The Marketing Society Awards for Excellence in Association with Marketing
Please note that the 2011 call for entries has now closed.
Entry Criteria
Please read these entry criteria carefully, as we have made changes based on judges’ feedback from the 2010 Awards. There is a new category for Mobile Marketing and a number of existing categories have had their titles and criteria revised.
The awards categories reflect strategic marketing objectives that are common to all organisations. Your submissions will be judged against the marketing achievements of all types of business rather than just those of direct competitors in your industry sector.
The Marketing Society Awards for Excellence are designed to be accessible to organisations of every size and description. There is one special prize for an outstanding business to business marketing case, and one special prize for the best SME entry.
Entrants should provide independent and robust data that supports the claims made. The judges will give more weight to quantitative data and comparable trend data over time. Key measures which should ideally be included are sales, profit, market share and customer attitudes.
Categories
A) Customer Insight
16 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2009 – 31 Dec 2010
Judges will be looking for the best use of research or database development to provide information on consumer behaviour that has resulted in measurable improvements in brand performance. This may include research for new product development. The judges will evaluate:
• Rigour of the research process
• Discovery of genuine insights
• Creative application of the research
• Change to consumer attitudes
• Improved brand performance, or a successful new brand launch
B) New Brand
13 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2008 – 31 Dec 2010
The judges will require evidence of strong commercial success from the creation of a new product or service from an existing brand owner, or from a newly emerging business. The judges will evaluate:
• Customer insight
• The creation of clear brand values
• Superior value for customers
• Effective use of marketing resources
• Evidence of commercial success
C) Brand Extension
11 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2008 – 31 Dec 2010
Submissions must demonstrate the successful extension of an existing brand into new markets or market segments, to the longterm commercial benefit of the original brand and its owner. The judges will evaluate:
• Customer insight
• Incremental sales
• Minimal cannibalisation
• Effective use of marketing resources
• Evidence of commercial success
D) Brand Revitalisation
24 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2008 – 31 Dec 2010
Entrants will provide evidence of marketing activity that has successfully challenged public perceptions of a product or service and achieved significant commercial gain as a result. The judges will evaluate:
• Research and creative problem-solving
• Improved customer perceptions
• Rising sales/market share trends
• Effective use of marketing resources
• Evidence of commercial success
E) Marketing Communications
25 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2009 – 31 Dec 2010
Entrants will demonstrate the proven effect that marketing communications have had on the improved commercial performance of a brand. The judges will evaluate:
• Role of research
• Creativity
• Superior media planning
• Communications effect, isolated from other influencing factors
• Return on marketing expenditure
F) Marketing on a Shoestring
21 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2009 – 31 Dec 2010
Entrants will demonstrate the proven effect on the commercial success of a brand of a total marketing budget of less than £½million. The budget may have been spent through any communication channel. The judges will evaluate:
• Creativity of the marketing plan
• Originality of approach
• The scale of the achievement
G) Digitally Led Communications
10 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2009 – 31 Dec 2010
This category is open to brands that have made effective use of digital channels to improve their commercial performance. Companies that have used digital media to generate growth, will have to demonstrate to the judges the following:
• Effect of digital activity, isolated from other influencing factors
• Superior planning of a range of digital media to drive traffic
• Effective use of data analytics
• Return on marketing expenditure
H) Mobile Marketing
New category for 2011
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2009 – 31 Dec 2010
Entrants will demonstrate the effective use of mobile media to improve the commercial performance of their brand. The judges will evaluate:
• Originality of approach
• Evidence of commercial success
• Return on marketing expenditure
I) E-commerce
4 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2009 – 31 Dec 2010
Organisations that transact solely or in part online will provide evidence of improved commercial performance online. The judges will evaluate:
• Analysis and creative problem solving
• Rising sales and market share trend
• Evidence of commercial success
J) Customer Relationship Marketing
15 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2008 – 31 Dec 2010
Entrants will provide evidence of an improved relationship with their customers. This may be demonstrated by increased customer retention levels, or by increased revenue per customer, or by improved customer satisfaction levels, or all of the above. This may have been achieved as a result of new products, services, pricing or communications. The judges will evaluate:
• Understanding of customer life time value
• Superior customer segmentation
• Improved value for customers
• Original thinking to increase customer revenues
• Return on marketing expenditure
K) Employee Engagement
