Elevate Your Agency,
MFA Awards Propel More Than Just Work
This is Flow Chief Strategy Officer Catherine Rushton, a member of the MFA Awards Steering Group, knows from experience the importance of entering the awards and celebrating our industry’s best work.
I get it. Award writing can feel like a daunting task. It involves collaboration to find the story and collect the data. Requires reflection as an agency about what makes the best, award-worthy work in our industry. Not to mention finding someone who has the capacity and skills to write. And you have to do all of this above and beyond your day job.
Well, the reasons you put off entering the MFA Awards, are also the reasons you should enter.
After a decade of award writing experience, I’ve found three benefits to entering (aside from winning, of course…).
Entering the MFA Awards:
1. Fosters collaboration and relationships with clients
Through my experience, I have learnt that whether you win or not is often beside the point for clients. Showing your clients that you think the work you did together on their brands is worthy of entering. Not to mention the display of dedication, passion and pride to craft a case study for approval. Even better, if you get shortlisted you can bring your clients along to the ceremony - providing an invaluable relationship-building opportunity.
2. Raises your agency’s skills and profile
Especially as an independent and growing agency, it is important to consider how your profile is raised by securing a shortlist position next to big, established brands.
The MFA and the Awards Steering Group work hard to make sure all entrants have helpful resources to get the best chance at winning. Training courses can often be cost prohibitive so accessing free resources like the upcoming Award Writing Clinic with Sophie Price and Chris Colter are a valuable chance to learn more about the ‘dark art’ of award writing.
3. Provides an important opportunity to reflect on the work of your agency
The strict and well-considered MFA Awards criteria has been specifically designed for our media industry. It should form a checklist for how to produce the best, most effective work that you and your clients can be proud of.
The discipline of sitting down to review the work that has been produced will provide an important temperature check on client relationships and agency processes.
This reflection means you can fine tune for the year ahead. For example, is it hard or easy for you to prove the effectiveness of your work? If it’s not easy, could you sell in a proactive measurement project for that client?
Go on. It’s worth it.
MFA Award entries close on 3 May
