So it’s the afternoon after the night before – the night in question being the 6th annual B2B Marketing Awards in London – and there are lots of sore, fuzzy and generally jaded heads in the office this morning. But although I’m clearly biased, I’m sure it was worth it. A great time was seen to be had by all – not only at the ceremony but into the small hours at the aftershow party venue Sway (despite host Jack Whitehall describing it as “the one bar in London that makes TigerTiger look classy”). Thanks so much to all those who worked so hard to make it happen.
Highlights and notable incidents? I really have to mention Earnest, who pretty much cleaned up in terms of trophies, winning five categories, but well done to the other winners who were many and varied. Including the likes of Direction Group and DNX who have been quietly stacking up a hat-trick of wins over recent years, and consistency of success in many ways is just as important as a huge success in one single year. Congratulations also to IBM and Ogilvy for also winning a category… which was made slightly more amusing by Jack Whitehall’s admission that he’d done and internship with Ogilvy and been refused a job because he “wasn’t mature enough.” You’ll find this ironic if you’ve ever encountered Ogilvy’s brilliant but eccentric executive creative director Rory Sutherland, who is hardly known for his sensible behaviour… let alone dress sense. The full list of winners is too long to mention in this blog, but you can find it here.
Jack Whitehall was a truly great host, managing to keep the flow of the awards, gently mocking some of the jargon and tech-speak in the titles, without actually belittling any of them. A very fine line, but he trod it well.
The awards does a great job of providing credibility and a focus for the B2B marketing sector, and its really gratifying to see so many people enjoying the environment, making new contacts and re-affirming old ones. And just having a damn good time.
Only one hiccup: a mistake in the awards supplement for category 18 meant we listed the runner up (Lloyds Bank and Rowan Marketing) as the winner (Sodexho and AMP/Spira). Apologies to all concerned. Unfortunately mistakes do happen – I hope it didn’t dull your enjoyment too much.
Sorry this isn’t the most profound overview – I’m not in a particularly profound state of mind right now! Hopefully I’ll have something more considered to say next week. In the meantime, if you have any comments or observations on the awards, please feel free to add them below.
