A RAD hangover (or just a miserable aging git)?

There’s no doubt I was considering myself very lucky to get an invite (even as a late stand in – I’ve never been too proud to be someone’s second option come good) to the RAD awards this year. But thanks to the generosity of Jobsite.co.uk I made the event.

I think a bit of pomp & celebration every once in a while does you good, and for me having the RADs in January helps put off any silly new years resolutions for the month of January, pushing them back (if there are any I’m feeling silly enough to make anyway – usually around curtailing of alcohol intake) into the shortest month of the year ☺

I think it’s only fitting (within this particular blog) to keep any observations about awards to those digitally based – and I’m very happy to say that after a some previously negative comments about the rationale and wisdom of judging decisions (of RADs and of course the NORAs) I think there were some very worthy winners indeed. In particular I thought the Shell game looked truly innovative (am hoping that Sinead will get to write us up a case study of it), the Asda site holds together very well indeed (no easy thing for a main careers site), the Landrover site was a vision of flash loveliness (I agree probably a bit too form over function – but a beauty to behold none the less), and I agree with the judges that the National Graduate Development Programme video was a very powerful piece superbly executed and so to me looked to be a worthy overall champion.

It’s nice to write a review about how I think it’s clearer than ever (certainly in the categories listed above) what was ticking the judges boxes – and, most importantly for me, the candidate engagement aspect wasn’t lost in the appreciation of the work before them.

But I was left with a strange after taste from the event (and one that was even stronger than the gin & tonic with double baileys chaser that “did me in” – thanks Gemma! ;). The event was hosted very ably by Rob Brydon, but despite his best efforts (and I don’t think it was just me) did it seem to take a bit longer than usual to get to the awards element of the evening? Did the food take longer (less people than previous so can’t see why that should be the case)? Was there more of a gap between food being cleared and it starting?

Whatever it was, the longer the event takes to get into full swing then the shorter the audiences attention span – which I felt to be a real shame, as there really was some excellent work on show. The audience seemed, well, more disassociated from what was actually happening than I can recollect from previous years.

This feeling was made all the stronger when I met someone at the bar later in the night who agreed that they’d had a great time – but quickly went on to say that there’s no way they’d suggest their HRD (FTSE top 50 company) should attend because it seemed little more than a bit of an agency/media piss up. And don’t get me wrong – I, and in many cases unfortunately very well documented, have enjoyed more than my fair share of serious hospitality and intra-industry exuberance. But it got me thinking whether there were simple steps that might be taken that would allow such an event to have it’s creative integrity & best practice filled cake and eat (or rather drink) it?

So here’s some sober thoughts / suggestions / musings:

1. Could the event start earlier? Let’s face it – it’s a big night out and many people have to travel for at least half the day to be there, so why not shift it forward an hour.
2. Do the awards element first. If the event is truly about the awards – the celebrating of creative excellence from our industry – then why not hold off the meal and excessive merriment just a little longer? (obviously starting earlier would help this too)
3. Show the shortlisted work before hand so we actually get to know what’s been judged and can come with a raised level of interest and opinion whatever our agency / client chances of success on the night.

I believe some of the work that I’ve seen over the years from our industry – in whatever humble or not so humble way you may take my ramblings – is truly worldclass, and we should be proud of it. Extremely proud of it. Sometimes a creative team or agency clicks into a winning grove, often or not led by a particular client that gives them the kind of brief(s) or latitude (as well as sometimes budget) that others of us can’t always seem to engineer. But then all of a sudden the landscape changes and some really great work comes from another direction all together. And it’s for that reason that I’d actually like to see steps taken to afford more deference to the quality of what we’re seeing and celebrating – more deference than most of us (it’s quite apparent) can muster straining at an image on a screen after c.4 hours “networking” over a light 3 course meal.

But all that said I don’t want to detract from the fact that I’ve been very impressed as to how the RADs have, certainly in recent years, worked hard to evolve with an industry that has seen it’s media and execution sophistication shift at what (certainly in business terms) is near light speed. With some strong and clear direction, through listening to those at the evolving coal face, and almost certainly some good chairpersonship along the way, I think the RBI team have kept these awards relevant. So well done to all those who produced work they thought good enough to enter as well as those of course who won on the night – and here’s hoping that the RADs push to keep pace with our industry's changing landscape, whilst perhaps taking some steps to ensure this great work gets the focus and acclaim it truly warrants on the actual night.

Comments

[Sinead Bunting]

I can only imagine the planning and logistics that go into planning an event such as the RAD's, so hats off to the RBI team.

I think, that there may have been a bit of a lag, between the end of meal and start of awards which may have heightened any sense of longevity. However, compared to two years ago, when I don't think anyone was even listening to the awards by category number 5, (pesky recruitment consultants ;o)) RBI do seem to review and improve any glitches.

In terms of the suggestions to tighten the night up, I'm not sure starting earlier would solve the issue of the overall running and duration of night.

