SCABs

I don’t know how to feel about awards – By @k_shepherd_

By Krista Shepherd

 

I don’t know how to feel about awards

 

D&AD New Blood is just a blink away. In 4 weeks time some teams will be adding pencil worthy works to their portfolios. Maybe all the teams. Maybe none.

 

Awards are tricky. As an advertising student I am not allowed to express my dislike towards them. I am supposed to crave a pencil and drool for a future lion. But there’s something about them terrifies me.

 

Awards seem to contradict everything this industry stands for yet somehow this industry is all about them. See for yourself. We are taught to seek criticism, not praise, but somehow we’ve gotten ourselves believing that an award is the ultimate goal of our career.

 

We are constantly taught that the work we do should benefit people, even help them. And yet every single festival gives out awards for work that’s never ran and never will.

 

Have you watched a case study lately? We don’t even celebrate advertising for its most fundamental role anymore – selling a product.  We dazzle each other with bullshit phrases like “3000 twitter impressions” and “increased page traffic”.

 

I don’t hate awards. I’m all in favour for celebrating great work. I just don’t get them. Saying that i don’t want a pencil would not only be an awful lie, but also a sign of a complete loser.

Admitting that I’d give a kidney for a pencil worthy idea, on the other hand, would mean that I refuse to believe in that “It’s just an award, they don’t mean anything” talk I might need to hear in 4 weeks time.
See? No idea.

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