Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Source: Slovenian Marketing Association
Award. It’s a word that stirs special emotions in each of us because it is usually an acknowledgment for a job well done. This is also the case for marketing where companies, organizations and agencies are competing every year for a number of prizes and awards that celebrate the industry. With marketing strategist Marjana Lavrič Šulman, we talked about the importance of awards, with a special emphasis on Effie Awards that celebrate efficiency in market communication. We also asked some other marketing experts about the importance of various awards.
How do you, as a marketing strategist, see the position of marketing in the business world and society? Has the attitude towards our profession changed for the better over the recent years?
Marjana Lavrič Šulman: We will find that out when a new economic crisis emerges. Then we will see what has happened with marketing budgets that are generally a reflection of the overall economic growth. As a rule, when a crisis arises two areas are most at risk – education and marketing. We don’t invest more in educating people, because it is too expensive – we struggle to survive. And we do not invest in marketing, despite a great number of good practice examples where some companies increased investment in marketing at the time of recession, and thus achieved excellent results. For such an approach we have to be brave. But, practice shows that being brave is worth it. The marketing profession is certainly more valued now than it was before, but that does not mean it is impervious to the stringency measures.
What are the competencies that an ambitious marketer must have today?
Marjana Lavrič Šulman: Curiosity, healthy attitude towards criticism, the ability to cooperate and the ability to accept compromise. These are the characteristics with which we can achieve success in any area. For marketing success, we must, of course, be equipped with marketing knowledge and skills. Today there is a kind of phenomenon that all competencies are related to short-term efficiency and proving short-term success. We have forgotten that certain things take longer and will not be successful if we focus only on short-term communication campaigns.
Marketing efficiency is key to its position in the company so over the past few years we’ve been giving it more and more importance. One of the most notable marketing segments is communication, ie advertising, for which it is important to be successful and efficient, not just likeable.
One of the notable segments of marketing is communication, or advertising, for which it is important not only to be attractive, but also efficient and successful. What are the common characteristics of companies that show the effectiveness of communication?
Marjana Lavrič Šulman: These are companies that strategically plan their activities. Companies have to have clearly set business, marketing, and communication goals. In addition to the fact that certain activity is efficient, it must be specific in execution, metrics and achieving goals. It is also necessary to prove that the results are a consequence of that communication. We need to know how to isolate other factors from those banal like the hot summer for the sale of drinks, to marketing factors that have nothing to do with communication. Distribution policy, pricing policy, and so on aren’t measured in this case. We have to know how to prove that business or marketing results are a direct consequence of communication.
What makes Effies different from other awards in advertising?
Marjana Lavrič Šulman: Probably the very history of the awards, that give them a longstanding reputation. The first Effie award was awarded in the United States back in 1968. It was the first award that did not evaluate creativity, but the segment of communication excellence that had to be proven. Effie is a reward for ideas that work, and it is what distinguishes this award from creative ones that value the creative achievements. The added value for Effie winner is a proof that they invested wisely in their creativity, and that creativity has proven its contribution to business results. Creativity itself is not a criterion for a company’s success, creativity based on a strategic idea, or insight, and can be built on a long-term basis, is one that brings good business results that we can be proud of.
The most prestigious awards are long-term Effies, for which the period of processing of the results lasts for at least three years. As a rule, it’s easier to prove the effectiveness of short-term campaigns, but if we succeed in proving it for a longer period of time, we show our consistency in communication that is often forgotten, and it’s the golden rule of communication.
Is consistent communication a particularly difficult task today due to the growing number of channels, and different expectations of different segments of consumers?
Marjana Lavrič Šulman: Being consistent across different channels is not a particularly big challenge. If you have an umbrella message, you have to adapt it to different channels and audiences, but as a brand we have to have a unique personality and message all the time. A greater problem for consistency occurs in the relatively short “life span” of marketing directors. I don’t know why but new directors often annul everything that came before their arrival, and start from scratch. That’s quite a loss for a brand. Some brands have very good, powerful slogans. Their replacement can be a major catastrophe from a business point of view, and can ruin the brand. Except, of course, if the purpose of communication is to reposition the brand. Let’s be creative when it creates added value for the brand, not be creative just for the sake of it. Consistency can also be undermined by agencies, who often think they have to leave their mark on a brand. But it’s not always so.
How do companies prove the efficiency of their communication? Is it about campaign results, numbers, process descriptions?
Marjana Lavrič Šulman: All that is mentioned are important strategic challenges and goals. The idea itself, as well as its execution through creative solutions are important. And the results weigh in as well. If a certain campaign doesn’t have a clearly defined goal, you have no chance of success. At the very beginning of a campaign, you need to have the metrics for the current status, in order to evaluate the end result. An important indicator is M-ROI (marketing return of investment). The Effie Award is structured in this way, with the final score representing 30% of the score, and 70% is made of strategy, insight and ideas. The focus is on the ideas and results of those ideas, which represents almost half a way to success, and only then come the metrics. Results that we need to measure and prove are one thing, it is necessary to determine exactly what we are actually measuring.
Applying for certain awards requires certain effort from the companies. Why is it important for them to invest that effort?
Marjana Lavrič Šulman: The award is an obvious proof that companies are doing a good job. In marketing, most of the budget is usually invested through communication, through the media budget. Marketing directors with Effie Awards can vividly demonstrate that money is wisely spent. And in advertising, which is unfortunately sometimes perceived as a cost, we can accurately calculate what has changed after our investment. Simply put, the award is proof of efficient and successful work on brand communication.