With an industry award, a company gains an important tool that can be used in many ways for communicating its success. Read here which awards are the most important in marketing and how you can advertise your honour effectively.
Why awards put companies in a good light
If you have created a really good piece, you can enter it into a competition – set up by companies, the media or organisations that distinguish such work in the form of an award. This opportunity is open to you in many industries – and marketing is no exception. In the DACH region alone, a host of such awards are handed out every year, honouring excellent campaigns, projects and ideas in the most varied marketing disciplines.
Of course, it is personally satisfying to have your hard work be awarded for its creativity. But on top of this, an industry award is hugely important for a company looking to find recognition for its work:
· It generates awareness.
· It boosts your reputation.
· It gives you a name in the industry.
A higher price structure is also easier to justify. Such an award likewise opens up the opportunity to start up contact with new, important decision-makers. In some cases, investors’ attention is also grabbed and new business fields are tapped into.
The requirements for winning an award
To achieve the advantages mentioned above, the award must satisfy certain requirements. Since the turn of the century, more and more awards are constantly being handed out, at times in very specific categories. The result is that the value of these awards are being watered down in general. At the same time, the entry of a creative work is also often connected with an investment in terms of time and money. To ensure the participation in such a competition is worthwhile, the award should …
- … be valuable for the company, in other words make sense for integrating into the company’s own communications.
- … be handed out by a serious, objective and non-partisan institution, such as from an industry organisation or a trade magazine.
- … be honoured based on reasonable criteria.
- … be given on a fair basis, for instance not in connection with a big stretch of ads.
A selection of established marketing awards
The following industry awards are some of the most important in marketing. They are normally given annually:
- German Brand Award: According to the organiser, this is the brand and marketing awards with the widest reach in the German-speaking region.
- Deutscher Preis für Onlinekommunikation (German): Awards for digital campaigns and projects, with an own category for product and B2B communications.
- Best of Content Marketing (German): According to the organiser, this is Europe’s largest content marketing competition, with categories for magazines, content campaigns and content platforms in the B2B segment.
- Deutscher Marketing Preis (German): Since 1973, the seal of quality for the best of the best in German marketing.
- BoB-Award (German): Honouring relevant and successful communication concepts and measures from B2B companies in the DACH region.
- Deutscher Digital Award (German): Awards creative digital work of the highest quality in the DACH region for the B2C and B2B segments.
Marketing awards effectively
Companies that have won an award for their outstanding work should strategically leverage this with the aim to reinforce the positive effects of the honour. The following varied measures are ideal for achieving this:
- Communicate the winning of the award to the public via press releases, newsletters, social media, the company website and other channels.
- Use the award in internal communications to raise motivation and the identification of employees with the company.
- Tell a story of success centred round the award participation and publish this on blogs or in corporate magazines.
- Integrate the award label in all communications channels and add it to products in some cases.
Additional significant industry and innovation awards
Not only does the winning of a marketing award by your agency for your campaign ultimately bring attention to your company itself – you, too, can get people talking about your products and services with the help of awards. Every now and again, numerous industry or cross-industry awards are offered – also on an international level. Here is a selection of coveted awards for especially innovative, pioneering and sustainable achievements:
● Best of Industry Award: The special interest publication MM MaschinenMarkt highlights novel ideas and solutions in the industrial sector. The award is handed out, amongst others, to companies in the areas of additive manufacturing, drive technology, automation, material flow, measurement technology and robotics, who have been able to successfully position themselves in light of the digital transformation and disruptive changes.
● Großer Preis des Mittelstandes: Ever since 194, this award from the Oskar-Patzelt-Stiftung has given 20,000 German SMEs the chance to make a name for themselves. It goes to enterprises that have taken responsibility, encouraged a culture of independence, and fostered networking amongst mid-sized enterprises. The selection criteria includes the creation of jobs and apprenticeships, modern and innovative solutions, closeness to the customer, marketing and regional engagement.
● European Enterprise Promotion Awards: This award from the EU Commission honours “outstanding achievements by authorities and public–private partnerships”. Essential for this is the support of improved business environments, company competencies, and environmentally friendly markets, as well as the careful use of raw materials.
● VDA Logistik Award: This award is given to companies in the automotive industry and their partners for excellent innovations in the area of logistics. Applicants must stand out in terms of their concepts based on several criteria. These include profitability and sustainability, the ability to transfer the concept and to compete.
● CSR-Preis: With this award, the German federal government rewards companies which take responsibility for the economy, the environment and society. It is awarded in three major categories for SMEs: systematic and strategic leadership, legally compliant and fair behaviour, social actions towards employees and eco-friendly production, as well as the support of the community at their location.
● Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis: For their particularly strong efforts in sustainability, this award is handed out to companies, communities and research institutions. It encompasses eight competitions (e.g. biodiversity, society and fairness, climate, resources). With around 1,000 applicants, it is the biggest award of its kind in Europe. In 2020, it reached a gross reach of 1.4 billion media contacts in Germany.
● Deutscher Verpackungspreis: This award is for enterprises within the entire value-added chain of packaging. The best performance in ten categories is rewarded. This includes design and finishing, functionality and convenience, goods presentation, logistics and material flow, and digitalisation. Applicants can compete for a title in several categories at the same time.
