How are agencies making their creative and strategic awards work in their favor?

The Drum Awards Festival is over for another year. Over the last two weeks, The Drum has handed out Gold, Silver and Bronze awards to global agencies and brands. In this installment of Agency Advice we find out how agencies use awards to their advantage.You’ve taken to the stage and claimed your deserved award for your fantastic work and its effectiveness. So, what happens next? Once the shiny (and extremely heavy) Drum Award has been put in pride of place in the company trophy cabinet, how do agencies ensure that their success in awards leads to success in the chase for new business, industry respect and wooing the best talent? Agency leaders tell us how they make the most of winning.Caroline Miller, managing director, Indigo Pearl: “Winning a prestigious award, such as our recent Gold at The Drum Awards for PR in the Entertainment category, is always a proud moment for us as an agency. It validates our expertise, builds credibility, and sets us apart in a competitive market. We leverage awards as a key part of our marketing and business strategy in various ways. Sharing the win with clients reinforces their choice to work with us – after all, everyone wants to partner with a winner! We amplify wins on social media, particularly LinkedIn, and add them to our credentials deck and website to position ourselves as industry leaders, all of which helps to attract both new business and top talent. Internally, these accolades boost morale, inspire the team, and make sure that people feel their hard work is appreciated. Awards are not just recognition – they’re a strategic asset that strengthens relationships, drives business development, and cultivates a winning team culture.”Jouke Vuurmans, chief creative officer, Monks: “We pursue awards that highlight our excellence in creativity, marketing and technology, AI capabilities, top talent, and distinctiveness from competitors. For work-related awards, we collaborate with clients to select our best projects for submission to industry awards. We celebrate these achievements across social channels and our internal communications program ‘Made by Monks’, including our annual awards count and favorite wins for use in decks, etc. Our internal program 'Project Roar' (name inspired by Cannes Lions) cultivates a culture of excellence and ambition. It allows us to select our best internal work for all creative award submissions. In late 2023, we engaged mid and senior-level creatives in an internal jury to vote on submitted projects, resulting in nine selected projects for the 2024 awards season and kept our staff - and the world - updated on our successes each step of the way. Our second year of 'Project Roar' will kick off soon!” How are agencies benchmarking the quality of their output?Craig Elimeliah, chief creative officer, Code and Theory: “Awards wins build momentum. When we win, we go beyond the typical social post or press release. We make sure it is part of our core story. We use it as a conversation starter with clients, turning it into a proof point of our approaches and vision. We also lean into awards to showcase our talent and culture internally; it can be a big morale boost and a reminder of what we can all achieve together when we are at our best. It’s a celebration, but more importantly, it is a challenge to keep pushing our standards higher. Externally, it helps to sharpen our edge in new business pitches, signaling to prospects that we are leading the industry, not just following. It puts us at the top of the mind of clients and talent who want to be part of the work shaping the future.”Stacie Boney, president, Hanson Dodge: “We work to get award news up on owned channels quickly and enduringly: social (LinkedIn, Instagram), website, email signatures. There is something about that external validation that catches current clients' and prospects’ eyes. We find prospects reaching out to meet Hanson Dodge, in part, because of the broader industry business awards (Small Agency, Fastest Growing, Best Places). The same is true for employees and prospective hires - it feels good to be on a winning team.”Rosie Bocking, head of marketing, Brave Bison: “At Brave Bison, an award win isn’t just a trophy on the shelf – it’s a moment to celebrate the incredible work we do and the talented team behind it. But it doesn’t stop there. We make sure the news travels far: through newsletters, social media, press coverage, and case studies that share the story behind the success. Awards remind clients and partners of the value we bring and spark meaningful conversations with new ones. Internally, they’re a massive morale boost, shining a spotlight on the talent and hard work of the herd, keeping everyone energized and inspired. For future talent, they’re a clear signal that this is where impactful work happens – and it’s truly valued. Winning doesn’t just celebrate what we’ve achieved; it pushes us to keep raising the bar.”Deborah Hall, CEO, Dive: “Team Dive is proud to celebrate award wins alongside our staff and partners, and we always strive to support and attend the ceremonies in person whenever possible. Award shows like The Drum, which offer livestreaming, are especially