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Belinda Beeftink reveals top tips for how to win a Mediatel Media Research Award

Belinda Beeftink reveals top tips for how to win a Mediatel Media Research Award

The outcome of quality media research is the critical factor in what goes into winning a Mediatel Media Research Award, head judge Belinda Beeftink has told Mediatel News.

Beeftink, the IPA’s research director, is leading a line-up of industry judges for the 2022 awards, for which entries opened earlier this month.

Speaking to Mediatel News about what judges look for when selecting winning entries, Beeftink said: “We can all go away and do wonderful research and brilliant projects but it’s the outcome of that work that’s important.

“We are encouraging people to bring to life the outcome: ‘Because of this, that happened.’ We’re not looking for vanity projects, we want results that are tangible.”

The 2022 awards will be particularly special, Beeftink predicts, because everyone in the media industry wants to understand what the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has had over the last two years.

“People have had to be very agile in how they’ve conducted research during the pandemic,” she said. “But the downside is a lack of face-to-face interviewing.

“The effect of that is that many have had to rethink what they’re doing and there has been some really innovative work going on.”

‘Talk to your boss and clients about your entry’

The entry submission itself make a huge difference to what makes a standout contender for an award, Beeftink added.

“There are a lot of entries to go through and if it’s not written with clarity you’re in trouble. You need to be as clear as possible and stick as closely as possible to the brief,” she said.

“Give the judges as much help as possible – they are giving up their time to do this and it can be annoying if entries are not articulating themselves well.”

She advised entrants to consult their organisation when entering an award in order to ensure the highest quality work is showcased.

“First, think carefully about what you’re going to propose. Then talk to people about it internally; talk to your boss, the people you did the research for and find out from them what was most valuable or interesting about the work.

“It’s a bit scary because you’re opening yourself up for criticism, but if you’re going to be critiqued then you may as well get it early from people who are aware of the project in the first place.”

Each individual judge brings their own industry expertise and unique take on the media research market, covering media agencies, media owners, marketing bodies, tech companies, advertisers and independent consultants.

Judge Company Job Title
Belinda Beeftink IPA Research Director
Fanny Carouge Samsung Ads Head of Analytics & Insights, Europe
Martin Greenbank Channel 4 Head of Advertising Research and Development
Omar Oakes Mediatel News Editor
Andy Pang Snap Head of Marketing Science
Pauline Robson MediaCom Managing Partner
Danny Russell Danny Russell Consulting Owner
Kate Rutter Global Head of Commercial Insight
Louise Twycross-Lewis PHD Head of Insight
Denise Turner Newsworks Director of Research & Insight

The 2022 Mediatel Media Research Awards opened for entries on 1 September.

Winners will be revealed at a prestigious awards lunch in March 2022, with a Grand Prix award chosen from winners of the project-based categories.

The 2020 awards included winners such as BBC World Service, which won the Grand Prix for “Fake News and the Ordinary Citizen”. Meanwhile, Thinkbox won media owner/trade body of the year and Wavemaker was awarded media agency of the year.

Other winners in 2020 included Channel 4, Magnetic, MediaCom and OMD UK.

For further details look out for our announcements and visit our website.

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