working with shopping centers since the 1990s, I am always so honored when I'm trusted to help prepare MAXI entries. 💕 I always give an honest opinion on a potential entry's strengths and weaknesses so the center's management can decide whether to enter. If they do, I'm a tried and true resource, having produced hundreds of entries! When it comes to preparing MAXI entries, my strengths are: • Seeing the big picture • Drilling down to the most important facts and images • Using them to tell the story in a concise, interesting and visually pleasing way Marketing directors are busy. While the MAXI entry process has been simplified, it still takes TIME, as well as WRITING and DESIGN SKILLS. Plus, having the input of a career shopping center marketing professional is a substantial asset, if I may say so myself. The MAXI application deadline is Friday, February 23, 2024. Let me know if you need help. Stephanie@krolltomas.com, 713-825-2432 https://lnkd.in/g8-ipxyZ

Better late than never. I can't express how humbled and excited I am to have contributed my time as a judge for the 2024 United States Effie awards back in February. In their own words: Effie Worldwide leads, inspires and champions the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness globally. Known worldwide as a symbol of achievement since 1968, Effie steers the future of marketing success through education, awards, ever-evolving initiatives and first-class insights.

Another thought-provoking webinar from Mark Ritson: "Creativity isn't enough". Albeit, a slight evolution on what he's just presented in Cannes (and perhaps, a less polite version… to ensure better absorption? 😉) Key takeaways? 1. Cannes' 🦁 creatively awarded entries score slightly better on long-term effectiveness in 2024 than before (2.3⭐ out of 5🌟) as measured by System1 and rated by consumers. Yet, they are worse this year on short-term efficacy ('spike rating') - see the image below. Equivalent to a C-grade school average, overall. Nothing's wrong with that. Just reaffirms Mark's gospel that 'we' (i.e. marketeers/creatives/strategists) are not the customer. 2. Mark pushes marketeers to do more 🎯 "Creativity is not enough" is a rallying cry for the industry to promptly down that rose 🍷 and start getting involved in Product & Pricing improvements ("The way we communicate the price is more important than the price itself"), and Positioning. In short, the other three parts of the proverbial 4Ps - beyond the pure "Promotion" where creativity indeed has a huge role to play. Meaning, creativity is great but it's otherwise a small part of what marketeers should be getting up to. A link to a recent piece in The Drum by System1's Andrew Tindall explaining what consumers ✨ACTUALLY think ✨ about 🦁 Cannes Lions 2024 🦁 winners is in the first comment below. Thank you Marketing Week Mini MBA with Mark Ritson for the session! #Cannes #Creativity #Marketing