Top Tips for a Winning Entry
Notes to help you win
Entry Format
Format should cover the following:
Company Name
Advertiser
Agencies/suppliers and media owners involved
Please note that Media Brand entries should comply to one side of A4 but not necessarily these headings. Again, this should be in the font Arial, at 12 point.
Background
(No more than four or five paragraphs)
- For media idea categories, tell us about the client, the brief they set for you, along with aims and objectives. Sum up the main business issue you were helping them with.
- For sales pitch categories, tell us about the agency or advertiser you were approaching and what they were trying to achieve.
- For the research categories, tell us about the market or subject you chose to cover and reasons for doing the research.
The big idea
This is the most important part of your entry. In just two or three paragraphs you need to make the judges understand what was so special about your idea, and the spark of inspiration that drove it.
Making it happen
Again, just four or five paragraphs.
- For media idea and sales pitch, explain how you went about persuading the client and what you did to see the idea through.
- For research categories, give an overview of the methodology you used.
Results
- For media idea and sales pitch, what evidence do you have that your big idea helped your client's business performance?
- For research categories, give the most interesting findings and explain how this contributed to an improved business performance.
Below is an example of a winning entry from the 2008 Media Week Awards, Media Idea Large. This is a great example of how to best put forward your concept and results without overloading the judges with unnecessary copy.
2008 Winning Entry Media Idea Large
Hints and Tips
1. Attention to detail
Read the form carefully. It breaks down the format of your entry and explains exactly what we are looking for. It's much easier to write a successful entry if you know exactly what is required. Also remember we only want one side of A4 per entry. This should be in the Arial font, 12 point size.
2. Less is more
This year we have simplified the initial entry form for the shortlisting stage. We're looking for entries that have strong media ideas that are commercially powerful. If you've got a strong idea you'll hopefully find it's easy to articulate, but you'll still need to put a lot of effort into the initial submission, so give yourself plenty of time.
3. Prove your case
Your initial entry will need to give highlights only to substantiate that the idea was commercially powerful. We're looking for the link between the idea and the business result rather than 'here's the idea' / 'here are the results' with no obvious connection.
4. Big ideas
Don't be limited to think that big ideas are just creative media ideas. Mostly big ideas challenge the behavioural norm of the industry behaviour in general or a specific advertised category. A TV campaign that invested the entire budget in ITV peak time, for example, could be a worthy entry, if you prove its effect.
5. Teamwork
Don't leave it to one person to put together your entries. The best entries are put together by a team of people and don't forget to get a 'fresh pair of eyes' to read through your entry before you submit it, this will ensure any errors are identified by you and not the judges.
6. You have to be in it to win it
To qualify for agency of the year and sales team of the year you must be shortlisted in the media idea and sales pitch categories. The more entries you submit the greater chance you have of being shortlisted for these most coveted awards.
7. Get yourself noticed
Keep your entries clear, concise, specific and fun but remember they need to be well written. The judges will see hundreds of entries, make sure yours stand out for the right reasons.
8. Let the client know
It would be a shame to have done all the work only to be told by the client at the twelfth hour that you can't enter it. Get senior client approval, and even involvement, to help your case.
9. Be prepared
Although the initial entry is simplified to an A4 sheet of paper, those shortlisted entries will have the opportunity to record a 6 minute (or less) DVD to give flesh to their idea in person. You will have just over two weeks from shortlisting stage to the DVD deadline so think ahead.
10. Ask Media Week for help
If in doubt contact us. Please call Liz Lockard on 020 8267 4145.
Key Dates
Key Dates
19 July Shortlist announced online
27 August Shortlist DVD presentation deadline
16 September Sales Team of Year presentations
17 September Agency of Year presentations
28 October Media Week Awards, Grosvenor House
The closing date is Friday 11 June 2010. This date will not be extended.
Entrants accept that any information in the entry may be published in any format Media Week sees fit either before, during or after the awards ceremony.
Entries that go beyond a single page of A4 will be disqualified.
Entries that include the use of illegal media such as flyposting or pirate radio will be disqualified.
The judges' decisions are final.
We reserve the right to amend the rules during the judging process if the chairman of judges deems it necessary. In exceptional circumstances, where new information emerges about an entry after the judging process, the chairman of the judges has the power to revise the decision.
Teams that are unable to attend a judging session or provide a filmed presentation when requested will be disqualified.
The bulk of the work highlighted must have been carried out in the 12 months leading up to the entry deadline of 11 June 2010.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at Grosvenor House Hotel, London on 28 October 2010.
