The Worth of an Award to an Agency
TSKC got placed in the MADcon Top 100 Marketing & Advertising Companies In The World, 2019
In December 2019, I flew to Dubai to attend an event where I went up on stage and collected a massive plaque that stated ‘The Silver Kick Company is in the Top 100 Marketing & Advertising Agencies in the world’. I won’t lie, it felt good. Due to a mishap in the organizing, the emcee skipped my name on the list. I had to run up to the organizers and tell them to put the lights back on and call the chief guest and photographer back and just give me my plaque. I accepted our award in an empty room. But I didn’t care.
After 6 years of running the agency, it felt incredible to receive an award. And not just any award. This award recognizes us in the top 100 marketing and advertising companies in the world. It was the first year of the award by the organizers which is why we were even more excited to be nominated. It felt like all the years of unnoticed hard work, smiles behind the scene of a successful campaign, late nights of rude or appreciative emails in my inbox, clients delaying payments or straight-up refusing to pay for work done, was all worth it.
That’s what this article is about. The worth of an award to an agency. If you’re a creative agency that’s wondering if you should nominate yourself or put yourself out there to get awards, read on.
When I received an email saying we had been nominated for an award, I was ecstatic. I wasn’t sure if we had the time and investment required for an award. After all, a flight to Dubai and accommodation costs money. At the insistence of our Creative Director, Ancita Sherel, who quoted Terry Pratchett, “So much universe, so little time. Please go for it.”
So I did.
At TSKC, we have always believed that when we really want something, time and opportunity just comes to us.
We cried when we received the mail saying we had been shortlisted for the award.
Was it worth it?
Yes. Yes it was. It was worth it for myself as the Founder of the agency, for my team, for our clients, for Bahrain and for small agencies.
For myself as the Founder
As the sole proprietor of the agency, I’m always wondering if I did something wrong or right. There’s no rule book to follow. I don’t have any mentors. I have no investors. So for me, this award is a massive validation. It tells me I did something right. To have my company ranked in the top 100 agencies in the world by an international organization is a huge recognition. The type of award it is and the nomination criteria resonated with us as a company. The award criteria asked us for our proudest achievements, what we do differently, and our contributions to the field. All things that we try to do as an agency- to do what no agency has done before, to support and work for not-for-profits because we genuinely believe in the cause, and to make a difference in the field of advertising through creating compelling art and working with ethical brands, is what we were being recognized for. It was a great testimony to the way I had built and run the company.
For my Team
This award has made my team that much more confident. The team is proud to be an award-winning team. It has motivated everyone to keep creating amazing work. This award is an award for every copywriter, designer, creative specialist, and programmer on our team. It’s their work, creativity, and dedication that has been recognized on an international level. What fascinated me is that once we got press coverage about winning the award, we received emails from the kind of talented women we wanted in our team. It’s such a big compliment when people want to work with you because of who you are and your values as a company.
For our Clients
When I received the email saying we were shortlisted for the award, Ancita was having a meeting with one of our clients. I informed her and she informed the clients. (I admit, I was blowing up her phone with happy messages and dance emojis.) The clients were overjoyed to know that they have an award-winning agency as their agency. They were thrilled to know that the agency that works as their marketing backbone is one that wins awards. It increases their faith in us because an international organization has recognized us for our contributions to the field and for our creativity. It enhanced our credibility with our clients.
For Bahrain
We are a multi-cultural, international agency, which was founded and established in the tiny but beautiful island of Bahrain. As a Bahraini myself, I want to see more creativity and original concepts in the field of marketing in the Kingdom. It feels like we get left behind in the big glamorous world of advertising because as a country, we don’t push the boundaries of creativity enough. This was the first award of its kind by the awarding body and it felt amazing to be one of two ad agencies from Bahrain to be shortlisted. This award win feels like a win for Bahrain.
For Small Agencies
I feel the award can inspire big and small agencies in our ecosystem to believe in their creative work. We know this because after winning the award we submitted an RFP (Request For Proposal) for a pioneering medical centre project for Bahrain. We knew we were overreaching as a small agency and competing with the bigwigs. But we won. We can never say for sure it was because of the award, but it gave us the confidence to aim higher and I’m pretty sure it played a role in us landing the RFP.
To summarize, an award is worth it. If it’s an accolade or title that resonates with you, you trust the awarding body and think that it’s prestigious to receive it, then, by all means, go for it. Even if you’re a small agency. Beg, borrow or steal the time as well as monetary investment for the flight and hotel stay if you need to accept the award overseas. Get a professional content writer to help you with filling out the nomination form for the award. There’s a reason your agency got nominated. Do everything it takes to make sure you gave it your all in the nomination.
And when you receive the award, make sure you enjoy it.
