With the Awards’ closing date fast approaching - 11 November - both workshops were well attended. “Your entry needs to help us understand the campaign,” John Dixon, Bookmarks jury president told the attendees.
Bookmarks Jury Chairs, Felix Kessel and Kerry Friend, gave pointers on what makes a winning entry. “Sometimes so much goes into an entry that it becomes a book – but one no-one wants to read. Think about how you would sell yourself to a client and in a pitch,” says Kessel, while Friend urges entrants to “eliminate the guesswork”.
While you are using new age platforms the old rules still apply so it is important to communicate in the most effective way possible, says Kessel. “The judges go through a lot of entries. If they get bored by the initial part of your entry (in the one pager) then you are lost. You literally have 30 seconds to make me understand why your campaign is good.”
If it is technical try to simplify it, says Friend. “While experts are brought in to judge some categories, not everyone is a specialist in the field you work in so make it easy for the non-experts to understand. Dumb it down, keep it simple and get to the point, be explicit and concise.”
The message: tell us in the shortest possible way why your work is good. “Do not be scared to tell us how clever your idea is, especially if you have developed something innovative. Judges are also an audience. Keep it short, but entertain us; don’t bore us, and unless you actually created the social platform, please do not try and sell it to us. Rather make a case for the channel it is entered into,” says Kessel.
“State your claim upfront, for example sales went up by so much percent. Provide proof for your claim,” Friend adds.
When it comes to one campaign entering several categories both Kessel and Kerry were very clear: Tailor each entry to suit the category. “One size does not fit all in this case. If you are entering multiple categories, please do not dump everything into one entry that you then enter into various categories. The write up for your entry can include why it should be in this category,” says Kessel.
From a results perspective, Kessel urges agencies to contextualise their results, and not to just give figures. Friend asks entries to only include results that are relevant to the campaign and to not inflate the numbers. “Focus on metrics. The results need to paint a picture of how the campaign was successful.”
Please remember that the onus is on the entrant to prove the results, adds Kessel.
Your entry is like a great ad; it is a good idea and is simply told. “An entry video is not always required, and if a video is needed, it does not have to be a massive undertaking. A big idea is easy community,” he stresses.
Last, but not least, he pleas to please enter the correct category.
The finalists will be announced after judging in the new year, and the awards ceremony will take place on 2 March 2017 at the brand-new space in Sandton, Kramerville – The Galleria.
