A Quick Guide To Purpose-Focused Awards
Brand purpose is becoming increasingly important as consumers focus more attention on issues like climate change and racial and social justice. Because these issues are top-of-mind, people want to feel good about the companies they support and are likelier to stick with one if they respect its mission. A recent Porter Novelli Purpose Perception Study found that 76% of surveyed consumers were more likely to trust a purpose-led company and 72% were more likely to be loyal to it.
Of course, this means that purpose is trickling into the way these brands and companies market themselves. This also means that brand impact is showing up in the marketing and advertising awards world, too: Think the newly minted Anthem Awards or the Cannes Glass Lion award, launched in 2015. “As marketers, we have a rare opportunity to be able to have a voice in this world that can communicate for good,” says Madonna Badger, CCO and Founder of Badger Agency. “And the award shows are definitely seeing that and rewarding that.”
Badger, who launched the #WomenNotObjects campaign to stop the objectification of women in ads (a move Cannes permanently adopted), served as Cannes Glass Lion jury president in 2018. That year, the Grand Prix award was given to #BloodNormal, Libresse’s campaign to end period shame.
As a former juror, Badger emphasizes that judges look for quantifiable impact when considering campaigns for purpose-focused awards. A good idea isn’t enough — your work has to showcase results in the form of real, widespread change, she says: “You've got to have a long-term plan that can hopefully change policy.”
This is where themes like rainbow washing or greenwashing come into play. A brand should adopt causes that are authentic to its mission and expertise in order to be an effective changemaker (and, yes, win awards), says D&AD Awards Director Donal Keenan. “It is a shame to notice that many brands that get involved with a cause are using the initiative as a PR stunt – consequently resulting in justified backlashes,” he says. “When brands align themselves to a cause, this has to be done right and, in most cases, it does need to be a longer-term narrative adopted by the brand.”
Purpose has become so important within society that it’s almost assumed that successful brands incorporate some element of it. And while award shows often have separate categories for creative awards and purpose awards, Badger points out that almost all the great, highly awarded creative campaigns carry an element of purpose. “Great creative has an impact, and great, impactful ads are creative,” she says. “It's getting to the point where you can't dissect one or the other.”
As the industry enters awards season, here are five award shows with purpose-focused categories:
One Show Awards
Hosted by the One Club for Creativity, this international show annually issues awards in design, digital marketing and advertising. In addition to standard categories like Health & Wellness and Radio & Audio, it also has several purpose-focused categories:
Cultural Driver: This award recognizes work that defines culture and impacts future cultural trends. Previous winners include Beats by Dr. Dre’s “You Love Me” and Crayola’s “Colors of the World.”
Fusion Pencil: Introduced in 2021, this award recognizes work that showcases underrepresented communities and DEI issues both behind-the-scenes and in the creative itself. Last year’s winners were Sport England’s “This Girl Can” and Empowher NY’s “The Call.”
Green Pencil: This category, launched in 2009, prioritizes work with a focus on environmental impact. Past winners include LEGO’s “Green Instructions” and Saltwater Brewery’s edible six-pack rings.
Sustainable Development Pencil: This award recognizes work that’s in keeping with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and has created a significant impact, utilizes a strategic partnership and is scalable for outside use. Past winners include Knorr’s “Rooftop Farms” and MasterCard’s “True Name.”
Cannes Lions
Since 1954, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has celebrated excellent creative work from around the globe. There are nine tracks within the awards programs, including categories like Strategy and Entertainment. The Good category, however, houses Cannes’ purpose awards:
Glass: The Lion for Change: This award recognizes creative work that addresses gender inequality and aims to eliminate injustice via the work’s lasting impact. Past Grand Prix winners include Starbucks’ “I Am” and Libresse’s “Blood Normal.”
Sustainable Development Goals Lions: Like the One Show’s Sustainable Development Pencil, this category is for work that promotes the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals. Work can be submitted within five subcategories: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. Past winners include Doconomy’s “The 2030 Calculator” (Grand Prix winner) and CCWD and VMLY&R Brazil, Sao Paulo’s “The Commitment” (Gold Lion).
