In the worlds of marketing and advertising, industry awards are a great way to enhance your brand and receive validation for your agency’s output. And let’s face it; who doesn’t like to receive plaudits for their work — especially from their peers?
But which awards are worth targeting? And how exactly can they help your agency grow? In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most prominent advertising agency awards taking place in 2022 and explain how your business can get involved.
Why Are Ad Agency Awards Important?
Before we dive into the awards themselves, you might still be wondering if targeting a trophy is the best use of your agency’s time and resources. After all, that nice shiny plaque might look great in your office, but is it going to help you improve your visibility and generate new leads?
The short answer is: yes. Industry awards are not just recognition of a job well done — they serve a whole host of useful purposes, such as:
- Validating your work. More than anything else, awards demonstrate that you are good at what you do. This doesn’t just make it easier for you to attract and convert new clients, but shows your existing clients that you are at the top of your game.
- Enhancing brand recognition. When you win (or are nominated for) an award, your agency gets additional media coverage. As well as generating positive publicity, this can be leveraged in your marketing materials and enhance your PR outreach.
- Acting as social proof. Social proof, such as testimonies and case studies, can help you build trust with prospective clients. External industry awards are a great way to do this.
There are other benefits too. Awards can improve morale within your company and help you attract higher-quality employees, for example. But in terms of growing your client base, the wider benefits go far beyond a simple trophy. Award programs are one of many effective resources for expanding your agency’s growth and can be a great pillar to lean on in your marketing arsenal.
Choosing a Suitable Award
Given these benefits, it’s important to take a strategic approach when choosing a suitable program; after all, you want to ensure that the award aligns with your agency’s specific marketing (or business) goals.
For example, if your agency recently delivered a successful social media campaign for a client, and your goal is to attract more social clients, then you may want to apply for a specialist award that carries weight in the social media community. Alternatively, if you are looking to build a client base in your region, you may wish to focus on awards that are more geographically localized (and so on).
The Best Advertising Agency Awards
With this in mind, hundreds of potentially suitable awards programs are available that your agency can target.
Within the broader advertising industry, though, a small range of influential award programs instantly elicit that “wow” factor — the Oscars, Emmys, and Tonys, if you like, of the marketing world.