The Say Communications Award for Excellence In Communication Through Creative Execution

Sponsored by

Back to full list

This award celebrates the power of creativity as a tool to communicate key messages to target audiences. The judges will be looking to understand how creative ideas and choice of execution link back to research and insights relevant to the target audience. They are keen to understand the core creative idea behind specific executions, and the rationale for choosing any particular route over another. What mindset changes were identified, and how did the creative seek to deliver that change? What rationale and validation did the creative go through to ensure success? How was the creative measured?

Entries can showcase words or images, digital, print or any other medium, along with an explanation of why you feel this particular execution delivered against a clearly defined need. Of course, the judges will also be looking for stunning imagery and cleverly worded copy, but we’re also keen to understand the brief and how your creative has answered it. So, to win this award you need to show:

  • What research and insights powered your creative brief and inspired the core idea
  • An explanation of the idea itself
  • The rationale behind the creative direction taken
  • Stunning creative that delivers against the rationale
  • Why you chose to take the route you did in terms of media
  • Effectiveness and results – evidence that it delivered against the intention and objectives.

Entries should demonstrate first-class strategic thinking and exceptional implementation (in line with the ABPI, EFPIA and PAGB Codes of Practice).

Work conducted during the 18-month period between July 2022 and December 2023 will be eligible. If the submission has been entered previously, the current entry must provide benchmarks to clearly demonstrate how the programme was evaluated and how it has developed over time

Don’t forget:

  • provide a copy of any previous submission for this work
  • be open! Were there any other contributors to the programme?

JUDGING CRITERIA AND ENTRY FORMAT:

Entry Title

Please give a simple title for your entry of no more than ten words

Executive Summary – 200 words. 0 (zero) marks

This will be used if your entry is selected as a finalist and does not need to be anonymised.

Main entry

1. Budget Band Information, as below:

Band A under £10,000
Band B £10,001-£25,000
Band C £25,001-£50,000
Band D £50,001-£100,000
Band E £100,001-£200,000
Band F over £200,001.

If your client has declined to allow this, you must state this within your submission.

  • Failure to provide the budget band seriously impacts the judge’s ability to assess the entry against other entries and may result in the entry being disqualified
  • The budget band provides important context for judging the innovation, delivery and impact of a piece of work.
  • Impressive work is not always dependent on budget size, so there is no right or wrong budget.

2. The reason why - 15 points (150 words)

All campaigns need a reason to exist; a problem to overcome or an unmet need to be resolved. Tell us what insights you have as to why your campaign was needed

3. The Who - 15 points (150 words)

Identifying the right audience to receive and act on the campaign is key to any successful project. Talk us through the target audience you identified and why. Let us know what insights you have that helped you to understand how, why and what you needed to communicate to change behaviour or shift mindsets

4. The Big Idea - 20 points (200 words)

The theme and messaging of your campaign needs to resonate with the insights you had from your audience types and reasons for the project. Explain what your theme was and how it links to the impact you wanted to create

5. The Roll Out - 35 points (350 words)

Creativity knows no boundaries so show us how and what you used to disseminate out your campaign. Demonstrate the creative and design you developed , the content created and the channels used

6. Impact - 15 points (150 words)

We know measurement of campaigns can sometimes be a bit difficult in pharma. But ways to analyse impact are key to defining whether a project has achieved its objectives. Talk us through the approaches you used to measure your successes . These could be Reach KPIs– visits, downloads and views or impact KPIs – conversions, enquiries and prescribing behaviour

Supporting Materials

Please only send information that helps the judges to see how you researched, planned, implemented and measured the programme within each specific category, e.g.:

  • Information illustrating how the strategy was brought to life is helpful, but we don’t need a copy of every item
  • Information supporting the evaluation and measurement is the most relevant
  • ESSENTIAL: a summary sheet must be supplied detailing each piece of supporting material and clearly identifying where evidence can be found to support claims in the entry
  • PLUS: An approved visual image or video that supports the entry for use in print, results pages online and in the AV.