We’re immensely proud of the fact that Orchard has won and been nominated for many awards in the past. These have generally been for the agency as a whole or our fantastic people getting individual recognition and this year we wanted to do something a little different: Orchard set out with a clear objective to be recognised for our creative and strategic client work and we’re pleased to report it’s going well so far!
Yesterday we found out that we have been shortlisted in the CIPR PRide Awards 2019 for our work to launch JB Parker’s in Guernsey – in the ‘Best use of content’ category – and with our client Livingroom for ‘Best Integrated Campaign’.
It’s a great honour to be recognised by the CIPR and we’re looking forward to the awards evening in November when we’ll be up against other campaigns and content from the Channel Islands and the South of England.
We’re well practised in writing award submissions and spend a good chunk of time working with our clients to help them win awards, but why do it?
- Employee motivation and recruitment – entering awards demonstrates that you value the work that your team are delivering and I believe it is a real confidence boost for staff. You don’t hear many people say I would rather work for the agency that won fewer awards…
- Benchmark against industry – in a world of client service, ‘success’ can be hard to define and it’s often even harder to celebrate. A stamp of authority and credibility from within your sector is a bit like a teacher marking your work; for a small business in particular it’s reassuring to know you are going in the right direction.
- Great for new business – one quick scroll through LinkedIn will show you that really successful people shout really loudly about what they do. Not everyone feels comfortable with that level of self-promotion but awards give you a very credible and reasonable opportunity to shout about success. For example, you can write a blog like this one and drive new traffic to your website, celebrate your achievement on social media or include award collateral on email signoffs or client proposals. The validation of your work from industry sends a message to potential clients that you are at top of your game.
- Promote your industry – we sit outside the hubbub of the London PR scene so we could choose a strategy to focus only on local awards, but that doesn’t do enough to promote the value of PR to the business community. Recognition, especially when it applauds client work, gives you a chance to shout about your industry’s worth on a broader scale.
So if you are considering entering an award we say go for it, and if you think you can’t spare the time and need some help crafting your entry… you know where to find us.