Top Ten Tips For Your Sport Industry Awards Submission
Securing your place on the Sport Industry Awards podium is never an easy task. The judging process for the Sport Industry Awards is the most rigorous and stringent of its kind, involving more than 50 key industry figures across more than 40 hours, and fully overseen by Deloitte, the Independent Scrutineers of the Sport Industry Awards.
With tangible evidence of results a vital requirement in that judging process, there is no question that solid and in-depth research is an essential part of any entry. But how best to use that research? For advice, we turned to Kantar Media, the Official Research Partner of the Sport Industry Awards. Richard Brinkman, Head of KantarSport at Kantar Media, has the following ten tips for would-be Sport Industry Awards winners:
- Source any data
Unreferenced data can often look dubious. So when presenting information, state clearly who originally provided it and when.
- Measure against your objectives
Don’t just set out your sponsorship objectives. Also explain what success would look like and what tools you would use to measure progress.
- Then use those measures fully!
Don’t tell the judges how you were going to demonstrate effectiveness, then be vague with the results. There may be limited space, but it’s better to have done a few things demonstrably well than just claim to have done a lot of things.
- Do not ‘reverse engineer’ your objectives to fit your results
Sometimes your biggest successes are in unexpected areas. Or you find it much easier to measure success in areas that were not key priorities. Avoid pretending these elements were critical. The judges are bound to notice and it will stop your submission from ringing true.
- Be genuine
Not every element is easy to measure or evidence. It is OK to identify and admit this! But don’t just gloss over the issue, it’s always favourable to at least have a go.
- Be independent where possible
Independent third-party evidence is generally more impressive than your own, but it’s not always available. If your research is self-produced, explain why this is and try to validate your data – perhaps by including a questionnaire.
- Be visual
It’s unlikely research will be the highlight of your entry, but you should still make it as visually interesting as possible. Like any other element of your entry, it will work to your advantage if your results stand out from the competition and the judges see them as relevant and engaging.
- Be different
Judges will always be impressed at innovative ways of demonstrating success. This might involve fusing two previously distinct pieces of data, or perhaps combining measurement programmes to monitor more than one objective simultaneously.
- No evidence is too small, it all counts!
Some objectives might only involve small distinct target audiences, such as attendees to a corporate event or participants in a community extension programme. But even if there are only 25 respondents, it’s worth explaining their responses and feedback. If the objective is significant enough to mention in your entry then it’s important to try to measure its results.
- Act on what you found out
Try to adapt your activities based on what you have established or found out. Evidence of solid, fact-based decision-making always reassures judges that your success is anything but lucky or accidental.
Richard Brinkman, Head of KantarSport at Kantar Media. To find out more about Kantar Media, visit www.kantarmediauk.com/kantarsport.aspx
