2013 DMA Awards: show the industry what difference your work has made

It’s the time of year again when agencies are looking toward the 2013 DMA Awards with hopes of receiving golden recognition for their best work from the past twelve months. Time has certainly flown since we scooped the sought-after Grand Prix award – and despite it only less than two years ago, we’ve come a long way since.

Winning the Grand Prix is not just an opportunity to put your agency in the limelight, its reverberations can be felt for a long time afterwards – driving growth, inspiring clients both existing and prospective. And let’s not forget the enormous reward for some of the fantastically talented people pouring their hearts and souls into creating these campaigns.

Show the industry the real difference your campaigns have made
I’m particularly excited to be a judge again at this year’s awards. The quality and creativity shown at the 2012 edition is testament to the leaps and bounds the industry continues to make in such a short space of time. The Grand Prix last year was won by OglivyOne’s Gnome Experiment for Kern & Sohn, which showed an unparalleled level of ingenuity en route to becoming the most successful Grand Prix winner in the DMAs’ history. It’s an indication of just how high the bar seems to be raised every year and I can’t wait to see what agencies have to offer this year to top it.

As the range of media available continues to increase, the secret to success this year will be the agencies and brands with innovation and a creative spirit at the heart of what they do. OgilvyOne proved last year that marrying creativity and strategy has become increasingly important. Now we’re seeing an emphasis on data-driven insights to help better target segments of consumers to ensure campaigns are communicated at the right time and on the right platform.

In tough economic times, clients are always going to look to invest in an agency that shows not only creativity, but a strategy that channels this into proven results. The DMA Awards represent an opportunity to bring to light the incredible stories from our industry, and serve as a great reminder to the world as a whole the remarkable talent and work we continue to produce.

The deadline for entries for the 2013 DMA Awards is 9 September. Make sure you enter and show the industry the real difference you’ve made: www.dmaawards.org.uk

By DMA guest blogger Ian Bates, member of the DMA Agencies Council, Creative Director of Indicia