Agency of the Year winners’ words: Tips for first-time entrants and how winning changes everything

The early bird deadline for the 2018 Agency of the Year Awards is today (3 September) and the entry deadline is 9 October. Visit aoyawards.com for complete information and this year’s entry kit.

Some of last year’s winners share their advice and reflections on winning Agency of the Year…

Dew Intapunya, Chief Content Officer, Ensemble Thailand - Thailand
Winner of 2017 Thailand Creative Agency of the Year

1. Has winning this award changed or helped your team, business, work?  

We have been spotlighted! We got invitations to meet new people and show our best practices to them. For the team, our staffs have gained pride and more confidence and try to work even better to prove our badge. We are able to attract lots of new talent.

2. What was your strategy for preparing your entry?

We gathered all the successful truths that we have done along the year and tried to cover all award criteria, as much as we can in demonstrating the list with proven results.

3. What advice would you give to an agency who plans to enter AOY the first time?

Try to be differentiated and find unique points to sell. Prepare enough time to collect supporting document and craft the writings.

Ryan Ong, Managing Director, Kingdom Digital, Malaysia
Winner of 2017 Malaysia Independent Agency of the Year

1. Has winning this award changed or helped your team, business, work?

Yes, definitely. We’re honoured to receive this recognition and be ranked among the top agencies in the country. Being a homegrown independent digital agency, winning the award has solidified our position in the industry and it’s a positive validation of our hard work and achievements for the past one year. Besides, this has also given us a greater awareness and exposure in the regional spotlight.

2. What was your strategy for preparing your entry?

No specific strategy per se, but what we’d normally do first is to read and understand the entry requirements. Then, we’d start the information gathering process by reviewing what we have achieved in the past year (eg: client wins, business growth, best work, talent retention and new hires) and identifying the individual(s) in the team that can provide the necessary information.

3. What advice would you give to an agency who plans to enter AOY the first time?

• Start early, don't leave the writing to the very last minute
• Make sure to check and follow the rules, requirements and templates given
• Ensure the written submission tells a clear but concise story, and let your achievements and creative work speak for itself

Anish Daryani, Founder & President Director, M&C Saatchi, Indonesia

1. What advice would you give to an agency who plans to enter AOY for the first time?

Campaign Asia AOY Awards would be your first steps to enhance your agency's reputation in the most credible way. Remember to start your case study entry with a good articulation of the most compelling challenge that your agency faced during the year, and everything you did to overcome it, leading to great results. This is the only award that goes beyond focusing on a single campaign or piece of work, giving recognition to agencies performing in every aspect of their business: talent (retention and attracting new talent), business growth (client retention, organic growth and new business), as well as aspects like being a good corporate citizen and awards. So make sure you paint a holistic picture of your agency's performance.

 

For awards enquiries, please contact: Zamir Khan at [email protected] or the AOY team at [email protected].