The D&AD Awards
The Design & Art Direction group has been around since 1962, and the non-profit serves to foster, recognize and award excellent creative work within advertising and design. Its annual awards show has six main categories such as Design and Craft, and its two purpose awards live within the Impact category:
Impact: This award recognizes work that’s already leveraged a sustainable effect on the world. Its subcategories include Advertising, Design, Initiative, Local Solution, Sustained Solution, Upstream Innovation, Collaboration and Creative Use of Budget. Past winners include FCB Canada and BMO’s “Financial Fairness” and ELVIS and LADbible Group’s “The Illegal Blood Bank.”
Future Impact: This award is for work that is still within the research and development phase but has the potential to significantly impact the world. Entrants can choose the subcategories Design, Design/Emerging Talent, Upstream Innovation, Upstream Innovation/Emerging Talent, Initiative and Initiative/Emerging Talent. Previous winners include The Environmental Port Index and War Child Holland’s Can’t Wait to Learn program.
The Effie Awards
Effie Worldwide promotes effective marketing via its Effie Academy, Case Studies Database, Global Effie Index and the Effie Awards. The latter annually recognizes outstanding marketing both globally, regionally (via tracks like its Asia-Pacific and Latin America focus) and nationally. Within its U.S. competition, the Effies collaborate with the World Economic Forum on its Positive Change category, which contains two subcategories:
Environmental: This award recognizes work that has inspired consumers to make more sustainable choices or increased interest in sustainable products. Entrants can either submit work to the Brands or Non-Profit sectors. Past winners include Bank of the West’s “The First Account Designer for Climate Action” and Potential Energy Action Network’s “Vote Like a Madre.”
Social Good: This category celebrates work that addresses a societal issue by challenging norms or inequities to foster positive change. Submissions can be entered in either the Brands, Non-Profit or Diversity, Equity & Inclusion subcategories. Past winners include Citi’s “Now That You See Me” and Sandy Hook Promise’s “Back to School.”
The Anthem Awards
This show launched last year and announced its inaugural group of winners in February. Hosted by the same crew behind The Webbys, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the Anthem Awards celebrates mission- and purpose-focused work. Submissions can be entered within seven categories:
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: This tract celebrates work that champions underrepresented groups and combats discrimination. This year’s winners included Google’s “A Space to Belong” and HBO Max’s “See Us.”
Education, Art & Culture: Work in this category promotes student learning and artistic and cultural creativity or preservation. This year’s winners included Dance Theater of Harlem and CONVICTS partnership and Insider’s “Still Standing.”
Health: This category recognizes work that helps sick people or those with disabilities, tackles disease, improves medical treatments or raises awareness of health-related issues. This year’s winners included Well Beings/PBS’ “Out of the Dark” and Women’s Health’s Instagram fitness community.
Human & Civil Rights: This subcategory celebrates work that protects and champions people’s rights for social and political liberty and equality. This year, winners included BBDO New York’s “Teenage Dream” and Grey Brazil’s “Miles for the People.”
Humanitarian Action & Services: This category is for work that promotes economic development, fights issues like poverty and homelessness and provides crisis support. Winners from this year include the American Red Cross’s Clara chatbot and Zillow and Housing Connector’s partnership.
Responsible Technology: Work in this tract promotes accessible and secure technology and strives to ensure that tech’s societal impact is positive. Winners this year included Hello Monday’s “Fingerspelling with Machine Learning” and DoorDash’s Project DASH.
Sustainability, Environment & Climate: This category is pretty self-explanatory — it recognizes work that has a positive impact on or promotes awareness about sustainability, environmental and climate-related issues. A few of this year’s winners: Ubilab’s “Timelapse in Google Earth” and National Geographic’s “Earth Day Eve 2021.”
Looking for more purpose-focused awards? Here are some others to consider:
Shorty Impact Awards: Social Good Campaign, Social Activism
Epica Awards: Public Interest categories (Health & Safety, Social, Gender Equity, Environment)
The Webby Awards: Activism, Corporate Social Responsibility, Diversity & Inclusion, Sustainability & Environment
The ADC Annual Awards: Fusion Cube, Design for Good (Advertising, Brand Communication/Design, Experiential Design, Fashion Design, Illustration, In-House, Interactive, Motion/Film Craft, Packaging Design, Photography, Product Design, Publication Design, Spatial Design, Typography)