What is the value of entering awards? Simon Russell, MD of the multi award-winning communication agency, Inside Media, explains all. This is guidance for those looking to enter awards, particularly CIPR awards. Please note that the deadline to submit entries for the CIPR PRide Awards is Tuesday 13th June 2017, or late entries on Tuesday 20th June 2017 (late entries will incur a late entry fee). This was presented at the CIPR SW's Gloucestershire event 'Content is King' at Hotel du Vin, Cheltenham, on 30th May 2017.

1. © 2017 Inside Media
CIPR SW Event
The value of awards
May, 2017

2. About us
• Inside Media is the UK’s only PR and communication agency that actually operates
‘inside the media’
• Inside Media, working within SWNS, has direct access to news reporters, feature
writers, photographers/videographers and TV production professionals. Plus a
business that manages an online research panel of over 100,000 consumers
• Inside Media provides effective campaigns to build (and protect) the reputation of its
clients through media relations, social media management, public affairs, crisis
management, events and media training
• Inside Media understands what makes an appealing story or content idea, how to
present that to the media and how to make it work (success = great ideas + effective
execution)
• Inside Media is part of a media organisation that is the largest independent content
provider for the national media, based in Bristol with offices in Birmingham, London,
Plymouth, Cambridge, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen
© 2017 Inside Media

3. © 2017 Inside Media
• We are regularly recognised by our peers for the
quality of work we do – all from the Chartered
Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)
• 2016 Outstanding Public Relations Agency – one of
four Gold and One Silver Award from seven
shortlisted entries (CIPR PRide Awards)
• 2016 Finalist, CIPR Excellence Awards
• 2017, CIPR Excellence Awards – shortlisted for an
award (announced June 2017)
• We were the first agency to ever be shortlisted for
both ‘Outstanding PR Consultancy’ and ‘Outstanding
Small Consultancy’ in the same year – achieved in
2012, 2013, and in 2016 (CIPR PRide Awards)
• A total of nine Gold, nine Silver and 30 Finalist
Awards, 2010-2016. (CIPR PRide Awards).
About us – recognition
CIPR PRide Awards
(PR/Communication industry ‘Oscars’)

4. © 2017 Inside Media
• Shortlisted for ‘Best PR Company’ in Drinks Business
Awards 2017
This international award is usually dominated by wine
specialist agencies
• Though something of a drinks specialist, we have
worked for a major automotive brand (Continental)
for many years.
At the Newspress Awards – the most important
journalism and PR awards in the automotive sector –
we won:
• Automotive PR Support Agency, 2017
• Automotive PR Campaign/Event, 2017
About us – recognition

5. The value of awards
Three immediate and (perhaps) obvious reasons to take awards seriously:
• It is great to receive the recognition of our peers and it is an opportunity to celebrate
the good work we do
• When we are successful it builds the reputation of the agency and that supports the
recruitment and the retention of good people
• Credible independent endorsement that builds our reputation also helps with new
business, i.e. supports our credentials, though this alone is only part of the process
© 2017 Inside Media

6. The value of awards
Some other, perhaps, less obvious but still very good reasons to take awards seriously:
• It is good practice – i.e. when appropriate we support our clients on credible and
relevant awards as it can deliver the reputation that is merited for them:
– For a number of years we have worked with Aston Manor Cider to shape the
reputation that they deserve and in 2016 they won 17 product and business
awards. Their award success over a number of years has helped to change
opinions about them – no question
• It provides a benchmark, a way to sense-check the work we do and it prompts us to
consider our approach on different types of activity and on issues like evaluation and
measurement
• Our clients also enjoy success. We have seen the people we support reference award
recognition within their organisation and it has meant more interesting and also
incremental work for us:
– Continental’s Vision Zero and a new consumer content project
© 2017 Inside Media

7. Our approach to awards
© 2017 Inside Media
• We think about work we are proud of:
– We critically examine why we think it was good – focusing on objectives being
achieved, even exceeded, and not (just) where we got a good hit of coverage
• We are quite strict as awards take time and money and we resist the temptation to
post-rationalise or make grand claims
• Then it is the stuff you would imagine – clear and well-written (hopefully) with relevant
evaluation and measurement. Your submission is a piece of communication, not just
responses under various headings
• Importantly – I don’t think the process should be difficult:
– Relevant evaluation and measurement should have been in place
– Refinement and adjustment is a feature of managing a campaign successfully, and
– Understanding what worked well, what could be better is a discipline we have
through internal account reviews (as part of process improvement)

