The Truth About Awards in Advertising

"Awards don’t matter."

Said no one who truly understands this business.

To dismiss them entirely is to have no opinion at all. Love them or hate them, industry awards are one of the most hotly debated topics in advertising. Right up there with sending clients donuts versus cupcakes, and the ever-contentious logo size argument.

Over the years, I have probably said awards don’t matter myself. Usually, the morning after we did not take anything home. But the reality is, they do matter. Not because every award-winning ad drives sales, or that all smart, hardworking creative will impress judges. But because the pursuit of great, strategic, award-worthy work benefits everyone: clients, agencies, talent, and the industry as a whole.

Why?

“Good Enough” Rarely Is. It is easy to settle for the first idea that feels right. I saw this firsthand running an internal agency. Without the external push of peer review and industry critique, it is easy to mistake "good enough" for great. Awards keep us striving.

No More Gold Stars. We work with, or are part of, generations that grew up with participation trophies. But in advertising, real winners rise to the top. Awards create an incentive to push for better creatively, strategically, and executionally.

Great Work Requires Great Clients. The brands that demand outstanding work are not just elevating their marketing. They are driving their entire business forward.

We are very proud of our recent rankings on the Strategy’ s Creative Report Card for 2025.Rankings will vary from year to year, after all, there are a lot of extraordinarily talented people and agencies in our industry. But what doesn’t have to change, is the effort we put forward every day to help our clients use creativity as a business advantage and use our pursuit of that as the fuel keep our agency firing.