The Round One jury for the 2014 North American Effie Awards convened in Boston, MA today to review entries. The panel gathered at the Boston Globe to help determine which will advance to Final Round judging in February 2014.
In addition to reviewing cases, members of the jury shared insights on the challenges of creating effective marketing in North America.
“The role of strong, current consumer insights should guide every move,” Elizabeth Deschenes, Senior Project Manager, Global, at Hasbro said. “No longer can you rely on the success of your last campaign. Instead, it’s important to know your audience on a near individual level, and develop content that connects and engages honestly in the space where they live.”
Majja Dennis, EVP of Marketing at Allen & Gerristen, agreed that a clear understanding of the audience and their motivations is the key to taking marketing from good to effective. But, she warned, distraction can be an issue.
“The explosion of available channels and technologies has created a ‘kid in a candy store’ environment for marketers. But in that exploration and excitement the audience often gets lost,” she explained. “We build because we can; not because it’s answering a need or because it’s desired by our end audience.”
Phil Collyer, SVP of Creative Services at Jack Morton Worldwide, echoed similar sentiments. “The greatest challenge we face today in the North American market is the over-abundance of noise, aimless activity and technology being served up by many brands like an all-you-can-eat brand experience buffet,” he said.
“It’s the ‘serve them everything and they’ll find something they like’ approach that many brands are taking that has made it even more challenging to hit our target audiences with attention-grabbing, results-oriented brand experiences.”
The day offered an interesting look at the state of the industry. Despite the challenges facing North American marketers, the jury was compelled by entries that had the momentum of a story unfolding.
North American Round One judging will continue in Atlanta, GA next month.
