SLIM creates more opportunities for Effie contestants this year

Effie Awards Sri Lanka, organised by SLIM and celebrating its 10th milestone this year is all set to make an indent in the pages of Effie history, by introducing a series of new prerequisites in line with the Global blueprint, that will make a significant impact to this year’s Awards. A noteworthy initiative is the eligibility period for Effie 2017 which has been extended from the usual 12 months to 15 months, enabling participants to become prepared with latest results. Accordingly, the new cutoff period would be the end of December 2017. 

The number of individuals that can be listed for credits for a winning entry is extended from 6 to 8, counting up to two lead agencies and two clients, especially in the case of joint ventures and joint projects. The number of contributing agencies remain up to 4, as previously.

Another vital addition for this year’s Effie Awards criteria is the list of new categories introduced. They are Brand Experience, Business to Business (B2B) marketing initiatives and Positive Change – Social Goods. The new categories are listed in the 2017 entry kit which can be accessed via http://www.effie.lk.

A series of new standards have also been introduced in the process of judging and evaluation. As per directions from Effie Global, two parallel judging panels will carry-out the judging process in the preliminary round. Thus, the number of entries per judge will be reduced, which would undoubtedly eliminate fatigue, and as a result, enhance their productivity. Further, according to the newly introduced guidelines, there will be a stringent entry screening process by an eminent panel of marketers prior to judging, to ensure that all entries are qualified as per the entry requirements, which also determine that they are entered into the correct categories. 

Speaking about Effie 2017, SLIM President/Lanka Hospitals Diagnostics Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Pradeep Edward stated, “As one of the hallmark events of the marketing industry, widespread participation from both agencies and marketers is imperative to the success of the awards. SLIM is mandated to encourage greater competitiveness and promote inspiring communication campaigns that focus on results allowing the Sri Lankan Advertising industry to showcase work that can compete in the International arena.”

The Head of Jury, Sampath Bank PLC DGM – Consumer Banking Tharaka Ranwala said, “Effie entries are evaluated and scores are allocated to the four key pillars – Strategic challenge/ Marcom objectives, Big idea, Bring it to life (execution), and most importantly, Results. The highest weightage in scoring is attributed to the last pillar, as effectiveness is measured based on this aspect.” 

He further mentioned, “A thumb rule in the contest is that a single case can be entered into only one Product and Service category. However, there are no limitations in the number of entries which can be submitted under specialty categories, provided that applicants can correlate the efforts of the campaign to the context defined by the category.” 

Effie sets itself apart by its benchmark that all submissions are required to be “Agency-blind” making the whole process unbiased and transparent. Project Chairman, Singer Sri Lanka Senior Brand Manager Gayan Perera stressed, “It is mandatory for agencies not to indicate agency details in any of the entry material. Those who do so even inadvertently will be disqualified. This is an important rule for all those who vie for the awards.” 

Gayan also stated, “The deadline for early bird entries is 9 July, and we expect most of the entries to flow in before that. Other important deadlines will follow, but it is wiser to prepare ahead and submit entries on time rather than rush at the eleventh hour. This would benefit both the contestants as well as the judging panel.” 

The Effie Awards are known globally as the pre-eminent award in the industry and recognise any and all forms of effective marketing communications that contribute to a brand’s success. Effie Worldwide stands for effectiveness in marketing communications, spotlighting marketing ideas that work and encourage thoughtful dialogue about the drivers of marketing effectiveness. The Effie Awards bring relevant and first-class insights into effective marketing strategy.