Having the dinner first serves to loosen people up and add to a sense of anticipation.

Where I do agree an additional dimension could be added is when you mention, showing the work-off first, as this could really add to an appreciation of the nominated work and campaigns...though due to time pressures, believe this isn't really feasible on the night.

Like with the Oscars and Golden Globes (hey, lets aim high........imagine Alex, you could be on the red carpet with paps asking you 'Alex, who/what are you wearing?'....'why Moss Bros of course'...the final nominations could be published in the run-up to the event, maybe on the Rads website.

There could be an overview of what all the nominations are about...Thus adding to a prior understanding and appreciation of the work and a sense of excitement, discussions etc

The site could even act as a seasonal hub for the HR/communications industry, where there could be user generated options and feedback on the work on show...hmmn..now that would be interesting.

[Richard Andrews]

Alex, Sinead thanks for the constructive feedback. It's good to hear that all of the consulting and tweaking that has gone into the RADS over the past few years has been noticed. Having a proportionate representation of digital specialists on the panel (both media and creative/build) has really had a positive effect judging process.

Obviously I have to consider the event as a whole not solely from a digital perspective but after overhauling the categories two years ago my challenge is to ensure that the RADS continue to evolve in line with the work that you guys are producing with your clients. With that in mind, expect to see more consolidation of print categories next year along with the introduction of at least one more digital, and another campaign based category.

As you'd expect we're getting more entries spanning multiple platforms which in itself brings challenges particularly when it comes to replicating the work effectively within a fifteen second slot on the night itself. For example it was hard to decide on the most appropriate visuals to expalin Shell's Online marketing and Innovation wins to an audience not party to the in depth view the judges had of this and other complex integrated work.

So how do we best engage the crowd and keep noise levels to a minimum throughout the awards part of the evening? Like you Alex, I occasionally find it frustrating that the awards aren't always observed a little more reverently particularly after all the effort everyone puts into the judging process. However I sometimes have to remind myself the RADS is also an industry celebration and provides a great opportunity for media, agencies and clients to network, as well as appreciate the great work on show. Although it's not the perfect scenario that's no bad thing and given that none of the 300 plus media present (and some agencies) stand to win anything it's not surprising the place get's a little noisy as the night wears on.

However there are things we can do to help represent the work more effectively. One is to use the video loop that runs through dinner to focus purely on showcasing more of the nominated work rather than a rolecall of all entries that reached the second round. Outside of the night we will definitely be publishing nominations next year and also look at developing the website into a more interactive platform as Sinead suggests.

On a personal level I'm committed to improving the The RADS in any way possible. Despite the increasing logistical challenges the event faces because of the complexity of work now produced and speed that the industry is evolving it's a fantastic product to work on and great fun to be involved in. It's good to know that people are still passionate about it and want to see further improvements.

One curve ball for the digital experts though. the most entered category was.......Print Ad Commercial with 50 entries....somehow I don't think that will be the case next year.

Richard

[Alex Hens]

Moss Bros?! - How Very Dare You!

;-)

Hey - at least I managed the "Tie" element of 'Black Tie'. I mean come on, I'm all for moving on, but without some effort from the men it just becomes a dinner date in a big posh room with very smart ladies doesn't it? (Maybe a muse for another day ;)

Anyway - back to this debate.

I'm not sure that the video loop is really that great a tool to rely on in displaying any kind of work on the night (especially with my eyesight). I mean it's definitely needed when the awards are gone through and a good background element throughout the preceding time, but a pre-event showcase of what's up for consideration online could really help those interested in the actual awards get more "engaged" on the night.

Of course this doesn't really impact on those who are there purely for the 'crac' (and what a 'crac'king night it is I think we all agree). Maybe there's an opportunity to look at how similar other events are held Richard - both in terms of order and timings - but personally if it's a balance between "loosening...and... anticipation" and paying attention to and respecting some great work then my vote is still firmly in the second camp.

But hey - I still take my hat off to you and your team Richard - a great night and great awards that have very much over the last two years demonstrably moved to maintain relevance in our industry.

And as for your curved ball - am I surprised? No. All main agencies still have greater offline than online spend (although as you allude to, this economic climate will likely see that balance continue to evolve) - and the skills in offline creative and production have been honed for many decades, making them better understood (by client and agency alike) and more readily accessible (in terms of you know when you have a good art director/copywriter - perhaps less so when employing web designers and producers). For many traditional agencies it's still quite hit and miss understanding what makes great digitally based creative execution - and even for those dedicated to digital pursuits their sometimes focus on being first to deliver some purported "next big thing" can often leave that all important target candidate engagement a poor secondary consideration.

I think it's right that the RADs has a fair mix of the new and the traditional - because people still read papers, people still look at posters and people still buy sandwiches (?!) and great creativity and engaging recruitment or employer brand messaging isn't something that is the reserve of just one emerging medium or another established one.

[Richard Andrews]

Like the pre-event online showcase idea for nominated work. Will def follow that one up