Years ago, I used to get excited when the latest CA Annual was coming out so I could see what great work was happening at other agencies and what to aspire to next year. Over the years, the excitement of award season has faded but I still recognize value they create for their particpants.

Last night’s ADDYs were a success for the agency, we walked away with a bronze for our client Manheim in the direct marketing category and received a silver ADDYs for a website we built for The Bantam Group. It was work done for “real” clients that are very happy to know that they’re not the only ones who appreciated the work. This is good stuff. Great for client relationships and great for the moral of the people working their ass off to make great work and happy clients.

So why should I feel conflicted? Well, I have my reasons.

Reasons I don’t like award shows

Becaue you shouldn’t need confirmation from your peers that you’re doing good for your clients. You should just do good.

They bread cheating and irresponsible behavior from some agencies. Trust me, this isn’t an isolated incident.

Because there has been a little cronyism in these things over the years. I didn’t see that last night, but I’ve seen it.

I an iconoclast and I just can’t help going against the grain.

Reasons I love award shows

If you win just a few awards it can help your career.

They help agencies attract top talent.

Awards can help bring the right vendors to projects.

They can be a nice pat on the back for cubicle rats working in a business (award shows aside) that doesn’t do a lot of day-to-day back patting.

They are a great way to see what your peers are working on.

Open bars.

By my count, there are definitely more reasons to keep participating in the shows than not. So you’ll probably see me again next year, standing by the bar cheering friends on and hoping I’ll have good news for our clients in the morning.