Decoding REGGIE Excellence

Judges' Insights on What Makes a Campaign REGGIE Award Worthy

Discover what 2024 REGGIE Award judges will be specifically looking for in the 2024 submissions, and in their words, what will set apart award-worthy campaigns from the rest. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the specific elements and strategic considerations they highlight, to achieve the highest recognition in the competitive brand activation marketing landscape.

I look for indication that the nominating team have well-developed objectives and strategies, and that the tactics they used to execute their campaign ladder up to those goals. I also look for a strong analytics plan that measures results, using facts and data to assess a campaign's success. Nowadays, I'm observing gaps in marketing teams' abilities in this area. By participating in the REGGIE Awards nomination phase, a brand has an opportunity to demonstrate their team's skills in this area and see how they measure up to other brands. A well developed strategy that has a demonstrable impact on a brand's business is a sure winner in my book! Bonus points for originality.

I am most concerned with whether the company was the "customers' Champion" v. if they created a program and pushed it on the customer and it "worked." The latter is not worthy of building a long-term customer relationship even if it may temporarily move the numbers. My top criterion is whether the marketing efforts were in reaction to customer issues rather than simply a push from the company. REGGIES is a true recognition of talent, experience, and action. It appreciates and recognizes diversity, a growth mindset, and a customer-oriented approach.

A captivating narrative can elevate a marketing campaign from good to exceptional. Entries that tell a compelling story, resonate emotionally with the audience, and leave a lasting impression. Entries that demonstrate a commitment to ethnical marketing practices, social responsibility, and positive societal impact. The impact of the campaign, specifically see evidence of measurable results that align with the campaign's objectives.

A REGGIE -worthy advertising campaign emanates from an original strategy translated into creative concepts that cut through the clutter and deeply resonates with its target audience. It emotionally or intellectually engages consumers, making the campaign a memorable and impactful experience. There are several characteristics that are key to an award-winning campaign: • A concept that resonates with the target audience, creating an emotional or intellectual connection. • An impactful or innovative concept that transforms the advertisement into a memorable experience that stays with consumers. • Strong branding that enhances long-term consumers relationship with the brand’s products. • Effective and innovative media usage, whether traditional or digital, that maximizes engagement. • Measurable effectiveness and strong ROI that achieves marketing objectives, including long-term effects on the brand and audience connection.

I will be looking for entries that demonstrate truly inventive marketing strategies and impactful campaigns. Winning submissions should highlight initiatives that delivered impressive and measurable results for their brand and industry. Specifically, I want to see creative executions that broke new ground to effectively engage audiences and drive business growth, along with creative executions that feature new approaches, leveraging innovations for platforms. The most compelling entries will clearly communicate campaign insights, innovative strategics, exceptional creative tailored to the target, and robust analytics frameworks to connect activities to KPIs. Quantifiable metrics demonstrating how the marketing directly impacted meaningful brand/business metrics are key factors for submissions reaching the winner’s circle. Additionally, I want to recognize marketing-led collaboration within organizations. Bringing together cross-functional partners to develop integrated strategies and creative ideas shows a commitment to demand generation. When companies align around growth opportunities, they often achieve scalable and sustainable performance improvement. At the end of the day, REGGIE Award-level recognition is reserved for those submissions embodying the passion, imagination, and pioneering spirit to advance our industry. I’m excited to dive into the disruptive and highly effective work from this year!

Emotion serves as a powerful catalyst for meaningful action, propelling individuals to engage, connect, and respond. In the realm of marketing, tapping into these emotions is a strategic art. Great marketing transcends product features, weaving narratives that resonate with the audience's feelings. Emotional resonance creates a lasting impact, forging a connection between brand and consumer. Whether evoking joy, nostalgia, or a sense of belonging, emotions motivate decisions. Effective marketing understands the human psyche, influencing perceptions and fostering brand loyalty. By aligning with the audience's emotions, campaigns become not just transactions but experiences, etching a brand into the consumer's emotional memory.

I will be looking for how the submitted entrant connects to the target buyer in an emotionally charged way that engages a response and of course stays memorable. In particular I will look for the following qualities and talent in the work: - Simplicity of message, yet beautiful and emotionally engaging at a human level - Use of script and clever words to provoke a specific response - Combined use of visual imagery blended with original footage that aligns well with the overall message and script - Emphasis on diversity of audience, elegantly executed and not feel like it's overly scripted / DEI "theatrics" - Use of UGC content that resonates with the buyer / audience without a big budget spend for famous actors or influencer creators. - How the health, fitness and wellness category portrays all types of people, not just those that are fit already.

Creativity and innovation, message clarity, a compelling call-to-action and the ability to deliver against KPIs in unexpected ways instead of the usual tactics. As a Black woman, I will also keep a keen eye out for diversity and representation, authenticity in resonating with target audiences and really SMART and intelligent thinking when trying to reach diverse audiences. If the award entry really makes me think or takes me by surprise, there's a solid chance that it did for the target audience, too. I'm also looking for FUN and engaging campaigns that evoke some type of emotion. Did the campaign make me FEEL something? Did I laugh? Did I tear up? Did I remember it days or even weeks or months later even if I wasn't the intended audience? That's the good stuff, right there. I'll be looking for campaign creative and/or tactics that make me ponder, "now, why didn't I think of that?" or "wow, i wish that i had worked on this!"