2019 Predictions from Pete Favat, Chief Creative Officer | Deutsch North America

Pete Favat, Chief Creative Officer | Deutsch North America

What does the future of award shows look like?

With the proliferation of award shows and categories and entry prices on the rise at the same time, agency margins are getting squeezed. I think, at this point, award shows need to create more value and become more inclusive. The shows that do this will succeed.

On top of that, I believe that in America we have come to devalue awards. I’ve heard so many young people say, “Why are award shows so important?” I guess when you grow up receiving participation awards for everything, you don’t value them the way people used to. What is the value of an award if everyone gets one? So, to make award shows more valued, an increase in education might be a good idea. It should be about stimulating ideas on how to make great creative and what you need to do to get there. We should be feeding our own industry and helping the next generation understand why stuff wins. That’s what we tried to do in the ANDYs – become more transparent and educational. We put clients and production companies on the jury to help the industry understand how decisions are made and what truly makes a great piece of creative stand out among the others, and also understand why work didn’t win. If award shows continue on this path of transparency, inclusivity and education, they will be the ones to stand out, create value and win.