Tips on how to put together a winning IAB SA Bookmarks Awards' entry
Having entered the awards since they launched, she says she was very confident in their first year of entering. “And we won nothing.” They learned a lot from that.
Be honest about your campaign
To start with Pinch says, ask what would you as a jury member give your own work. “Get others in your agency, not related to your case study, look at it, and give their opinion. Then edit your entry list and only enter the good stuff,” says Pinch.
She suggests you become a case study nerd. “Find the best case studies for the kind of work that you are doing and shamelessly steal the format of the ones that won big.”
Pinch also recommends giving yourself a month (at least) to do the case study or you will find yourself on the back foot.
“Assemble your team. Don’t be the one working alone at night at the agency. Anyone whose name is on the credits is on your awards team and must be there to assemble the entry,” she says.
Tell a story
The entry Pinch says needs to tell a story. “Start with your one-pager. It is your foot in the door and what gets the jury to look at your case study.”
She says they went hard on results in the Tyme Bank entry’s one-pager. “We showed the results that were the strongest and the best, not all the results.”
You don’t have to show all the results. “I normally pick three killer results - two business results and one that shows, for example, engagement, (as a guideline, but not a rule).”
She adds: “If you quote a stat, then be sure to say where it came from. For example, compare it to the industry average. Your campaign also did not take place in a bubble so give it context. And mention the media budget.”
What is your hero’s journey?
Your story is your hero’s journey, so think of your case study as telling a story.
“Engage people as much as when you were putting the campaign out. Tell the jury what happened when you launched, what circumstances did you have to overcome what made the campaign special, and what was the moment the campaign blew up,” says Pinch.
Paint a story of what changed, big or small. I spend a lot of time on this using storyboards,” she adds.
But, while it is about telling the story, Pinch says you don’t have to share everything, “What you do share, share with personality. Create your entry in the same tone as the campaign. Remember you are talking to our people in the industry, and then also have some fun,” she explains.
Show the impact, don’t just tell it. “The jury needs to feel the impact of the campaign.”
The right entry for the right awards?
“If you cannot prove the business results or your business results are weak, when the business results are 40% of the criteria, ask yourself if you should be entering the campaign or are you wasting your time,” she states.
“Consider that maybe the entry belongs in another awards show,” she adds.
And don’t hide awkward facts. “Don’t assume you can hide awkward facts; the jury has a sense of what should be there.”
In conclusion, Pinch says it is about the quality of the entry, not the quantity. “I would rather win two to three golds than 15 bronzes. Also, remember you can enter one campaign over multiple categories."