valuable as they allow our global team and clients to feel connected to the event. We are especially grateful for the opportunity to come together in person as a team to celebrate our achievements and spend quality time with the talented people who make it all possible. There’s something special about sharing those moments face-to-face, strengthening the bonds within our team and with our partners. Typically, we share shortlist announcements and award wins as digital assets across our website, social media channels and for press coverage. One of the unique advantages of working closely with both platform partners and brands/agencies is the opportunity to tag a wide range of teammates, keeping the celebration going until long after the event itself. For some past award wins we have used our Dive Campaign system to publish the win to billboards as another way of using our system to congratulate the teams involved. In past award shows, we’ve even had the chance to meet potential future team members who have been inspired by the positive energy and momentum that an award win brings. Another benefit of attending award events is the time it affords us to reflect on and appreciate the incredible work across various categories, honoring the best in our craft.”Kim Berkin, managing director, Charlie Oscar: “Winning awards is more than just a trophy on the shelf; it validates that our work delivers real value for our clients. Too many award entries fall short in the results section, but this is where we excel. We recently entered and won our first award, and the excitement in the office was a joy to see. We made a big fuss, popped the champagne, and took a moment to celebrate together. The marketing we do for our own business is a real reflection of the care we take in marketing our clients' businesses. Spotlighting our brilliant people, great work and award wins is an important part of our strategy - it’s a powerful way of getting the attention of potential clients and talent who want to be part of what we’re creating at Charlie Oscar.”Jason Klein, COO and co-founder, SeeMe Index: “Most people love awards (especially in a creative industry). When you add the lens of inclusivity, it is a great motivator and extra reason to celebrate. In these cases, not only are we rewarding good work, but we are celebrating marketing that makes consumers feel like they belong. When there is the power of consensus (i.e. Voted on by 80,000 consumers) or exclusivity ('This is the only brand in X category recognized as certified inclusive in 2024'.), it is important for teams to understand why winning the award is important and differentiated from 10,000 others. As a startup in the brand-new AI-inclusive measurement space, awards are a critical driver for building awareness and confidence in our brand and the technology. Winning awards is a vote of confidence and a signal from the industry that we are on the right path in our growth journey.”Emma Dean, chief operations officer, SMG: “Celebrating wins is a vital part of our company culture, sharing our excitement with our clients and our team across our own channels and through direct outreach. This month we were named the top media and marketing agency to work for in the UK, earning ‘world-class employer’ status by Best Companies - accolades that are key to our recruitment strategy. For us, winning awards isn’t just about recognition; it’s about showing our passion for innovation and being pioneers in our industry. It’s a reflection of the values that drive our culture: Stay Honest, Stay Foolish, Stay Hungry, and Have Fun. These values position us as a workplace where top talent can grow, take risks, get creative, and have fun while making an impact. Internally, these wins motivate our teams and set new benchmarks for success while showing potential hires that we’re a company that truly invests in people”.Michael Kania, associate vice president of marketing, Kepler: “While our corporate communications plan is built ahead of time, we maintain space and bandwidth for celebrating key moments and events such as award wins. We amplify wins through our owned channels, such as social media and our website as well as share the information in our agency newsletter for clients, partners and friends of Kepler. Award wins are an exciting validation of the incredible work that we know is happening daily at Kepler. We once had a client refer to us as the 'Best-Kept Secret for Growth in the Industry.' A wonderful compliment, but we are eager to help more brands find success and awards help highlight our innovative solutions. Internally, our collective culture is built upon teamwork and camaraderie. We have a weekly all-company meeting to celebrate company highlights, and award wins are always an energizing announcement. No matter what team, or who wins, the company rallies around the success to celebrate, congratulate and learn more about the industry-leading work.”Oli Richards, chief marketing officer, The Beyond Collective: "For us at The Beyond Collective, in a world where we are leading the debate on closer integration between creative and media, our award wins are a point of confidence for new business prospects and a celebration of a great partnership for those already