Today's conversation in class got me thinking about why advertising agencies pursue awards, sometimes at the expense of other business opportunities. My husband is a Creative at a well known NY agency and I always hear how the pursuit of awards consumes the focus of Creatives in advertising. And, as his agency pursues awards, their clients are spending less, and their overall business is shrinking. Part of the problem is that a lot of the work that gets submitted at the awards shows is not real business - i.e. it's being done pro-bono, or is really creative work that may never actually be seen by real consumers / target market. I read an interesting article in AdWeek about how younger creatives feel that this kind of work in pursuit of awards can feel hollow, when they really want to make business impact: https://www.adweek.com/agencies/younger-creatives-are-increasingly-dismayed-with-awards-shows/
Is the pursuit of awards being done at the expense of profitability of the ad agency? It seems to me that an award can make or break an agency, and a career. A lot of Creatives feel that winning an award is the only way to get a promotion, make a career jump to the next cool agency, and get recognition for their work. It also seems that senior management at agencies is given directives to win awards. Chief Creative Officers seem not to be directly measured by business growth or impact, but rather by how many awards they win.
A few articles address this question, and it seems to me that some awards can help agencies with credibility, talent retention and hiring, and tip the scale with clients. But too much focus on awards can have the opposite effect.
https://adage.com/article/agency-viewpoint/creative-awards-matter/309625
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