… unless the awards are for the sales they generate for their clients.
David Ogilvy, considered by some to be the “father of modern advertising”, puts it this way:
Be suspicious of awards.
The pursuit of creative awards seduces creative people from the pursuit of sales. We have been unable to establish any correlation whatever between awards and sales. At Ogilvy and Mather, we now give an annual award for the campaign which contributes the most to sales. Successful advertising sells the product without drawing attention to itself, it rivets the consumer’s attention on the product. Make the product the hero of your advertising.
More great quotes from David Ogilvy
Ben Hunt, author of “Save the Pixel”, puts it this way:
“Design your content, not the box it comes in.”
How do you know you’re talking to a web designer who’s focused on your sales, not their design? By the questions they ask. If she’s asking about what products make you a profit, the most desired response from your website, how you want to follow up with prospects, your plan to keep site content current – that’s a good sign. Those questions relate to generating leads and sales.
If the conversation revolves around colors and layout and custom graphics – the designer is focused more on the “box” (the site), not your product. Yes, the graphic and visual appeal of a site is important – but look for a designer who realizes that the underlying goal if your web presence is to make you money.
To put it another way – look for a web design company who values sales rewards over sales awards.