Win. Analyze. Repeat.

How ACCESS Uses Award-Winning Work to Ensure Future Success

Thursday, October 29, 2020

By: Rebecca Jami, Chief Operating Officer

We may not have walked any red carpets this year, but ACCESS was proud to have swept the award season with six Summit Creative Awards. The Summit Creative Awards recognize outstanding work among small and medium-sized advertising agencies worldwide. Because the judges represent countries across the globe, winning is a great indicator that the creative hit the mark.

Once the team was done celebrating, we got busy dissecting our entries to determine what worked well and how we could repeat that success for more of our clients. Of the many insights we gained, it was clear that every one of our award-winners followed these two principles.

1. Understand Your Target Audience Before Creative Begins.

No matter how fantastic the creative work on a marketing piece, if it doesn’t engage your target audience it can’t be counted as a success. We believe that putting research before brainstorming always pays off.

For example, one of our award-winners was an infographic created for an association representing PAC (political action committee) professionals. Our very first step was to reach out to Amie Adams, President at the PAC consulting firm Dunn Associates to gain better insight into their membership. Amie shared that PAC Directors were short on time and inundated with information. They value clear, easy-to-understand communication pieces.

The infographic that we ultimately created for the organization met the target’s need for easily digestible, relevant information. It conveyed the organization’s accomplishments in an easy-to-read one-pager with clean graphics and lean copy.

2. Integrate Key Messaging into Every Aspect of the Work

Design and copy can be great dance partners, or they can step on each other’s feet. The most effective, and award-winning, pieces are those that allow the two to move in step with each other.

One of the direct response mailers the Summit Awards recognized is a great example of integrated messaging. ACCESS’s creative team was asked to promote a candidate for public office and to encourage early voting. The mailer’s headline “Let’s Rise and Shine” was executed by design using a bold, yellow font that appeared to be rising behind the skyline just as the sun would. On the backside, the closing headline “Let’s Rise” tied together both the copy and the design theme featured on the front.

When done well, design and copy solve communications challenges together. They convey information in a way that captures the audience’s attention visually and mentally. The clarity that shines through when these two elements work hand in hand is what makes a winning piece.

The approaches mentioned are just two of the ways that ACCESS creates award-winning campaigns. When we work with our clients, we drill down even further to ensure that the medium, messaging, and design always engage target audiences. Let us know how we can help you with your next campaign