Debbie LaChusa

I work with an advertising agency that doesn't believe in entering their work in awards competitions. The CEO believes the goal should always be to create advertising that grows his clients' businesses. NOT to create work to win awards. He wants that to be perfectly clear to everyone he employs. And you know what, that makes perfect sense to me. If I were one of his clients I certainly would want the team creating my ads to be solely focused on growing my business.

On the other hand, as a marketer, I also believe that awards can be great marketing tools. Winning an award means your work has been judged superior. It provides a third party endorsement of your product or service. And you can merchandise that award in your marketing. It's a great way to get press coverage and build your credibility.

So I encourage you to look around your industry. Find out what awards competitions recognize products or services in your category of business. And seriously consider entering. You won't always win ... but when you do, you can use it to generate some great marketing exposure.