Marketing Excellence Awards Judging Criteria

All entries are organized by category and subcategory on the numbered tabs. There are 2 major types of entries this year: Campaigns and Tactics. Campaigns are judged on 5 questions with the results being the most heavily weighted. Campaign entries are also segregated by whether the entry is submitted by an agency or a directly from an in-house marketing department. Tactic entries are judged on 3 questions with the execution being the most heavily weighted. There are 31 categories this year.

View Award Entry Rules

Each submission should be judged once by two different judges (judged a total of 2 times). Scoring Tables for each judge are below the column for the entry. We want to reward great marketing in our community based on the scoring criteria provided.

Review the column for the entry explanation and supporting material(s). Rate the entry according to the criteria using the Judging Scale Guide where 0 is the lowest/poorest score and greater numbers reflect excellent work.

Enter each section score on the lines provided under each submission.

Marketing Excellence Awards – Best of Show
Overall highest scoring entry across all categories

Marketing Award of Excellence
Highest scoring entry in its category – Must have a minimum score of 90 (Campaign) or 45 or above (Tactic)

All entries are organized by category and subcategory on the numbered tabs. There are 2 major types of entries this year: Campaigns and Tactics. Campaigns are judged on 5 questions with the results being the most heavily weighted. Campaign entries are also segregated by whether the entry is submitted by an agency or a directly from an in-house marketing department. Tactic entries are judged on 3 questions with the execution being the most heavily weighted. There are 31 categories this year.

View Award Entry Rules

Marketing Award of Excellence
Highest scoring entry in its category – Must have a minimum score of 90 (Campaign) or 45 or above (Tactic)

Marketing Award of Merit
Entries scoring 85 or above (campaign) or 40 or above (tactic)

MEA Judging Scale Guide: Campaigns

Each entry must include answers to the five (5) Judging Criteria sections below (typewritten, three-page maximum). On the top of each typewritten page, includes the category name and entry title. Because marketing is about results, the results score is weighted highest. The five questions to be answered are:

Situation/Challenge (0-10 points)
Primary problem to solve
How well did the entry describe the basic problem to be solved or situation to be addressed?

Objectives/Goals (0-10 points)
Objectives to meet
What was/were the established objective(s) to solve the problem or address the situation? Were the objectives SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable & Timely)? Judges will score based on whether the objectives are SMART. If they aren’t SMART objectives, the judges will score based on whether they were clear enough to determine if they were achieved or not.

Strategy/Tactics (0-20 points)
Plans for achieving the goal
How well were the strategy/tactics defined (10 points)
How well did the strategy/tactics relate to solving the situation/challenge and achieving the stated objectives? (10 points)

Message Alignment (0-20 points)
Does the work fit the target?
How well were the strategy/tactics defined? (10 points)
How well did the strategy/tactics relate to solving the situation/challenge and achieving the stated objectives? (10 points)

Results (0-40 points)
Measurable success
How effective was the campaign in achieving the stated goals/objectives? (20 points)
How would you rate the clarity of the results? (i.e. were the results sound, clear and measurable?) (20 points)

Required Comments
What did this entry do well?
How could this entry be improved?

MEA Judging Scale: Tactics

Each entry must include answers to the three (3) Judging Criteria sections below (typewritten, three-page maximum). On the top of each typewritten page, includes the category name and entry title. While results are the most significant indicator of a successful campaign, there are multiple components that must be executed well, for that reason, the execution score is weighted highest for both the insights/research entries and the marketing tactics entries. The three questions to be answered for tactics are:

Objectives/Goals (0-10 points)
Objectives to meet
Provide work examples. These may be submitted either as an uploaded file (pdf, jpeg or png) or as a link. Judges will score on how well the elements of the message, including graphics and copy, align with the overall objectives. These criteria provide credit for innovative and creative ideas.

Strategy/Execution (0-30 points)
Plans for achieving the goal
How were these insight collected? What strategies and tools were implemented to gain this information? Judges will score based on how the strategy and execution is defined and how well they relate to achieving the objectives.

Results (0-10 points)
Measurable success
What were the results from this tactic? It is important to describe the results in terms as measurable as possible to prove the objective(s) was/were achieved. If results are not quantifiable, then information should be provided as to how the entry achieved the stated objective(s)