Monday 20 October 2014

Keep your awards to yourself

Recently I went to visit an agency that has won a veritable truckload of awards in recent times.

As the lift doors open and I walk in to the agency reception all I can see is an impressive (and imposing) collection of trophies.

Not one or two. Dozens.

All of them displayed behind glass throughout reception.

To be honest I found it a tad desperate.

I believe in awards and award shows. And I also believe an agency should be proud of their achievements.

But this just reeked of arrogance.

I was telling a friend who worked there about the first time I went to the Campaign Palace as a young creative.

At the time it was the greatest agency in the country and easily one of the best in the world.

Did they have awards festooned all over their reception?

No.

They were all dumped in a wheelbarrow that was sitting below the spiral stairway that led up to the upper floor of the agency.

That dismissive acknowledgement of the importance of awards to a multi-award winning agency thrilled me as a young man.

As a grey haired industry veteran the ostentatious display I saw last week most definitely did not.

Pic via