Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Dina Dretvić
In February this year a new awards show has joined the industry circles, The Gerety Awards, but it’s definitely not your average award show.
Several things make the Gerety Awards stand out from the crowd – from the composition of the jury, which the organizers say “just so happens to be all female” – over the manner in which the categories are organized, to the fact that jury sessions will be held all over the world.
The Gerety Awards were named after the copywriter Frances Gerety, who coined the legendary slogan “A Diamond is Forever” and are specifically designed to celebrate diversity.
This year will be the first edition of the awards, and the plan is to make them an annual event that will quickly rise on the ranks of world’s top festivals of creativity. However, if you want to have the bragging rights of being among the first to win the Gerety Awards, you have very little time to make the decision. The final deadline for entries is May 10, 2019.
Looking forward to this unique event, we decided to have a short chat with organizers of The Gerety Awards, Joe Brooks, former global sales director for the Epica Awards and Business Development Manager for adforum, and Lucia Ongay, former global press manager for the Epica Awards.
MM: Challenging the status quo. Why? Was/is it hard and were you met with more understanding or resistance in your mission?
Joe Brooks & Lucia Ongay: Because it’s 2019! We finally need real change and not just talk.
Everyone we have talked to certainly understands the need for this mission and why it’s important, but a regular question we have been asked is if only work specifically for women can be entered and our answer is always that knowing that 80% of all purchasing decisions are made by women all advertising should always have these powerful consumers in mind.
All types of advertising made by anyone can be entered at the Gerety Awards.
MM: Apart from the jury composition, what else makes the Gerety Awards unique?
Joe Brooks & Lucia Ongay: Our jury is made up of some of the world’s leading agency and brand creatives, they also just happen to be women.
The Gerety Awards is an all-female power jury, if it looks different to other juries then that illustrates the point – that we need to change what’s “normal” for the industry – more vividly.
We reduced the number of categories compared with traditional shows to just 9 so it can be very clear who the winners are and which is the best in communication, entertainment, innovation etc.
As well as spotlighting talent, the purpose of the Gerety Awards is to support initiatives that champion diversity in the creative industry. We are proud of all the amazing initiatives we have connected with from Brazil, Germany, Sweden, USA, UK and India. Connecting this global network and collaborating together for one common cause can only bring about change in the ad industry.
MM: Are you satisfied with the response of the industry and what are the plans for the future?
Joe Brooks & Lucia Ongay: The response has been phenomenal. Since the launch we have been inundated with people wanting to join the jury next year.
Ultimately, we want the Gerety Awards to be the benchmark on how great advertising should be done.
The shortlist will be announced June 15 and there is huge anticipation on how they will compare with other award shows and looking at the high standard already entered its clear that they will be a predictor for the winners at this year’s established shows.