We caught up with some of the judges of The 38th Marketing Society Awards to find out why they are proud to be on the judging panel, their top tips for those entering and more.

Why are awards important?

They recognise the impact that marketing has on UK businesses and celebrate it. I love the fact that these awards view marketing as absolutely central to making business and society better. - Rebecca Hirst, Chief Marketing Officer, EY

By celebrating and making visible the best practices we raise the bar together. - Yilmaz Erceyes, Chief Marketing Officer, Premier Foods

No one creates a marketing campaign to win an award, however it's great to be able to recognise and celebrate the best achievements in marketing in 2022! It's also a great opportunity to share best practice across categories and brands, and learn from some inspirational stories. - Sarah Barron, Chief Marketing Officer, Domino's

Every year, the prestigious Marketing Society awards are an important celebration of the best creativity in our industry that is at the core of driving effectiveness, excellence and impact. - Jessica Myers, Chief Marketing Officer, The Very Group

Writing an award provides a great opportunity for self-reflection, it codifies the learnings and makes them available to others, helping create a stronger marketing culture in business, and lastly provides a great opportunity for celebration. - Simonetta Rigo, Group CMO, Evelyn Partners

Celebrating great marketing has never been more important than it is right now - marketing can play a central role in growth creation and also helping to champion a society that is equitable and sustainable.  We need to shine a light on the role models and leaders that are being brave and doing great work. - Matthew Barwell, Chief Marketing Officer, Britvic

Enable marketers to share work in a professional context, drive pride and learn from the best. - Lex Bradshaw-Zanger, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, L'Oréal, UK & Ireland

What is your top tip for brands entering the awards?

Clarity. One of my favourite words and what I'll be looking for in the awards entries. Make it clear what made your work unique and what results it delivered. Results are everything. There's no point talking about a nice idea unless you can show it had real impact. - Rebecca Hirst, Chief Marketing Officer, EY

Keep it short and to the point. And bring out why the achievement is a step above all the other worthy nominations. Remember each judge goes through tens of nominations. Long and convoluted submissions disengage the reader. - Yilmaz Erceyes, Chief Marketing Officer, Premier Foods

Two tips from me. Be clear about the consumer insight and data that led to the campaign as that should be the starting point for any work. How has your brand shown that it truly understands its audience? How has your team done brilliant work to engage with that audience? And, as a result, has grown brand love and delivered tangible outcomes for the business? Secondly, be clear on the short and medium term KPIs set for the work ahead of launch, and delivery versus these. - Sarah Barron, Chief Marketing Officer, Domino's 

Instant impact. Your amazing entry is amongst some very good company, so what’s going to make it standout? Imagine you’re the judge, what story can you tell that will have us mesmerised from the moment we start to read your entry and desperate to hear the end of the story? - Jessica Myers, Chief Marketing Officer, The Very Group

I have seen many awards where the content of the submissions were not addressing the questions asked in the award entry, and where there was no data to support the claims. Answer the question you are asked, and back it up with facts. It's that simple! - Simonetta Rigo, Group CMO, Evelyn Partners

Be simple - tell your own story. - Matthew Barwell, Chief Marketing Officer, Britvic

A balance of innovation/creativity with business results - they always go hand in hand. - Lex Bradshaw-Zanger, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, L'Oréal, UK

Why are you proud to be a judge of The Marketing Society awards?

I believe marketing can be an organisation's superpower, enabling it to connect with its audiences, to capture attention, to tell positive stories, to impact a business's bottom line. I've also seen it change conversations and perceptions, to challenge norms and shake us out of collective stupor. Recognizing the positive role that marketing can have on business and society is exciting. That's why awards are so important and why I'm proud to be a judge. - Rebecca Hirst, Chief Marketing Officer, EY

First and foremost it gives me an opportunity to learn from best of the best in the industry. And secondly it makes me proud to see the power of marketing driving in growth of businesses and communities in which we serve.  - Yilmaz Erceyes, Chief Marketing Officer, Premier Foods

I’m proud to help review and celebrate the creativity and effectiveness great marketing campaigns can deliver, recognise the amazing teams and individuals who make it happen, and generally celebrate our industry. - Sarah Barron, Chief Marketing Officer, Domino's

It’s an honour and a privilege to be a judge for The Marketing Society Awards. Having been fortunate enough to be on the winning team for a previous award, I know firsthand the calibre of the entries and the effort that goes into every single one. Over the past few years our marketing teams have needed to navigate huge turbulence and ambiguity, while still finding opportunities for accelerated growth, while all the more supporting their customers and colleagues. Never has it been more challenging. I believe the award entries we’ll see this year will absolutely showcase the brilliance of our industry and how we come together in diverse teams to deliver outstanding outcomes. I am so proud to be part of these prestigious awards and working with the other judges to select the best of the best in our industry. - Jessica Myers, Chief Marketing Officer, The Very Group

It's a fact... we all believe marketing drives growth and business results, but sometimes we can be a lone voice at that executive table, Of all the functional disciplines in business, Marketing still feels like the Cinderella at times. The Marketing Society provides a platform where we can all learn from one another and become better, more rigorous and influential marketers that drive the growth and success of the businesses we are part of. - Simonetta Rigo, Group CMO, Evelyn Partners

It is always inspiring and humbling to see the best work that is happening across our industry.  The last few years have been the craziest any of us can remember and we have all had to adapt, be more agile and do things differently. Through all of this turbulence the positive role that marketing as an industry can play both on economic success and societal issues has become even more apparent. - Matthew Barwell, Chief Marketing Officer, Britvic    

It's an honour to be called to judge the awards and such a pleasure to be exposed to great work and be able to shine a light on the teams that produce it. - Lex Bradshaw-Zanger, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, L'Oréal, UK

What are you looking for as a judge?

Focus on what makes your entry unique. Tell us your why. Tell us what you did that hadn't been done before. Tell us what impact it had. Make it interesting and inspiring. Write it like we've just met at a fabulous (Marketing Society) party, we're having a great conversation and you're telling us about it. Bring it to life. - Rebecca Hirst, Chief Marketing Officer, EY

Compelling cases outlined in a focused and impactful way. - Yilmaz Erceyes, Chief Marketing Officer, Premier Foods

Marketing in this environment is like looking into a glass ball daily. Brands have to be agile and Marketeers must be prepared to shift gears given the current economic and political environment. I'm looking for campaigns that are sensitive to this changing world and have adapted to a new context quickly to gain competitive advantage. - Sarah Barron, Chief Marketing Officer, Domino's

Storytelling is a powerful skill all marketers must excel in, so show this in your entry. We want to be gripped from the first sentence to the last, taken through a unique story of creativity, bravery, innovation, team work and real results that demonstrate excellence. - Jessica Myers, Chief Marketing Officer, The Very Group

Keep things simple, factual and to the point. Make it easy for your audience (the judges) to engage with your content. Judges review lots of entries and can see through the fluff. - Simonetta Rigo, Group CMO, Evelyn Partners

I am looking for great insight and the spark of creativity.  Am looking for bold choices and clear results. - Matthew Barwell, Chief Marketing Officer, Britvic

I want everything - great brand execution that drives connection and memorability, creativity that explodes, innovation in execution and a clear understanding that the work has to drive results. - Lex Bradshaw-Zanger, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, L'Oréal, UK

Read our entry kit for all the details you need on how to submit for the 2024 awards.