ADFX 2006  
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The fundamental point of any entry is proving the commercial power of ideas. It must demonstrate how a communications idea worked to deliver a return on a client's investment. Any entry needs to tell the story of this idea; what the idea was, how it was arrived at, why it was right, how it was communicated, what challenge was answered, what effect(s) it produced, the commercial value of these effects, and the payback it delivered. As ever the advice is to read previous award winners as a guide to style, to what topics should be included and how much detail should be given. Case-histories are available to view in the ADFX archive.


THE WINNING FORMULA

While IAPI is anxious to encourage all entries, two fundamental criteria for entry should be met in any case history being considered for submission·

(i) The case history demonstrates a proven brand success
(ii) Advertising is clearly the key causative factor in achieving that success

You know you are on to a winning entry if (i) you have a successful brand story to tell, (ii) that success is due to advertising and (iii), you can link (i) to (ii). Acceptable proofs of success have to be robust and quantifiable. Anecdotal evidence and unsupported claims are not sufficient and will be discounted. The more supporting data you have the better.

Just ensure you cover the following areas somewhere in your story.
  1. Introduction The introduction is your opportunity to hook the reader by exciting them about the importance or uniqueness of your case. It should hint at what is new or different about your effectiveness case.

  2. Background Imagine your reader knows nothing about your brand or marketplace. This is your opportunity to provide the context they need to judge your entry.

  3. Marketing objectives The reader needs to know what the company was hoping to achieve with their marketing investment. Ideally, this will be set in the broader context of the company's overall business strategy and targets.

  4. The task This is your opportunity to explain what was difficult or interesting about achieving the marketing objectives.

  5. The strategic solution The reader needs to understand how the team arrived at the strategic solution they did and why it was felt to be valid. It is important to refer to the communication brief(s) this strategic solution led to.

  6. The idea This should describe what the communications idea was and how it manifested itself in one or more channels. This is an appropriate time to include any research that was conducted to validate it. You may want to discuss how and why the idea may have manifested itself in different ways across different channels.

  7. The communication activity It's crucially important to make it clear what activity happened, when and how much money was put behind it. If judges become confused about this it makes it impossible to judge the results.

  8. The results This section should convince the reader that there is an unbreakable chain of events from the communication activity itself to a commercial result. Ideally, full data allowing, cases should show:
    (a) the audience that were intended to see the communication did so
    (b) they took out the message that was intended
    (c) this in turn made them think and crucially behave differently to the product/brand/service
    (d) this shift in attitude and behaviour answered the original marketing objectives.

    The paper then has to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was the communication itself that made the difference or highlight the contribution it made alongside other elements. The contribution it made then needs to be quantified e.g. how much extra sales and revenue did the idea generate or in the case of public services what happened/didn't happen as a result of the activity.

    In addition to this, the best papers demonstrate broader effects e.g. the communication had an effect on a broader audience than expected, that the effects will be manifold for years to come, or that the idea maximised other parts of the marketing mix. If you have a case where you believe the communication acted in a genuinely new or previously unrecorded way then it should be highlighted here. Graphs, charts, media plans should be placed in the relevant sections of the text; do not be too concerned with the visual layout as long as the data is supplied.

  9. Payback or return on investment This section needs to show that the commercial return of an idea was greater than the investment made in it.

  10. Summary & Appendices.