working with us. For us it doesn’t just have to be a Grand Prix – we celebrate shortlists, merits, graphite(s) and everything else in between. All shared on our socials, credentials, pitches and even as the first thing you see as you walk into our agency. Because awards are one of the only strands of our agency marketing which touch every one of our key audiences. From new business prospects to existing clients, to motivating and energizing talent (current and future). They are a powerful articulation of what makes our agency product special and distinctive.”Jeff Graham, president & CMO, Cactus: “We’re pretty discerning about the awards we enter in the first place - and we try to only pursue the most meaningful awards, the ones that can impact our business and our employment brand. When we’re lucky enough to win, we celebrate those wins internally with to our team, we share them in our organic social channels, and for some awards (ie. The Drum Awards) we post them on our website and actually include them in our email signatures. We’ve been intentional about entering awards that demonstrate multiple strengths of the agency: the quality of our creative product, how our business is performing year over year, and the kind of workplace culture we have at Cactus. Being recognized across all those areas (v just one) is an important indicator of our trajectory as an agency.” Reina Basu, director of business development, MKG: “At MKG, winning an award isn’t just about celebrating - it’s about amplifying. We ensure our clients know we couldn’t do it without them, sharing the news directly and showing how their trust in us drives results. On the marketing side, we roll out a press push when applicable, share the win across social media, and update our website to showcase our award-winning projects and accolades. Awards also become key talking points in pitches and credentials meetings. They’re a great way to show potential clients that we’re not just thinking big; we’re delivering big. For our team, awards are a huge morale boost. We celebrate together, shout out the people who made it happen, and use it as a reminder of what we can achieve when we push boundaries, especially in an industry as tough as experiential. And when it comes to talent, winning makes us stand out. People want to work at a place where great work gets recognized.”Darryl Sparey, managing director, Hard Numbers: “Awards were central to the success of our launch in 2020 - we set out to win as many 'best new agency' awards as we could to announce ourselves as a fresh alternative in the B2B PR space. Merchandising shortlists and award wins on social media was key to maximizing our reach. Boosting posts with paid spend ensured more prospective customers saw, too. I had wanted to hang our PRCA “Small Consultancy of the Year” award on a gold chain like Flava Flav and wear it to every pitch, but my business partner thought that was a little too gauche.”Ashley Bolser, founder & MD, Bolser: “Winning awards isn’t everything; being positioned to win is even better and can be highly rewarding. However, external validation is important to staff (gives recognition of their excellence); to clients (reinforces their choice to work with you and affirms the quality of their projects), to suppliers (demonstrates that you are a credible and significant organization to partner with); and to your peers (serving as a testament to your professional success and standing, i.e. you’re not stacking supermarket shelves as they might’ve predicted!). For us, winning the King’s Award felt like the ultimate validation. Widely considered to be akin to receiving a knighthood for businesses, the criteria we were measured against were much more objective than your average awards and encompassed a wide range of factors — in our case, these included everything from export sales growth to proving our financial security. Digging deep into the archives of our business helped us take stock and understand who we are on a deeper level. A great exercise!”Sydney Fisher, global PR & marketing manager, Imagination: “Awards are more than accolades - they’re momentum builders. When we win, we shout it loud and proud through email updates, social media, and our website. For clients, it’s a testament to the value we bring, and for prospects, it’s proof that we deliver exceptional results. Awards fuel our marketing strategy, boosting credibility in pitches and case studies. Internally, they inspire pride, reward our team’s hard work, and drive us to aim higher. They also spotlight us as a destination for top talent. Winning isn’t just about recognition. It’s about celebrating excellence and igniting future success.” Read more Agency Advice.Carlton Wood, partner & EVP business development, Lewis: “Show me an agency with a track record of dominating award shows, and I’ll show you one that’s attracting top-tier talent, winning new business, and driving growth. In advertising, we’re not just in the business of capturing attention for our clients’ brands—we’re also building our own. While some may downplay the importance of awards, they’re a cornerstone of agency promotion and a powerful way to set Lewis apart. Awards create compelling content for every channel—web, social, email, and