I know this is sacrilege to some but anyone else really hate awards and think they’re a waste of time and prove very little?

Hate them. Just the industry patting itself on the back. The Effie’s are maybe the most legitimate. All awards across all industries are the same nonsense though. Grammys are the music industry celebrating itself. Oscars are the film version.

Like titles, they can be a necessary evil in regards to moving up, getting raises, getting a shot at opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be open to you. The general act of getting an award is a positive one because it’s affirmation that you’ve done something people like. And it can keep you interested and motivated to keep doing good work. (But more importantly they can help you get a better job.)

But the importance that agencies - and even clients - put on award shows now is utter shite. Getting briefed on a project where the goal is to “win a Lion” does not motivate people to do better work. Not when you put it in writing and hammer that expectation in from day one. Not to sound all high and mighty, but our job, by definition, is selling our clients’ brand and products so that they make money. And then we make money. For years now we as creatives have only cared about winning awards that are given to us by other creatives. Sometimes it very literally comes down to a bunch of middle-aged creatives wearing Chuck Taylors and graphic tees on a boondoggle in France handing out trophies to their friends. Which, honestly, is kind of fine if you look at it as part of the reason we’re in this business and not working on an oil rig. Boondoggles with friends are fun. France is fun. Shoots are fun. But if some piece of content or some ad is revered and heralded as “genius!” for being funny or amazing and it hasn’t moved the needle for the client that paid for it... then what are we really doing? Just playing Little Hollywood on our clients’ dimes and giving ourselves an ego bath.

☝️they’re really useful for getting recruiters to pass creative’s books on to CD’s

Only when I don't win

You might find the people that value them the most can’t exactly point to a spreadsheet of numbers and use that as leverage when asking for promotions and raises. You gotta have something.

Fake work for awards is a waste of time. Awards not. IF I do a great work for my client and my agency there's nothing wrong.
Also, I find really inspiring to watch all the good work that is awarded at some of the major festivals (but yeah, many of them are completely useless).

My favourite description of awards ceremonies is that they're the fashion shows of advertising. You'd never wear what's on the catwalk, but it influences everything for the following year. Cannes particularly. Awards are a horrid distraction, but a necessary one. Also, they help you get more money. That's just how the industry works right now. Shit, but reality.

The process of writing an entry and having 12 people send unconsolidated edits over the course of two weeks is enough to drive anyone insane...finding out you placed or won, makes it all worth it in terms of effort. Winning awards is good for strategists and creatives

I’ve won hundreds of shiny objects in major award shows - and while I used to be a sucker for them, I don’t give a crap anymore. I have better things to spend my energy on, like tacos or dogs.

I get why you all like your awards but the videos are often so overwritten and so far up your own megalomaniac asses it blows my mind.

No one wants to watch 3 minutes, I don’t care how many bullshit ‘impressions’ you got. Any judge knows what overselling looks like.

Try and make one with no VO.

Humm...People that don’t win awards, hate them. Weird... 🤔

Awards are a bit ridiculous and not a perfect system by any means. But for creatives, they directly result in more $$ and better opportunities. Whether that means more respect within the agency where you won them or opening doors to better agencies for your next move.

Awards feel good. Awards drive new business. Awards generally award good work. But if you derive any sense of success or purpose or meaning from awards you’ve completely missed the point.
You spend 99% of your career on days when you are not winning awards. If those days aren’t your reward you’ve failed.

Everytime this discussion gets posted, I continue to love the people who think that if all the award shows vanished tomorrow, recruiters would shriek in horror at how hard their job has become, and agencies wouldn't have any idea how to select someone for a promotion.

On our side of the house, not sure who they help.

I understand that awards make the phone ring in new biz. But imho, awards don’t mean jack if the work doesn’t help grow the clients’ business

☝️I’d love to not care about awards. Maybe train recruiters to look past them when sending on books to CDs

I’ve won them all. They’re stupid. We are patting ourselves on the back for doing our jobs. Pointless.

Don’t hate them but think it’s sad to see so much money being spent on fake ads and even when an agency wins them, they don’t pay employees bigger bonuses. $250 gift certificate at end of year. Seriously?