Awards: ISP and MCCA add support to Impact

by Bhavna Mistry, Promotions & Incentives 14-Dec-06

The Impact Awards, in association with P&I and Marketing magazines, are being backed by two of the major trade bodies in the below-the-line sector.

The Marketing Communications Consultants Association (MCCA) and the Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP) have endorsed the new awards and will be encouraging members to enter the Impact Awards. Relevant winners from the Best and the ISP Awards are expected to be filtered into the new awards.

The Impact Awards launched in September. With the tagline "Awards worth winning", the scheme has been designed to award consistent agency excellence with a view to building "the most exclusive list of agencies, campaigns and people in promotional and motivation marketing".

Agencies from all disciplines will be asked to submit three campaigns that feature a promotional marketing element. These will be judged by a panel of leading marketers, and the winners' list will be sent directly to the desktops of more than 100,000 relevant client-side marketers from Haymarket's marketing media, including Brand Republic, Campaign, and Revolution.

"It's a great idea, which the MCCA supports. The work coming out of our sector is getting better, and any opportunity to showcase great work is welcome," said Graham Kemp, MCCA chairman.

Clive Mishon, marketing director of the ISP, added: "Every opportunity to celebrate excellence in our sector is to be both applauded and encouraged, and the Impact Awards give us the opportunity to celebrate great work throughout the year."

The deadline for entries to the Impact Awards will now be moved from its original January date, and a renewed call for entries will go out early in 2007. The awards ceremony will now take place in September, to ensure agencies aren't faced with the prospect of all three of the sector's major awards taking place within a month of each other.

The MCCA's Best Awards will take place on 19 April, while the ISP Awards are timetabled for mid-May.