Winning awards is fun and exciting!

NicolsAwardsGetting up in front of your peers to accept a gold-plated trophy to the sound of enthusiastic applause – there’s nothing like it! I’m proud to have had that pleasure more than once!

Of course, there’s controversy in the awards business, too, since egos are involved – not to mention money. In this regard, the world of direct marketing is no different than any other industry — with one exception.

When it comes to advertising, awards may be presented for beauty, or creativity, or emotional appeal. As you can imagine, there are now awards for digital advertising: email campaigns, websites, search engine optimization. There’s even a category called “experiential,” which seems to measure the degree of “physical engagement of the target audience.”

The cool thing about direct marketing awards, though, and what sets them apart from other advertising awards, is that they measure and celebrate results.

It’s not a question of what the judges like the best, or think is the most entertaining. In the world of direct marketing, “effective communications” are what win – and they come about from following a careful creative process.

As a business owner you will be tempted by flashy or fun advertising. Your creative team may get really excited coming up with something unusual or spectacular, humorous or quirky, and sweep you up into their enthusiasm.

Marketing, however, is a discipline, and the professional marketer sticks with a proven process for every project. Following an established process and tracking results is how we achieve predictable results. When your project turns out to be an award winner, that’s a bonus.