8. © 2017 Inside Media
Aston Manor Cider, transforming the reputation of the business (Media Relations):
• Objectives:
– Change how the business thought about itself and, importantly, how it described itself
– Identify the successes that would shape the reputation it deserved
– Then, revise opinions of existing stakeholders and shape a positive impression with new contacts
• Evaluation/measurement:
– Over 10 months: 130 pieces of coverage – 70 print, 58 online, and two on TV with all coverage
positive in tone and with at least one key message
– Traffic to the Aston Manor Cider website was 27% higher year-on-year, with spikes directly linked
to news releases. Blog now added to boost SEO, i.e. more information about them is from them
– Sales teams now have coverage summaries to show customers how the business is being
reported, reflecting the progress being made
– The performance and revised reputation of the business was such that it was a category winner
in The Grocer Gold Awards, several other business and industry awards followed
– The only drinks business picked for UK’s largest ever trade delegation, led by David Cameron
– Aston Manor’s reputation was transformed with key influencers (via simple survey):
Robyn Black, (then) at the Publican Morning Advertiser: “My opinion has completely changed – I
have a very positive view of the company having learnt about their scale and ambitions.”
Awards: evaluation/measurement

9. © 2017 Inside Media
Savanna Cider, building brand awareness with consumers and supporting on-trade stockists (experiential):
• Objectives:
– To build the profile of Savanna Cider through consumer engagement and suggest ‘big brand
investment’ to the trade and potential stockists
– Increase product trial with key 18-34 demographic
– Support on-trade stockists and drive rate of sale for them
• Evaluation/measurement:
– We devised, managed and staffed a major brand experiential campaign
– 18 city locations, centred on stockists, across the summer – some single days, some complete
weekends
– Over 40,000 people sampled – and further 24,000 reached via direct contact with brand
ambassadors (sampling not always possible)
– Facebook ‘likes’ on UK page, increased five-fold and some 2,243 people motivated to enter
competition with (relatively) complex entry mechanism
– Over 64,300 target consumers reached at a cost of £1.10 per person (excluding prize cost and
sample stock provided to venues)
Awards: evaluation/measurement

10. © 2017 Inside Media
Continental Tyres, Vision Zero (media relations; STEM; and event):
• Objectives:
– Introduce Vision Zero
– Communicate Continental’s expertise in tyre and automotive technologies
– Highlight Continental’s focus on road safety
– Start to position Continental as ‘more than tyres’
• Evaluation/measurement:
– 190 pieces of coverage in relevant media with a combined reach of over 556m
– Following the ‘Black Chili’ event, direct evaluation from key group of influencers, demonstrating
how we had shifted opinions:
– Eight fold increase in understanding of the Continental proposition
– Six fold increase in understanding Continental’s tyre technologies
– More than doubled the understanding of role in developing automotive technologies
– At the end of phase one, we surveyed target journalists:
– Clear recognition of key messages: road safety 79%; automotive technologies 57% etc.
– Continental rated against elements of proposition (those benchmarks now exist)
Awards: evaluation/measurement

11. © 2017 Inside Media
Inside Media, agency awards:
• Objectives:
– Do great work for clients
– Broaden our offer
– Develop new sectors to work in
– Improve and reward our people
– Create opportunities to do pro bono work on causes we support and champion volunteering
• Evaluation/measurement:
– Metrics agreed for client work, retention of clients, and peer recognition
– Addition of media training and value of social media management increasing
– Competence and credibility built (awards again in one sector) as a platform to target new
business
– Measured personal objectives that support a profit share scheme, plus commercial metrics that
point to being a sustainable business, e.g. gross profit and net profit margins
– Demonstrable work for the charities we support, including ongoing participation with the Media
Trust to encourage volunteering in the creative industries
Awards: evaluation/measurement

12. Contact information:
Simon Russell: 01179 066 519 / 07879 402 145
or email: simon@insidemedia.uk.com
© 2017 Inside Media