D&AD poll of global judges links creativity and awards glory with commercial success

New research reveals that winning top creative awards is one of the most important drivers of new business, staff retention and career progression in the creative industry.

The study by D&AD polled a large sample of the most senior advertising and design executives from across the globe. The results show that nearly half of all agencies that have won a D&AD Pencil have gone onto win new business or clients in the following 12 months, which can be directly attributed to the profile gained from winning the award.

The poll found that awards success is vital in helping to build a business’ profile and reputation, with 40 per cent of those surveyed believing that winning awards was the strongest contributor for maintaining the reputation of their organisation.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents agreed that awards success can contribute to attracting and retaining new talent, with some reporting agency headcount growing by 100 per cent compared to the previous year following winning an award.

Nearly 50 per cent of respondents said that an award contributed directly to a salary increase, with some going on to see salary rises of up to 30 per cent or more – proving that winning awards is also an important factor in career development and success.

Tim Lindsay, CEO of D&AD said, “At a time when the global creative industries face continuing tough economic challenges, delivering outstanding creative work worthy of an award can be a valuable point of differentiation from competitors. The achievement of excellence in creativity is undoubtedly important; it consistently inspires higher quality work by raising the creative bar, which in turn delivers economic success. Our research shows that winning a D&AD Pencil is an important validation that your work is of the highest calibre, and is recognised by both peers and prospective clients and by new talent.

“We hope that the work entered in this year’s Awards – the 51st – continues to break new ground, and will encourage creatives and designers from organisations big and small around the world to rise to the challenge of achieving the ultimate benchmark in commercial creativity, setting the standard for new generations of commercial creatives.”

The D&AD site features in depth case studies on creative campaigns that have succeeded at the Awards, including Apple which has consistently won accolades for its innovative design. Sir Jony Ive and the Apple design team flew to London in 2012 to collect D&AD Awards for Apple.