According to the Direct Marketing Association's Quarterly Business Review, the direct and interactive industries posted healthy growth. And, happily, the indicators are proving 2005 to be even better. But what does your 'runaway file' (also known as your portfolio) say? If we were to base the fatness of your folio on what the bathroom scales say (assuming you have one of those massive A1 folders), then life is good. If it is based on awards, then 2004 made for a very thin year and a very thin runaway file. So, what do the award shows have to say?
Echo Awards 2004 - These are the Oscars of the DM world. We had a poor showing from this neck of the woods. Very few necks were extended when it came to pushing creativity, strategy and effectiveness. Nineteen of these honeys were awarded to Asia-Pacific, eight to one agency network, while our cousins Down Under picked up the rest, including the coveted Diamond Echo. Our bronzed Aussie friends outperformed the entire Asia region.
Cannes Lions Direct 2004 - Cannes is the show pony for direct mail. And, by all accounts, the standard was stratospherically high. Eleven trophies were awarded regionally. In Asia, Malaysia picked up gold, while Singapore waved the flag with two silvers and a bronze. Australia took out the Grand Prix and New Zealand picked up seven. The antipodeans stole the limelight again. Regionally, the Cyber Lions turned in a stronger performance. Worth mentioning is Japan. It won the Grand Prix, and 13 of the 17 trophies for this region. Korea received a gold and China two silvers.
DM Asia Awards 2004 - Closer to home, the DM Asia Awards is an excellent gauge to see how agencies are performing regionally. The standard of entries improved from last year. However, the results were divided between two agency networks, with one bagging 28 of the 56 trophies and another snatching 18. Ten trophies were spread out over the rest of the region.
So what does all this mean? To judge creativity in this region, we must use the metrics of measurement based on metal tally. Our industry appears to be reliant on a few agencies who've invested heavily in direct and interactive, who are now seeing the dividends from both a business perspective and creatively.
Let's not kid ourselves. We're lucky to be in a robust and growing region, but that doesn't mean creating breakthrough work that moves the needle for our clients will fall naturally into place. The above is testament to the fact that we still have a way to go.
So let's work to making 2005 the year where our runaway files tip the scales.