beyond. More importantly, they’re a shared victory, celebrating the collaborative commitment to creative excellence that defines our partnerships.”Louisa O’Connor, managing director, Seen Presents: "As a new business awards were integral to our marketing strategy. When I asked a client “how do you find new agencies to work with”… they quickly said, “I just look at who has won industry awards”. Without years of trading, awards give you social recognition and validation to show clients that you are creative, trustworthy and can create work that is worthy of recognition. We announce all our award nominations and wins on our social channels and website. Aside from helping to build our profile, the collective boost it gives the team when the nominations come in gives them such validation for all their hard work. It’s the ultimate “you did good guys’ and it never gets old."Chris Witherspoon, co-founder & CEO, DNA: “At DNA, our brand ethos of 'Different Wins' is more than a mantra - it’s proof that bold, barrier-breaking ideas deliver real results. When we win an award, it’s a moment to celebrate that proof with our clients, our team, and the world. We make sure these wins shine. From our website and newsletter to personal outreach, we share them as living examples of our creativity, effectiveness, and the impact we bring to brands. It’s not just bragging—it’s showing our clients that we’re delivering on our promise of changing minds and bottom lines. For our team, awards are fuel. They celebrate the courageous ideas that define us, spark pride in our work, and inspire us to aim even higher. They’re also magnets for talent who want to create unignorable work. In short, the right awards aren’t just trophies—they’re catalysts for greatness, inside and out.“Melissa Chapman, CEO, Jungle Creations & The Wild by Jungle: “Awards are so much more than their ability to help attract new business. We’ve all won some, but what they actually mean to the culture of your business and show to the outside world is quite nuanced by what you win and for what. Internal celebration and recognition of work from clients is the biggest reason we do awards. In a time when creativity can be less celebrated or engulfed by data, awards are a great reminder that a brilliant idea executed well should always be key. But of course, an award always has its place on LinkedIn, in a pitch deck and most importantly the work behind that award forms a story. And a story we can tell future clients.”Chris Crawford, founder & CEO, Elite Media: “While awards are not why we do this, it is a great way for us to prove that being radically committed to driving impact in the community has an impact on businesses and brands. We talk internally and ask ourselves, "how can this recognition push us in the future? Beyond the award, was it worth making because of the impact on either the business or the community?" That positions and empowers us to keep inviting and encouraging our colleagues, peers and partners to join us in a friendly competition to out-good each other. Every award we win is just further proof that our commitment to impact works.”Evan Horowitz, CEO and founder, Movers+Shakers: “We've found the path to making the agency famous is simple: Do amazing work, and then tell everyone about it. Rinse and repeat. Awards are a quick signal that you are producing something effective, innovative or attention-grabbing – and when it’s all of the above, you have a winner on your hands. We leverage LinkedIn to celebrate our wins, making it easy for employees and clients to share and amplify. Showcasing award-winning work not only elevates our profile but also puts us on the radar of potential clients and talent. When we celebrate, we go beyond bragging—using these moments to share insights and lessons that highlight what made the work impactful. That said, we understand clients prioritize results over accolades. For this reason, we ensure our marketing and capabilities presentations focus on the impact and value we deliver, with awards taking a backseat. We also take pride in nominating our team members for individual awards, from early-career rising stars to seasoned executives. Celebrating these wins fosters a culture of recognition and inspires our entire team to cheer each other on. It’s an essential part of building a workplace that values and champions its people.”Jamie Maunder, chief creative officer, Mādin: “Winning an award is like hitting a high note—it’s an opportunity to celebrate. We prioritize celebrating with our team first, ensuring they feel valued because their talent makes these achievements possible. Afterward, we share our success story widely, transforming accolades into client showcases and sparking future conversations. Awards serve as a powerful megaphone; they attract like-minded collaborators, inspire our team, and remind potential clients that we don’t just create—we innovate. Internally, they instill pride and momentum, motivating everyone to reach new creative heights. Externally, they signal that we don’t just follow trends - we set them.”

How are agencies making their creative and strategic awards work in their favor?

By Richard Draycott, Associate editor

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