8 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2008 – 31 Dec 2010
Entrants should demonstrate the use of research and communications to build employee motivation. The judges will be looking for a positive effect on employee attitudes and business performance. They will evaluate:
• Employee research
• Successful internal communication of brand values
• Evidence of improved employee motivation
• Improved brand or service provision for customers
L) Marketing Organisation
4 entries in 2010 (under Marketing Capabilities)
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2008 – 31 Dec 2010
Organisations will demonstrate the effect of their investment in improving the performance of individuals, teams and the company as a whole to help drive sustainable organic growth. The judges will require proof of a positive effect on motivation and business performance, through the following:
• Understanding of development needs
• Evidence of employee engagement
• Ongoing training and development
• Improved brand or service provision
• Return on investment
M) 360° Marketing
7 entries in 2010 (under Marketing Teamwork)
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2008 – 31 Dec 2010
Organisations will demonstrate how they have achieved outstanding results through the deployment of multi-disciplinary teams (both agency and client) working towards a common goal. The judges will evaluate:
• The project objectives
• Team selection
• Teamwork in action
• Systems of measurement and reporting
• Project results
N) Marketing for Sustainable Consumption
5 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2009 – 31 Dec 2010
The Society is keen to encourage marketers to take an active role in developing the sustainability of their companies. Entrants are expected to demonstrate the positive effect that their actions are having on society or the environment, and how that effect has met their own organisational goals. The judges will expect to see submissions that range in type and scale, but will be looking for:
• Improvement to the sustainability of the products or processes of the business
• How this met the organisation’s sustainability strategy
• Changes in consumer attitudes or behaviour
• Sustainable benefits to society or the environment
• Sustainable benefits to the brand or company
O) Cause Related Marketing
8 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2009 – 31 Dec 2010
Marketing campaigns from a partnership between a business and a charity or cause, which have delivered tangible and mutual benefits to both parties. The judges will be looking for evidence of how these campaigns have performed overall, and how they are integrated with broader marketing objectives. The judges will evaluate:
• Brand fit with charity partner or cause
• Staff ‘buy-in’
• Value delivered to both partners
P) Global Marketing
5 entries in 2010 (under International Brand Marketing)
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2008 – 31 Dec 2010
The judges will be looking for examples of effective international brand marketing over the past three years across at least 3 countries or regions, including the UK. The judges will evaluate:
• Insight into common/distinct market needs
• Applied learning from one market to another
• Cost efficiencies
• Evidence of consistent success across markets
Q) Not-For-Profit Marketing
15 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: 1 Jan 2009 – 31 Dec 2010
(Reduced entry rate)
Marketing campaigns from a charity, a not-for-profit cause or public sector organisation, which have delivered a tangible and lasting effect. The judges will evaluate:
• Value delivered to cause or organisation
• Changes of public perception
• Return on marketing expenditure
R) Long Term Marketing Excellence
16 entries in 2010
Eligibility dates: A minimum of 3 years up to 31 December 2010
This award recognises marketing excellence over a sustained period of not less than three years. The award will go to the company or brand that best demonstrates how a superior marketing strategy, consistently applied has driven business improvement over time.
S) Business to Business Marketing
6 entries in 2010
Business to Business cases may be entered for all categories, but a special award will be made for the best business to business case submitted. The criteria applied will be the same as for individual categories e.g. New Brand, Brand Revitalisation and Long Term Marketing Excellence. If you are entering a Business to Business case please make sure you have ticked box ‘S’ on the entry form.
T) SME Marketing
10 entries in 2010
Small organisations are encouraged to enter any category. Our definition of a SME is an organisation with fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than £25million, and a special award will be made for the best case submitted by a SME. The criteria applied will again be the same as for each of the individual categories e.g. New Brand, Brand Revitalisation and Long Term Marketing Excellence. If your entry qualifies as a SME, please make sure you have tick box ‘T’.
U) Young Marketer of the Year
10 entries in 2010
Entrants must be 30 or under on 31 December 2010, and demonstrate that they have personally made a significant contribution to a key marketing initiative in their company. Main activity will have taken place in the 12 months to the end of December 2010.
A 2000-word (maximum) submission should be accompanied by a CV of no more than 2 pages. Shortlisted candidates will be required to make a presentation to the judging panel in Hammersmith, London, in April 2011. The winner will receive a free place (value £8K) on the 2012 Marketing Society Marketing Leaders Programme.
V) Best Leading-Edge Thinking
The judges will award a special prize for an original idea applied in a business context, if the quality of submissions allows. This category cannot be entered directly.
