Awards. Who needs them?

Yes, check the trophy cabinet. But here are five key indicators that an agency is worthy of the awards it has won.

Why would you hire an award-winning agency? After all, awards are just the industry patting itself on the back, aren’t they?

Everyone knows the figures are hiked, the client testimonials are schmoozed, the happy staff are reading from the MD’s autocue.

That’s what you think, until you win one. And the fact that twogether won B2B Marketing Communications Agency of the Year 2018 at this year’s B2B Marketing Awards blows all those jaded ideas right out of the water.

Because we haven’t been part of the B2B marketing establishment. We’re not the first name on everyone’s lips when you play the popular pub game, “Name A B2B Marketing Agency”.

Having been on the inside here for just under three years, I know the reality behind what little hype there has been. I mean, yes, I’m biased. I think we’re great, honestly. But you might equally expect me to be pretty cynical about it all.

I’ve seen the arguments, the pressure, the frustrations. It’s not all prosecco and Audis.

So, here’s the truth behind why you should hire an award-winning agency:

• They do great work. You really don’t win any of these things unless you’re capable of some really ground-breaking thinking. Everything stands or falls on the work.
• They’re good people. This might even be more important than the work. Flaky geniuses can drive you nuts. If the essential quality is there, think about whether or not you can trust the people and, above all, if you actually like them. You’ll have to share tough times, as well as glamour and joy.
• They have the scale and the resources. Bijou teams of lovely people can do great work, and may be cool to hang out with. But if you have six weeks to deliver a pan-EMEA campaign across multiple verticals, they simply won’t have the strength in depth you need.
• They’re pros. They have processes, training, integrity, regulatory sense and a social conscience. You’re in a serious business; you need people who can operate with corporate responsibility and who can apply best practice across all disciplines.
• They care. Tough to measure, but the judges told us it was a critical factor in their decision to choose us. If your agency comes bouncing in to take a brief, or to show their work, or just to plan the next budget cycle, you know they’re on board with your priorities. They want to make life easier for you, and deliver beyond your expectations.

Having looked at the agencies we were up against, in all the categories we entered, we were not surprised by any of the winners. A bit annoyed that it wasn’t always us, but not surprised. They are good people, doing great work, and they’re pros.

Which means that awards are good indicators of quality, but they’re not the whole story. You have to dig deeper.

And, as Twogether’s win shows, you have to look beyond the establishment. You never know when the passionate challengers of convention are going to break into the mainstream. And now we’re here, we’re still hungry for more.

We’d love to show you what we can do for you.