Commentary

CP+B Says It's Quitting The Awards Show Circuit

Here we go again.

In 2017, Publicis Groupe said it was opting out of award shows for a year, in part to help pay for its new AI platform Marcel.

Now Crispin Porter + Bogusky, part of MDC Partners, says it is quitting award shows, period.

Leave it to CP+B uber creative Alex Bogusky, who recently returned to the Boulder-based ad shop after an eight-year hiatus, to make things interesting again.

Earlier this month, he appeared at Advertising Week New York as a “bionic mannequin.”

Now he’s spearheading a movement to get agencies to quit award competitions.

On Friday, CP+B announced on its Twitter feed (@cpbgroup) the creation of the “Quitty Awards,” the “last awards show your agency will enter.”

Go to the feed and you’ll see a pic of a smiling Bogusky holding a Quitty Award trophy with the accompanying tweet:  “And the first 2018 Grand Quitty goes to...CP+B! The Quitty Awards celebrate truly big ideas — if that big idea is quitting awards.”

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There is a form that agencies can use to enter the new awards program. Entrants are asked to select from a list of answers the reasons why they are quitting awards, such as: “Award shows are not an accurate measure of creative effectiveness.” (The Effies might disagree with that.)

Other reasons listed include the expense of entering awards and that money spent on submissions is better spent on developing creative ideas.

Some of those responding were skeptical.

CPB suggests that “the next generation of talent does not value award shows.” One respondent replied they would be interested in “seeing your research/data results to come up with such a conclusion.”

Another skeptic said it was easy to poke fun at awards. “This is easy and everyone knows it’s a waste of time. Now let’s see the killer work.”

No doubt it’s a gimmicky move, and we’ll see how long it lasts. Maybe CPB is counting on clients and other interested parties entering awards on their behalf. Publicis Groupe won a bunch of awards at Cannes this year in just that fashion. 

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