Do Pay-to-Play Industry Awards Need To Be Flushed Out With The Tide?
Rebecca Whitlocke
Marketing & PR Services targeting high-net-worth clients | Copywriting for yachting & luxury brands that challenges the status quo | Founder at Antibes Yachting
This is a detour from marketing tips today, and some people might think that what I’m about to post is controversial, but I believe it's an important discussion.
?? Let’s talk about INDUSTRY AWARDS.
Two business owners I know were overjoyed to be nominated for an industry business award.
"There was a lot of prestige involved, they’d reach a huge database and it was great for PR", the organisers told them.
Both business owners invested money into putting their best foot forward - one told me this amounted to approximately €1500 paying for a professional promotional video, marketing her own participation, and paying for travel expenses to and from the awards ceremony (flights, hotel, transfers, etc).
On top of this, they also both paid a participation fee to the organisers : a princely expense for a small business owner.
A fee that was applicable to EVERY nominated company.
One of the ’nominees’ was then contacted again this year telling her she could win another award. She explained she already participated last year and they told her she could "self-nominate" herself for an award in the same category.
?? PAY-TO-PLAY
It’s a perfect illusion, pay-to-play to be in the running for this awards format.
How about those yachting companies who made the semifinals and finals… but only because they paid a hefty “admin fee" for their chance to progress.
If you paid to be on the shortlist for an award, is it an awards competition or a glorified lottery?
Do I agree? Not in the slightest. Many awards are run or sponsored by organisations or media as another revenue stream. This is not a rant about awards per se; I don’t think I can tarnish all awards as the same because some awards signal success, help with brand awareness, and are transparent with their judging process including the number of votes received and using industry-respected judges.
?? REVENUE BEFORE INDUSTRY REPUTATION
Magically, for these yachting industry business awards, there was a startup in the “finalist" list against an established yacht agency. You simply CAN NOT justify that a new company of 2 months can demonstrate the same industry reputation, network, and client base as a well-known company that has been in business for over 20 years.
The criteria become laughable.
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This is what happens when misaligned marketing/PR teams tell startups to pay to be in the running for prestige or to attract future funding. That is also what happens when you have award organisers starting with revenue as a foundation and ending with an award ceremony, instead of the other way around.
Excuse my frank perspective, but it shits all over ambition, success, ethics, integrity, merit, and values because we are basically saying we don’t care one iota about each company’s passion, expertise, or professionalism in the industry, because a paycheck for a sponsored award is more important.
We are communicating that they don’t matter because essentially they have no sense of purpose to deliver anything by merit.
In the process, some very deserving individuals or companies are sidelined who perhaps don’t have the budget but are pushing for higher social or yachting community achievements. Are they not award-worthy?
We talk so much in the yachting industry about developing a leader's mindset and being authentic to increase people’s trust in our businesses yet this is a glowing example of hypocrisy.
?? Pay to enter an industry business awards competition? You’re in.
?? Commit to a marketing campaign with promised glowing PR? You’re in.
?? Showing up and being authentic? Optional.
?? A MESSAGE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Yachting business owners, we need to work together to ensure we're not taken for a ride.
If you really want to make a difference in progressing our industry forward, especially setting an example for the next generation, please don’t pay someone to have your accolades put on a pedestal. We have turned popularity and disguised participation and trophies as ‘admin fees’ into commodities and that is sad. Here’s my proposal: Create your own list, put yourself as the winner then focus on building and maintaining your customer loyalty and what truly makes you stand out.
For the next generation entering the yachting industry and reading my post, please know that there are plenty of other ways the industry can support you to do extraordinary things, harness your full potential, or offer the best of what you need to succeed because lots of supportive people want to embrace your journey, are willing to share their knowledge and want to listen to you.
Integrity and your values should be your DNA that you live and breathe by! You may not have everyone like you but you will have people who appreciate what you stand for in the long run.
Thanks for reading my post - Leave me a comment below!
Social Media Marketer - Marine Industry Consultant - Writer/Editor - YachtbuildAdvisor.com - 88K+ total SM subscribers and followers - 1,600+ Published Articles
1 年I not only sympathize with your viewpoint, but I applaud your cojones in speaking up. Having spent years cultivating an image as a curmudgeonly marine industry myth buster, I am reluctant to say this, but ... perhaps pay-to-play is just as good as any of the other systems of connection and influence (aka old-boy networks). The bottom line is that awards, particularly in the recreational marine sector are mostly vanity or marketing bull chips and should be treated as such. Thus has it been for decades and thus shall it remain ... until the judges are picked and rotated for their stubborn independence and lack of conflict of interest. And, I might add, until we move away from the concept of media and fellow travelers being the "partners in marketing" of the players. Cheers! . https://portroyalgroup.substack.com/p/adding-kevlar-to-a-hull-laminate
Dear Rebecca, great piece on awards - well done. ? Some years ago, Yachtstyle magazine in Hong Kong was offered an award for Best Luxury Boating Magazine by a local marketing magazine. All we had to do was take out a full page ad in their magazine, and buy a table for 12 at the Awards Dinner. In other words, pay for the privilege. ? I said I would consult with my fellow Directors. The answer was always going to be “thanks, but no thanks”. A week later the young lady followed up, but this time offered me 2nd place in the category. "First place has been reserved by another magazine."?I gave her both barrels, and right between the eyes. Then her Editor phoned and said I couldn't talk to his staff like that, and he could sue me for abuse. Ha ha. I replied that I could write a story, with all the names, and publish it on a global sailing/boating news website of which I an Editor. Silence, and no further contact.? ? We have also surveyed the awards results in Asia, and notice that the categories shift to accommodate advertisers. One year it is 60-80ft, and next year it might be 65-85ft. It a scam playing on both vanity and credulity, and it stinks.
founder and editor of Megayacht News and owner of RedHedInk; professional superyacht journalist with 35+ years of editorial experience and leadership
1 年The answer to the question posed by your headline: YES. The race to the bottom will remain, though, as long as the “awards” organizers can at least break even. Too many established companies are all too willing to pay to play. Bad enough that startups pay… but the establishment outnumbers them.
Business development manager
1 年Great article Rebecca. It’s a shame because genuine awards are a great way to bring attention to people that deserve it.
UHNW Recruitment Specialist | Advising Family Offices, Yacht Management Companies & Private Estates | Elite Staff Placement
1 年Hi Rebecca. Absolutely shambolic. I know the awards ceremony you speak of…. I will tell you my experience. We were nominated and paid our entry fee. There was 6 of us in total. This was being whittled down to 3 agencies by the panel of Captains and industry experts. Then the winner would be voted for by the members of this group (crew basically). Sounded fair and above board. We were pleased to make the final 3 and accordingly shared the good news on social media. A few days later I realized there appeared to be more than 3 finalists. So I checked and it turned there wasn’t 6 finalists, there was 7! We had gained another entrant. Confused I contacted the awards company and apparently ‘every company got some votes so not fair to chop anyone’. So straight away they haven’t followed their own rules. Anyway when voting opened it turned out there was zero quality control and it wasn’t restricted to yacht crew. You could register multiple votes on phone, laptop etc. Anyone could vote. It was completely open to abuse. I queried this as well. Suffice to say the whole thing was disappointing. I would never have entered if we had known what the actual format would be. But initially it looked good. Sadly it wasn’t…