AWARDS: ...But do they sell

A lot has been written about the culture of receiving awards, television features countless ceremonies and sub ceremonies of award presentation, and endless number of creative people have been eager to mention they have got them, yet, very little has been mentioned about how meaningless they are, unless of course, you are enjoying getting dressed up and mixing with your peers while holding a cocktail in your hand trying to sound intelligent about your own work or others’.
Awards are OK to get. Awards make you feel like a superstar for a night. Awards boost your self-esteem. Awards make it easy for you to show off what you don’t have: a true talent of communications. But hey, you got an award for a great design that does not help sell the product.



Example: A recent review of a bike saddle shows a painful picture of a ridiculously narrow bike seat under a headline …”awarded best design…” Duh? If you ever bike, mainly on roads, as I do, you know how hard it is to choose the right seat, how painful it is to have bought the wrong seat. I guess one shouldn’t complain about any discomfort while sitting on an award-winning seat.


Bursts of thought

Lately I am getting annoyed at ads that move and take over my screen while I try to read important news online. What’s more annoying is that I find myself chasing an invisible “close” button which seems to be purposely hidden somewhere in the ad. Why not making it illegal to display an ad if you spend more than 4 seconds trying to find the “close” button?

I read an advise given by a well known executive ad person saying that in a downturn your advertising should emphasize the positive things about your product or service.
I wonder what do I emphasize during “prosperous” times?

Do you find yourself hesitating to voice an opinion, which may put you at odd with mainstream? That’s a touchy one. If you don’t, then, what’s the hype about Twitter?

Have you tried to open a product you just bought, rapped in a clear molded plastic, without paying a visit to your local emergency room for stitches?

Have you noticed lately how some executive titles are getting longer because they try to illustrate one’s many new responsibilities due to elimination of many jobs in the current downturn. Here is one:
Director of Science Marketing and Customer Global Reach, or in short, DSMCGR.

I get invitations from various marketing outfits to attend web seminars. Some topics present “Steps that increased conversion by at least 178% or strategies that produced 30-300% gains”, etc.

Strange how one’s mind works.
I personally trust a promise of 9% increase, over a promise of 300% increase.