Effieng Deadlines

A Practical Guide

By now, and as the first Effie deadline approaches, you might be feeling the pressure to put pen to paper on your entries. As my old mentor used to say, they won’t write themselves. If, like me, you see the task of writing them as a marathon that requires time and focus, neither of which you have to give at the moment, then you might be tempted to keep that pin in them. Sure if you miss the 23rd, there is always the 21st of May or the 18th of June. Just remember that pressure builds.

The swots amongst us will have started their Effie journey a long time ago, opening a file called ‘Effie’ and creating sub folders for each section. You will wish you were that person the night before the deadline. (you know the type, the ones that said they weren’t studying at college). The big first tip I can give you is START NOW- just jot down the award category at the top of a page and you are off.

First things first (as I say to the kids in my athletics coaching)- it’s all about winning!

You have just over a week to the first deadline- the 23rd April, so why not take a section every couple of days.

Below your category entry title, just write the elevator pitch to remind yourself, in a few simple sentences, why this case is a worthy winner. If you are struggling at the elevator pitch stage then you may not have a case to make. If your elevator pitch is strong it can really motivate you to crack on.

Start to populate each section of the paper with a few bullet points, do this roughly at first and then you can flesh it out and refine it in the edit. Delegate tasks to others on your team if you can, chasing data points, creating charts etc..

Once you have the skeleton done, flash it in front of the key stakeholders and capture their early feedback or builds. I find it is best to meet (virtually) to discuss rather than just sending it on and waiting for it to become a priority for them- if it was down your list, you can be sure it is further down theirs. Always build in time for others to review and ensure it makes sense when read cold, which is how the judges will experience it.

Remember judges are tired, they don’t know you, they don’t believe you and your case is not the first one they have read or will read. They want to be surprised, entertained, respected, impressed, they want it to be easy to award, they need the context.

But, don’t focus on the story telling until you have looked at results, evidence and discounting factors.

Start at the end! What changed? What are the killer charts you have to simply prove your case? Real effectiveness shows behavioural changes, not just attitudes and beliefs.

When you are committing results to the final paper, only include the most compelling, otherwise it can be distracting or come off as ‘protesting too much’. Look for other evidence, it could come from reports, international standards or experience and it can help to contextualise your results.

Then join the dots.

Make sure your case ‘ladders’, sometimes you can get lost in the story and forget to connect the objectives and results. Be ruthless and only use the important stuff. Go back through your paper and make sure it is coherent and reads as one paper.  DO NOT hand off sections for others to write! Is there a story there? Can the reader feel your passion for it and belief in it?

The judges are looking for clarity of case.  They should feel the challenge you faced, the solution should inspire or surprise in some way and then show them what happened as a result. You will also need to reference specific factors and discount certain factors, it shows you understand the category factors at play and it can also build trust in your case.

Don’t presume the judges know your brand, the competitive situation or the market context. Close off the doubts one by one and get someone to call bulls**t on the results or challenge them to ensure they stand up.

Plan for Success:

1. Start writing- just jot down the skeleton, a few bullets on each section.

2. Begin to flesh out your story through each section.

3. Keep reading it from the start to ensure that it ladders and flows.

4. Share your passion for the case, show the inside track- what went wrong? What were the set- backs? Who were the heroes, villains and victims?

5. What is the argument? Insight, strategy and campaign

6. Data check- What’s the case? Results, evidence and discounting factors?

7. Do you have what you need? Send requests and deadlines.

8. What’s the story? The very important wrap, that takes them on the journey through all of this and hopefully makes them sit up and take notice.

9. Provide the context, don’t presume the judges have it.

10. Answer their doubts and questions throughout your story - make it easy for them to say ‘YES’ to your case!

Good luck.