As well as the sales growth, add all other returns to the total payback: the decline that would have happened with no campaign, plus the increased value of the brand, and maybe even plus a share price rise. Add these together to estimate the campaign’s ROMI (return on marketing investment). Make the best of the creative work Creativity accounts for a big slice of the total marks in many competitions. Don’t assume the campaign’s creativity will speak for itself. Talk it up. Perhaps the campaign won a creative award. Perhaps the film director or photographer has won creative awards. Perhaps the campaign was reviewed in trade or national press (hint: use the theater’s technique. A review which said, “A sparkling performance could not disguise the terrible script” becomes “A sparkling performance”). Perhaps the client could supply a quote. Get the creative team responsible for the campaign to describe it in the entry so the judges “see” its creativity. A video is crucial here. The entry convinces the judges with logic, evidence and facts. The video wins their hearts and inspires their imaginations. Think about the video from the start Good videos take several weeks to produce, so warn the production department well in advance. Agree on a script with the creatives early. Make sure fancy effects don’t obscure the clarity of the story. Put yourself in a judge’s shoes Liz Wade of Ogilvy & Mather New York interviewed several O&M people who have judged the Effies. She found: • Judges are stressed. They have to read many papers in a limited time. Make your case a quick read by halving the number of words and telling a bedtime-simple story. • Judges are exposed. They have to assess things they know nothing about without looking silly. Give them the background and benchmarks they need to confidently advocate for your case. • Judges are suspicious. They are on the lookout for propaganda, half-truths, salesmanship. Surprise them with disarming honesty. • Judges are emotional. If you win their hearts, they will search for ways to up your score. Romance the insight and the work (but never romance the results). 29