Branding has become increasingly important for financial services companies in recent years. Larger providers must fend off challengers through continuous investment in brand awareness, whilst smaller businesses use brand strategy to carve out a space in a crowded market and create differentiation.

No matter the company size, the ability to demonstrate effectiveness is key in this category. We will consider only the performance of the campaign discussed in each entry, as opposed to favouring large budgets or existing share of market.

Content marketing remains a crucial tool in a marketers toolkit, encompassing podcasts, editorial features and video amongst other new formats.

In this category, we’ll be looking for content strategies that can evidence quantifiable results with a direct impact on the business, customer or wider industry. As campaign effectiveness is the key metric of success, both big and small companies will compete and be considered equally in this category.

This award recognises the additional challenges in market conditions or customer expectations that are involved in running a single campaign or initiative across several countries.

The judges expect the same rigorous analysis as in the other categories, but would welcome also a few background comments (in the summary section – not part of the overall word limit) about non-UK markets with which they may not be fully familiar.

In financial services, customer or client events remain an important channel for acquisition and retention, as well as building brand equity. This category welcomes entries discussing an event series or a single standalone conference.

The highest marks will be awarded to those who can demonstrate impressive a KPI uplift as a direct result of their programme.

Customers have always been the core of marketing strategy for our membership. We’d like to hear how your 2023 customer strategy demonstrated uplift in acquisition, retention or engagement, depending on the context of the business and market conditions.

The best entries will be able to document the impact of a cohesive strategy and use of customer journey, including the justifications behind either a change of direction or the specific measures of improvement responsible for the results.

In the past few years, ‘earned media’ has become one of the most sought-after achievements in marketing. This might encompass organic influencer endorsements, high numbers of social shares or podcast success, as well as non-paid for coverage on more traditional media (i.e. TV and newspaper coverage).

Successful entrants in this category will be able to demonstrate how their earned media strategy translated into a positive uplift in marketing outcomes. Consider if your campaign increased sales or product enquiries, website visits or social media followers when demonstrating effectiveness.

The introduction of Consumer Duty has created clear tenets to guide customer strategy in financial services and some brilliant work to improve consumer outcomes has been carried out as a result.

Our judges will be looking for entries that illustrate a clear and compelling strategy with direct correlation to positive behaviour changes amongst customers.

This category looks specifically at the most effective use of an integrated marketing campaign targeting business to business, which may encompass social media and digital advertising, as well as more traditional formats such as television, print and outdoor.

This category looks specifically at the most effective use of an integrated marketing campaign targeting direct to consumer, which may encompass social media and digital advertising, as well as more traditional formats such as television, print and outdoor.

This category focuses purely on the strategy, tactics and execution of marketing sustainable financial services products or services; for example, a fund investing in renewable energy, pensions or a ‘green’ mortgage.

Marketing success does not require mega-spending, as has been demonstrated by many of the winning entries in the twenty-two years of these Awards.

“Small budget” is a relative term, depending on the size of the company, but we define it here as any execution involving expenditure of no more than £100k, and the category is open to any company regardless of size that can demonstrate quantifiable success from its campaign.

Last year, we welcomed the Most Effective Use of Social Media category for the first time since 2019, recognising that a number of campaigns now take place purely on social channels, including influencer marketing, customer service initiatives and content campaigns.

Unsurprisingly, it was one of our most competitive categories. We’re looking for campaigns that have yielded impressive results and engagement on social media.

This is a separate category from our main awards, which require you to detail a single marketing campaign and evidence its effectiveness. For this award, we want to hear about the role of culture, innovation, collaboration, and driving change in your marketing team.

We also want you to tell us how your department have been integral in driving core objectives within the wider business or external financial services landscape. This special category aims to recognise the collective endeavours of the marketing team - and the important role that the group’s unique talents and vision play in creating outstanding marketing.

Agencies make an enormous contribution to the success of marketing activities. We’re looking to recognise and reward standout agencies doing exceptional work in the financial services sector, both for their clients and on a wider industry level.

As an agency, you can nominate yourself or be nominated by a client or peer.

This category recognises a rising star within the financial services industry, who is showing signs of being an exceptional and innovative marketer.

Those nominated must be under 30 years of age on 31 December 2024.

The jewel in the Awards for Marketing Effectiveness Crown: we want to hear about this year’s exceptional senior marketing leaders in the financial services industry. You can nominate yourself, a colleague or a client for this award.

In view of the depth of experience and the sustained marketing success that the judges are looking for, it is unlikely (but not by any means unheard of!) that many people under the age of 30 will be able to demonstrate the required combination of outstanding marketing ability and long-term performance. Please bear this in mind when considering your entry.