Blog

Entries are open for the 33rd Annual Marketing Excellence Awards (MEAs). AMA Baltimore encourages organizations large and small to enter their best marketing campaigns and join us at the event to celebrate the best Baltimore has to offer. We recognize that the entry process can be daunting, whether you are a first-timer or a veteran, so we reached out to last year’s winners for their advice:

1. Follow the Instructions

Make sure you have filled in all pertinent info, including the category you are entering, and answer all questions listed. Proofread and don’t forget your supporting materials. Jon Parr of Strategic Factory (Best Public Relations Campaign) advises that “Presentation is everything. We included as many supporting stats as possible, as well as pictures and links to our Facebook album. We proofread and edited copy multiple times until we were satisfied with our submission.”

2. Be Objective

Look at your submission as one of the judges would. Judy Oser of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore (Best Direct Marketing Campaign) says, “Step back and look at the project in its entirety and create a well-written presentation with visuals that discusses the goals and how they were achieved.”

3. Bring the Data

We are looking for both creativity and measurable results. Show us your collateral and detail your strategy, but don’t forget the tangible objectives and outcomes. Chris Jorgenson of Unleashed Technologies (Best Event Marketing Campaign) notes, “I felt like our team had executed a truly unique event marketing campaign, and we were excited to submit our entry. In my opinion, including data about your campaign entry is a critical aspect related to measurable results. You can never have enough data.”

4. Value Your Work

We encourage student groups to enter the Best Collegiate Campaign category. Marcia Zimmerman, project leader of last year’s winning Apex Blue Strategies group from Johns Hopkins University, spoke enthusiastically about her experience: “I decided to enter because as a college student, it is really meaningful to attend an event and make connections with local marketing professionals. I also valued the work that my team put into our campaign and wanted to gratify that with winning an award. It’s a wonderful feeling to have our work appreciated in a concrete way.”

5. Build Credibility Internally and Externally

Previous winners emphasize the positive effect the MEAs can have on their organization, both internally and externally. Jarrett Fleagle of WebMechanix, last year’s Best Digital Marketing Campaign winner, noted, “Winning this award has won us clients. When we share the case study and the fact that we won an award for it with our prospects, it perks up their ears every time. Perhaps more importantly, we were able to bring our team to the awards ceremony to celebrate and share in the win, because it’s our team of amazing marketers that makes these kinds of wins possible. The sense of pride from winning got our team jazzed up to get back in the office the next day and set the bar even higher for our clients’ marketing results.”

If you executed a marketing campaign in 2017, then enter today. Entries are due on January 12th, 2018 and will be judged by the AMA New York Regional Chapter. Let’s show them what Maryland can do.

Interested in sponsoring? Contact Seth Geller at seth@amabaltimore.org.