Half Dome’s Post

One of the advantages of leading the employee engagement specialism at VCCP, the winner of Campaign's Integrated Agency of the Year is that we get to draw all of the agency's award-winning integrated brand capabilities. Four ways we're applying brand expertise to help businesses with their employee engagement challenges: 🚀 Brand-enhanced internal comms. We use VCCP's proprietary data and AI tools to evaluate internal comms delivery and design a plan to ensure business critical campaigns land internally. 🚀 Brand-enhanced behavioural insight Drawing on the expertise of VCCP's behavioural science business, Cowry Consulting, we can apply behavioural science techniques to discover what motivates employees, why they behave the way they do and gauge how they really feel about the working culture. 🚀 Brand-enhanced change engagement We work with the strategists and creatives behind some of the world’s biggest brands to create emotional connections and rally employees behind brand, business and culture change. 🚀 Brand-enhanced employee advocacy We apply our in-house storytelling expertise to showcase the distinct and authentic qualities of an organisation's people, brand & culture to get talent endorsing the company as a place to work. IM me on LinkedIn if you'd like to hear more about VCCP's brand-enhanced employee engagement (BEE) capabilities.

We’ve been shortlisted for not one, but TWO awards in the prestigious UK Search Awards 2024! 🏆✨ This recognition highlights our talented team members’ dedication and drive to deliver impactful work for our clients. Fingers crossed for the final results 🤞 #UKSearchAwards #DigitalMarketing #PaidSearch #TugAgency #PerformanceMarketing We Are Search

When we say that an ad “sells”, it means more than money. A successful ad predisposes people to give you their attention, time, vote, good will, devotion and, yes, their money. Advertising exists to predispose people with values and beliefs that benefit them and our brands. That is why I loved my time in ad agencies and then continued as a client to value my ad agencies so much. If an ad achieves this kind of business success, it is doing its job. If it wins awards, that’s welcome gravy. From my professional experience, I can attest that it feels great to receive an award. It feels better to drive business results Tony Chapman’s posts are full of insight. The one I am reposting below made me reflect that ads that are created with the intent of winning creative awards are not really ads. They may be art but not ads. David Ogilvy’s wise words still resonate: “if it doesn’t sell, it is not creative” Thank you Tony for reminding us marketers how important it is to focus on meaningful work. #Marketing #branding #management #mentoring

I’m increasingly frustrated by the way most awards systems operate. Too often, I hear about my agency "winning" an award, only to discover that we’re expected to pay for it. This practice raises serious questions about the legitimacy of these accolades. The profit should be from *sponsors*—not the contestants. Paying for your meal I understand but not to have a chance at winning your nomination. Even worse, these awards mislead customers into trusting questionable agencies based solely on their shiny trophies, rather than the quality of their work. Awards should celebrate genuine excellence, not serve as a business model built on pay-to-play schemes. It’s time for change. What are your thoughts on this? Have you encountered similar experiences? #awardslondon #thoughts #londonbusinessowner

🏆 When searching for awards for our clients to enter we have found this website by UK Awards List really useful. Everything in one place and you can even set reminders. If you have a similar task for your own company or clients this could really help you. #industryawards #marketingtips #ukbusinessawards #marketingagency #MarketingLeeds https://lnkd.in/eXD5tU23

Meaningful work is the essence of our industry. It means it matters. It is significant, relevant, material, telling, weighty, and worthwhile. It makes the audience think, feel, and act. It drives market share and feeds the salaries of the brand's employees and everyone within the supply chain. The opposite is inconsequential. It doesn't matter. For over a decade, even longer, I have challenged the advertising agency's obsession with chasing glass. Here is an article from 2014, as I am leaving the advertising world, with a call out to clients and advertisers. https://lnkd.in/d8n9Y8vY I have always said that this sector would be revered if even half the time and money their internal teams invested in competing for the thousands of gold awards were diverted to solving society's biggest problems. They would have clients banging on the door and looking for real solutions. Many associations and magazines depend on profits from awards shows, but a healthier industry would lead to healthier businesses. In my upcoming interview with Frank Palmer for the American Marketing Association (AMA), Toronto, he voiced a similar sentiment. in a few seconds, Zulu Alpha Kilo Inc., in this brilliant parody, said what I had felt for years. Enough is enough. Please take a look at this fantastic ad and share it. Now, let's get the top minds of their agencies focused on affordable housing, the growing social divide, keeping young males in schools, donating organs, eliminating food waste, and so much more. Those working on these initiatives will feel much better by improving our world. The owners of agencies can move the millions they spend into hiring and training staff. And for the brilliant creative talent in Canada, is this not the purposeful work you got into the industry for, the work that truly matters? Thoughts? https://lnkd.in/gWYGr2-8 #chatterthatmatters #awards #whatmatters #humanity Mike Sutton Canadian Marketing Association Brunico Communications Millennial Award Show Brick Award Creative Circle Awards Creative Retail Awards American Advertising Awards - Los Angeles etc. Broken Heart Love Affair Rethink FCB Canada Bob's Your Uncle Cossette Bensimon Byrne Leo Burnett LG2 Sid Lee john st. Anomaly No Fixed Address Inc. Fuse Scott Knox ICA - Institute of Canadian Agencies Alison Simpson Mary Maddever The Clio Awards Midfield mike power Arron Brailsford Nick Dean Facebook Marketing & Ads Christina Martucci

