Industry awards are dumb and should not be worn with merit, there I said it

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MD1 - agreed. That’s why I like the Effies - there’s a requirement that we’re actually helping our client’s business. I love creativity but when it’s for its own sake it’s artwork and not advertising.

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@JCarson, Considering how many teachers at ad school are glorified in house creatives with free evenings, I really don’t see how your perception matches up to reality.

Sure, students are often pushed towards awards as students, but this is a good thing - “results based” creative is impossible when you’re doing spec work. So, I don’t really see why it’s bad for students going to school to be creatives shouldn’t pursue awards for creativity, as it’s one of the only tangible results they can augment their resume with.

When it comes to folks actually working in the industry, I agree creative shouldn’t pursue awards over results, but it’s a pretty big thing to blame the decline of advertising (especially since the early 00s) on Cannes when clients have completely subverted the model in hopes of creating a project based economy where virtually no one can sustain any successful relationships (because successful relationships are a give and take on both sides).

Every agency services their clients to the best of their ability, and while some shops may employ a particularly bad flavor of award happy CD, for every one of these sorts there’s 3-6 CDs at a shop happy to roll over, say yes, move the needle a tiny tiny bit, and never try to transform a clients business.

Those are the real threat to advertising: the people who exist to keep their CMOs job irrelevantly intact, who defer to the client, who are happy to say yes. Because it’s that approach which creates an atmosphere of agency as vendor, not agency as expert.

Creativity matters. Award shows may be corrupt, but agencies should continue to pursue work based on their own values, ambitions, and ideals. That’s what makes us a useful partner, and not a CRM assembly line.

likeuplifting
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Now let me get ahead of this, there's nothing wrong with being proud of your accomplishments ect but if it is 2018 and you are talking about an award from 2011 kindly kick rocks

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Easy fix to that - stop hiring creatives who mention awards on their resumes, portfolios, or LinkedIn profiles. That’s the only reason anyone cares about those circle jerks.

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I agree and disagree. I think if industry awards are prioritized over driving a Client’s business then you’re 100% right. And there are many in the business who care only about Creative awards for their own sake which is just pure narcissism. However I think if the Creativity is in service of the Client then I do think it’s valuable because those individuals should be recognized and valued more.

I think the issue is that many of the awards and award shows cultivate an environment of Creatives evaluating each other on how Creative they were in the absence of whether the work accomplished anything other than Creative people liking it.

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“I carry my Emmy wherever I go, but I’m very casual about it.” — Larry David

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Agree. Yet the dollars continue to flow into Cannes

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What industry awards? - every dev

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How else will recruiters know which books to pass on to the CD’s if we don’t have awards?

likefunny

👏👏👏

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Sorry OP, disagree with the notion of either/or. Yes, a lot of nonsense gets made for awards sake, let’s shut that down. But, it helps agencies (and those who partner with us) push boundaries when done well. There is also causation between brands that consistently win creative awards and business results.

Thus very curious to know what brand you work for?

Also: does this include all awards? Or are effectiveness awards exempt? And since it’s one of the few reasons younger creatives (and planners to some extent) get promoted, what did you have in mind to help their career progression?

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That is absolutely fair. Also kinda sad. Awards should be like doing charity, do it, keep doing it and don’t bring it up in every single convo. If someone else brings it up about you, wonderful - but don’t tout your own horn.

And yes, it would be great if Cannes would truly shut down scammers, since that is a waste of time & resources for all involved.

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Every industry has awards. There is an entire category of us visas just for those who win them. The difference is that people in advertising either take them too seriously or pretend they don't matter at all. They're good for your career and your salary. That's it.

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CRM has a better return than traditional advertising. You can be successful without ever doing anything that wins an award or had much media coverage. Expecting somehow we all appreciate hard working yet wholly uninspiring work, that has never been popular enough to get coverage or awards, is unrealistic. By all means continue to make it, but I don’t get the built in jealousy that comes with all the creatives openly rebelling against awards. Like if you don’t care, stop blogging about it so damn much. Advertising is a craft as much as real estate, being a CMO, or a doctor. Every profession has fraternal awards. Get over it.

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After stomaching five minutes of Jeremy’s book, I can see why he’s devoted his entire social media presence to saying that awards don’t matter.

Dude, focus. On. Doing. Better. Work. Period. Hinestly, you’re carving out a bad reputation for yourself one social media post at a time, unless your end goal is to be as annoying as Gary VeeDee.

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Perhaps an advertising industry that behaves only in line with client perspectives on marketing would cease to be the necessary outside opinion brands need to hear in order to bridge the gap between products and consumers? An industry commitment to internal values promotes a vibrant and competitive landscape, that can only be good for clients. Perhaps in the push and pull of it all, its clients who should recognize sometimes awards do matter.

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There’s an assumption pursuing award winning work has to come at the cost of client success. That’s false. Not only are most award winning campaigns successful, the desire to compete with the advertising industry drives innovation and differentiation.

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@CW2 - i actually 100% after with you. i don’t blame all the industry’s problems on awards, i just want people to do what you said, focus on creative, in whatever form that may be. then, you want an award for it, fine...just make it a distant second in priority to the actual business goals.

and i’m speaking about what students learn in school not only from their teachers, but what the industry puts out as the most important thing through the trades and popular opinion.

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Tim I wasn't necessarily speaking that in depth, I was just highlighting the ones who list 5 year old ones on resumés or hang their hats on one specific award they got, just my opinion.

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@tim - the causation isn’t from them winning awards. it’s from them consistently doing great work. other agencies may also be doing great work but not have as good of PR.

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