Catching the judges eye and budget at DEA

How would you like to get your work in front of these decision makers?

Well, you can. All at the same time. Because this is the actual list of judges at the 2021 Design Effectiveness Awards, and new ones are published all the time right here.

I work with clients who have won projects because the judges have enjoyed reading the DEA entries I have written on their behalf. I mean big clients like Kimberly Clark and Meridian Foods.  

I'm going to tell you why DEA is not like any other awards, and why you need to consider entering to further your business. Because chasing the silverware is childs play compared to the other advantages of this award scheme.  

Tailor your entries to the business you want. 

Before you enter, and if you have the luxury of a range of projects to choose from, pick based on what your new business targets are. If you want a beauty client, can you enter a project from a similar genre? If you don't have a sector-specific case study, do you have one that shows you've solved a similar commercial problem? I wouldn't recommend just tailoring your entries to the judges on the panel, but it might influence which project you choose to enter if there are multiple options available. 

Say thank you. 

Regardless of the outcome, be bold and take a moment to send the judges a LinkedIn message to thank them for their consideration of your project, along with an invite to connect. You'll likely never have a better reason to connect with as many C-Suite prospects at the same time. Who knows what conversation might open as a result. 

Even if you don't win at DEA, you've got opportunities. 

The hard work that goes into a DEA entry can mean that you want to file it on the server and never look at it again come deadline day. But I'm a big believer in recycling, and there are so many ways to make sure that your time spent wasn't in vain. Here are a few ways to use the entry:     

• Easier to create other award entries.

• Case studies should be updated to reflect the results, testimonials and slick copy that you have written.

• Add the content in your creds/ proposal/ pitch decks.

• Consider printed mail-outs of the entry reframed as a case study if you know direct mail works for you. You can send it to other business leaders in the same sector as an intro to what you do.   

• You finally have an ROI/ results-led reason to speak with procurement teams at your dream clients.   

So don't roll your eyes at the suggestion of other awards to enter, know that this one is different. 

But to have access to the judges and these opportunities, you need to make sure that you have an impressive entry in the first place. And that's where this toolkit comes in. 

You can grab it in the Kaffeen Shop.

It contains everything I've learnt over my ten years experience writing 45+ winning DEA entries, and you can put it into action for only £250 right here.