From industry-specific accolades to national headline-grabbers, the allure of awards recognition is undeniable. But amidst this celebratory frenzy, a critical question emerges: are we, as businesses, succumbing to an oversaturation of Business Awards? Have these once-coveted symbols of achievement become diluted by sheer quantity? The answer, like most things in business, isn't a simple yes or no. Recognition remains valuable. A well-deserved award can elevate your brand profile, attract talent, and bolster customer confidence. However, a scattergun approach – entering every award under the sun – can backfire. Not only does it spread resources thin, but it risks devaluing the very recognition you seek. Here's why a strategic approach to awards is crucial for Australian businesses.➡️ https://lnkd.in/gbdWH9kD

Why are agencies so hung-up on winning awards? Awards are ego-driven and distract from ‘doing the work’, they cost a load of money and time to enter, they depend as much on how a submission is written as they do on the work itself, and there are now so many awards that it’s hard to tell which have meaning and which don’t. (Hmmm. This is particularly pertinent to me today as I’m spending a lot of the day judging the final round of the Effies!) So why bother with awards? Well, I think there are 5 good business reasons: 1️⃣ Go on, prove it! Awards force agencies to justify our creative and strategic chops. They make us put pen to paper and focus on showing off our creativity and effectiveness. 2️⃣ Everyone likes a winner. It may be a little over-stated but awards do make clients feel good about their agency partnerships. And, like it or not, they do impress and reassure prospective clients on the hunt for new relationships too. 3️⃣ Read all about it! Award wins make us salient, newsworthy and talked about - and usually in a good way. It may be fleeting coverage but it keeps us, and our expertise, top-of-mind in an over-saturated agency market. 4️⃣ Talent magnets. For me, this is perhaps the most important ‘side-effect’ of being awarded. Agencies are in a perpetual battle for top talent and awards help to pull in, and retain, the best people in the business. 5️⃣ Get better. Awarded work educates and inspires us all - it shines a light on what is possible, and gives us all something tangible to aim for. (This is actually the biggest draw for me as a judge.) As a result, I’m really looking forward to today! A big thank you to Rachel Emms and the Effie UK team for their hard work and skill in pulling it all together. #effieuk #effies #awards

As we approach 'busy season' in the world of awards, here is our guide to all the most credible awards you should consider entering in April, May and beyond. https://lnkd.in/dFDtGbU Let us know if you want a helping hand entering awards! #increaseyourchances #awards #greatemployers #hrawards #businessawards #ukitindustry

The last thing I'd be thinking about at this time of year is writing an awards submission. I'm much more likely to be reflecting on all the challenges I/my team/business has faced in the year(s) that's been, what's transformed us and what we're especially proud of that we'll be taking into 2025, to start the year strong. So if you're like me, even if the last thing you're thinking about is writing an awards submission, maybe you might just think about collating your swag of things to celebrate, be proud of, and maybe even to brag about. That's fuel for the soul and impetus for action even if you don't submit an awards entry, you will already have done the mahi to help share your story of what sets you apart. But you know what, once you have pulled these reflections together, that's EXACTLY the time to think about entering awards. Maybe it is worth taking a shot after all. Maybe you might just nudge someone who you know to be doing great work, overcoming gnarly challenges, leading the way with inclusion, innovating, excelling and inspiring in recruitment and staffing in Aotearoa New Zealand, and encourage them to consider entering the RCSA Australia and New Zealand NZ Industry Awards. If you're stuck in the mindset that it's bad to blow your own trumpet, maybe pick up the saxophone in 2025 instead. And make some noise about what you have overcome, your achievements, and the difference you make. Entries close Monday 3 February 2025 with the NZ Industry Awards Night taking place on Thursday 12 June. I'd love to celebrate with you! And to our 2024 Award Winners, congratulations again!! It’s the good work done by our members that lifts the industry’s reputation, and pushes us to go further together. ____________ Find out more about the RCSA Industry Awards here https://lnkd.in/dSQjncJu as well as learn more about our 2024 NZ Winners here https://lnkd.in/d_AMmEnR