By Alison Garner
Ah, the joy of industry awards. The chance to shine a
light on that project you always knew was a winner.
But oh, the effort required; firstly to remember what went on, and then to write it all down. Those endless questions about objectives, tactics, and then - scarier still - results, can leave you wishing you’d never agreed to enter.
Having delivered projects, written awards entries and
judged awards submissions, I’m not too sure which is most tricky. But
probably the judging process. Because it’s clear that everyone who enters
believes wholeheartedly in what they’re doing. So how do you rate one entry
against another?
I’d love to say it’s all about the passion, originality, great narrative, etc. But truthfully, it mostly comes down to reliable old measurement.
Despite any brilliant storytelling, in the end, it’s nearly always about which one best shows - through proper unarguable metrics - how the project’s stated objectives were met or exceeded.
Yes, unarguable. It means bluffing won’t cut it. Statements like ‘increase awareness’ or ‘attract users,’ can end up looking lame when compared to entries that show results against objectives like ‘increase awareness from 10 per cent to 25 per cent in twelve months,’ or ‘recruit 500,000 users in the first six months.’
So forget terms like ‘leverage’, ‘educate’, ‘promote’ or ‘communicate’ and answer the question – what actually happened as a result of your programme?
When you can explain that, you’ll see that measurement isn’t dull at all – because it allows the great creativity and execution behind all you’ve done to really, properly shine.
But if you can’t, then maybe save your time and your entry fee until your measures are firmly in place - and for now, use other ways to show people how your project is making a difference.
