Marketing Awards president and VP mirror on The Drum Marketing Awards (Americas) winners

“It was extremely competitive,” Sood recollects. “I think there was a lot of passion. People were definitely making a case for their choices. Jess and I had to intervene a few times, which I was not expecting. But it truly shows people are very passionate about their choices, and they want to really fight for them—which is great. Creativity is alive, right?”

Giles consents, including that this yr’s judging panels had been anything else however passive: “There were definitely moments of tension, in the best possible way. We saw a real tug-of-war between campaigns from big brands with big budgets, and incredible work from underdogs that some of us had never even heard of. And honestly, that tension created such valuable debate.”

Celebrating recent pondering

That willingness to problem conference is, most likely, why the Grand Prix went to the CarBravo x Barbie Dream Car marketing campaign – a work of labor that each judges say stopped them of their tracks.

Sood displays: “There were a couple of entries that truly made my head spin. I’ve not seen anything like them before, and that in itself is a story. Obviously you don’t do it just for novelty, but when you see something that’s genuinely original, that has to be acknowledged.”

Giles used to be similarly inspired: “Car Bravo and MRM chose a really innovative way that made sense for the brand. They took a commodity that was trading far above its value and got really honest about what it should cost. By capturing a trend and a fandom that was super in the spotlight, they were able to highlight the fairness of their pricing in a way that people hadn’t seen before. It was very cool. And, you know, those just tend to be super efficient, because sometimes the PR carries you a really long way, and you don’t need the same kind of paid media budget.”

It wasn’t simply originality that received it, regardless that – it used to be logo have compatibility, cultural timing and, crucially, effects.

Heart over hype

While the Barbie marketing campaign took house the Grand Prix, the President’s Award went to an overly other more or less marketing campaign — person who pulled at the jury’s heartstrings slightly than chasing virality.

“No matter how many funny ads you see, or ads with wit or clever utility, nothing tugs your heart more than an emotional ad,” says Sood. “Jess and I agreed on this -it was such an emotional ad. It was in the final running until the last minute. We just felt it was a worthy effort that deserved a special recognition.”

The marketing campaign, Custom to All, didn’t take the highest prize, however stood out for its skill to attach deeply and meaningfully with its target market.

Giles provides, “In a year where we saw some incredible humor and innovative ideas, we still wanted to recognize something that had pure emotional depth. It reminded us all why storytelling matters in marketing.”

Beyond budgets

One of the habitual debates within the jury rooms centred across the steadiness between finances and brilliance. Can a blockbuster marketing campaign from a large company in point of fact compete on a degree enjoying box with paintings from smaller groups running on a shoestring?

Sood performs satan’s suggest: “Sometimes when you bring in the best of the best agencies, and you have a big budget, it’s because you’re satisfying a huge media investment – the stakes are actually really high. So I see it from both sides.”

But each judges had been fast to fret that the finances used to be by no means the deciding issue. “We looked at the strength of the idea, how well it was executed, how clearly it aligned to the brand, and how it performed,” Giles explains. “Some of one of the best entries weren’t the flashiest, however they knew what they had been doing and delivered transparent effects.”

Advice for subsequent yr’s entrants

So what makes a marketing campaign stand out in entrance of a jury of seasoned advertising leaders?

For Sood, it’s all about emotion and readability. “I may be biased here, but nothing speaks to me more than two specific points. One is humor, and the other is an emotional message. And ads that seem to do both – that’s the goal, right? That’s when you hit a home run.”

He cites Mastercard’s personal longstanding ‘Priceless’ marketing campaign for instance of storytelling with endurance. “It tugged on the emotions of a father and son at a baseball game. Look how long it’s been going. That’s the power of a great narrative.”