With a legacy spanning over 40 years, the annual DMA Awards are renowned for being the most ‘rewardingly competitive’ process in the business.
Now open for 2024 entries, the DMA’s managing director Rachel Aldighieri says rigour “sits at the heart” of the process, making them the “toughest awards” to win.
“We celebrate and reward innovative campaigns that deliver impactful messages. Royal Mail’s campaign did just this — showcasing ethical brand values while inspiring meaningful change,” she adds.
But what does it really mean to take one of the awards home? Teresa Sullivan, founder of The Creative Consultancy – which won the 2023 Grand Prix for its Royal Mail work – discusses the award-winning ‘Lighter Delivery’ campaign one year on.
The story behind the ‘Lighter Delivery’ campaign
The Lighter Delivery campaign was built on a strong collaboration between The Creative Consultancy and Royal Mail. We saw a brand committed not only to achieving new heights for sustainable delivery across the UK, but one that leads from the front, working arduously to integrate sustainability into everything they do.
Royal Mail’s work to reduce the Co2 created by every delivery, implement emissions tracking for consumers, and stay loyal to its ‘delivery on foot’ methods, while upholding a trusted, best-in-class service, was far beyond that of any competitor. Their efforts resulted in deliveries generating 50% less carbon emissions, compared to other parcel carriers.
Despite Royal Mail having an impressive story to tell, the brand had been conservative with its storytelling until this point.
We needed to create a campaign that combined impact, brand responsibility, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) into a unified message. This approach was essential in encouraging Royal Mail’s stakeholders to proudly highlight their outstanding achievements.
We needed a campaign that was straightforward, bold in its sustainability message, authentic in its communication, and unique enough to capture the attention of the 10 target high street brands that we had identified as having a high sustainability agenda.
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This led to the creation of the Lighter Delivery campaign. We established that the volume of Co2 that equated to an average parcel delivery was 60cm3. We created an actual size version of what this amount would look like in a box and hand-delivered it with a ‘light on their feet’ dancing ‘Postie’ to our target brands such as Burberry and Nespresso.
Inside each outer box was a smaller box, half the size, which represented the Co2 saving in real terms of using Royal Mail to deliver. Each inner box was highly personalised to the target brand, with supporting copy that reflected on their ESG strategy, drawing parallels with Royal Mail’s sustainability messaging.
The CTA featured a QR code that directed recipients to its sustainability landing page, which included voxpops film featuring their shopper’s views on the subject.
Harnessing award-winning potential
From the start, we recognised that the brief could have award potential. As the campaign progressed, we began considering the possible outcomes, knowing that we would need tangible results if we had a chance at silverware.
The QR codes were scanned by 60% of recipients and meetings were scheduled by 100% of brands – the estimated sales pipeline offers an ROI of around 420 times the cost of the activity. With outstanding feedback from Disney, Ikea, and Burberry and a trial with Nespresso to collect their used coffee pods for recycling, the campaign was really flying.
From my experience as a judge, I knew we needed to be meticulous in ensuring we covered the strategy, creativity and results of the campaign, clearly and imaginatively, to really bring the idea to life for the judges. The DMA employs a rigorous application process.
We were beyond thrilled when a representative of the DMA called to inform us that our team had been shortlisted for the Grand Prix prize. As a small agency competing against media giants, we were the underdogs. However, our team’s skill, excellent campaign, and clear passion for the work meant we stood on equal ground.
Beyond the shiny new trophy
Since winning the Grand Prix, opening new doors has become considerably easier. Plus, being invited to join the Awards Committee as a small agency has provided us with a platform to support and highlight the exceptional work that independent agencies do for brands.
Our ABM expertise was evident throughout our application; and this recognition has led to meetings with several global firms, including a US-based tech brand that valued our best-in-class DM expertise, irrespective of our team size. Our award-winning campaign serves as a clear example of how effective and targeted work by small and regional agencies can be verified by a respected Awards Programme.
Small agencies with big ideas
The DMA Awards provide a level playing field for agencies of all sizes, evaluating each entry based on its practical process and results, rather than brand size, recognition, or sponsorship. Being a small agency doesn’t mean you can’t have a big idea.
Be confident in your chosen category, invest the same effort into your application as you do in your client work, and trust that your hard work and skills will be recognised.
The DMA Awards stand as an industry pillar for marketing excellence, offering a prestigious accolade that serves as concrete proof of an agency’s ability to create exceptional campaigns with flawless delivery and develop on-brand, impactful strategies.
It’s not just the campaign that receives recognition, but the agency and brand as well.
DMA Award winners often find that being shortlisted or winning can significantly accelerate the growth and reputation of their business, highlighting the talents of the teams and individuals involved.
