The GoodWorks Effie

The Effies are a weird award for creatives. Because the winners don't need to necessarily be the most breakthrough or well-crafted creative; it just needs to be "effective." Historically, the winners have been a mixed bag - some great, some not. Regardless, it's a very cool trend to see the big award shows are recognizing "Good" campaigns. Here's what the GoodWorks Effie is all about, straight from their website.


"The lines between brand marketing and a company’s reputation are blurring. Those that lead with a strong social conscience through the likes of sustainable business practices and philanthropic initiatives will succeed.

To highlight this notion that you can do well by doing good, and that great branding and good deeds are increasingly interwoven, Advertising Age has launched GoodWorks — a blog to highlight developments in corporate social responsibility and cause marketing as well as recognizing individual good works.

As part of the GoodWorks initiative and to further promote such efforts, Advertising Age and Effie Worldwide are partnering on a new Effie Award to recognize and promote the idea of doing well by doing good – The GoodWorks Effie.

The GoodWorks Effie is for communications programs proven effective in addressing a social problem or in expanding an existing program in ways that benefit our society or our planet. Any effort that sets out to give back in some way for the greater good is eligible to enter.

Maybe it was for profit, maybe not. Maybe you got paid, maybe you didn’t. Any and all marketing communications efforts, whether full campaigns or unique efforts within a campaign are eligible to enter as long as measurable results exist.

GoodWorks Effie – Brands/Companies
For marketing communications efforts undertaken by for-profit entities that are ‘doing well by doing good.’

Examples of campaigns that would have been eligible for this award include:

- Pedigree, Echo
- Walmart, PSP 2007: Personal Sustainability Project
- Häagen-Dazs, Häagen-Dazs Loves Honey Bees

GoodWorks Effie – Non-Profit
Designed for communications of a public service nature for a non-profit organization or association, including political messages and special interest/trade group communications.

Examples of campaigns that would have been eligible for this award include:

- Oregon Humane Society,End Petlessness Campaign
- Autism Speaks, Odds Campaign

Effie is an award for effective marketing communications. It is not our place to say, for example, that fighting cystic fibrosis is more or less important than working to end urban violence. Like all other Effies, what will be judged and measured is the effectiveness of the communications program created. All GoodWorks entries will undergo the same rigor of evaluation as other Effie entries do.

The GoodWorks competition will run in conjunction with the North American Effie program and will adhere to the same deadlines. The Call For Entries period will kick off on October 14th and officially close on Wednesday, November 4, 2009.
Download the 2010 Entry Kit here.

The GoodWorks-Brand Effie will have a flat fee of $785 per entry.
The GoodWorks-Non-Profit Effie has a flat fee of $385.
As a courtesy to this unique award, the Effies will not be implementing a late fee structure on GoodWorks entries.

All GoodWorks entries will be judged by handpicked, highly experienced industry professionals from around the country. Entries will go through a rigorous first round of judging and those that receive the highest scores will move on to the final round.

Winners will be announced and awarded at a special cocktail reception in February 2010.

Perhaps you have questions regarding the GoodWorks Effie?
Contact us directly via email at spulner@effie.org or call us at 212-687-3280 ext. 228.

Would you like to suggest a “goodwork” for a GoodWorks Effie Award?
Please Click Here to Submit Your Recommendation and we will reach out to them with all the entry details.

We look forward to celebrating your good works in coming months."

This follows the announcement by the One Club/One Show of their "Green Pencil" award, which you can read about HERE.

At Last.

The One Club has announced the Green Pencil, “Honoring excellence in environmental advertising.”

From the One Club site: “As history has proven, the power of advertising can do more than just create awareness for a brand. It can inspire. It can influence. It can even change the fortunes of a brand on a global scale. Just imagine what it could do for our planet. To that end, The One Club is asking for more than your eco-friendly One Show entries. We're asking all creative and strategic thinkers in our industry to approach environmental organizations that could benefit from the power of advertising. Not only could your efforts benefit the planet, they may well end up landing you the next Green Pencil.”

This is fantastic, since it may bring even better creative to the “green” cause. Although come to think of it, the One Show has been strong in the public service category for a long, long time.

They list 17 environmental groups on the Green Pencil site. I hope these aren’t the only “clients” they will consider for the Green Pencil.

Here’s why. Non-profits have small budgets. That’s why I love seeing big for-profit brands applying their colossal budgets toward doing good. Imagine the Organic Consumers Association’s marketing budget. Now imagine the Tide detergent marketing budget. It’s got to be ten times the size – or a hundred times. So, which program is going to have a bigger impact? (Social media may change that equation.)

I hope we see entries for the Green Pencil that include for-profit brands. They're doing at least as much to help the environment as the non-profits these days. Brands with gigantic budgets that activate their customer base to create some massive change. Otherwise this is just a call for entries of more ads that “ran.” Great creative with little impact.

At the very least we will see some great ideas. Maybe it’ll inspire some big brand with some actual money do take up the torch and do some good.

Read about the Green Pencil HERE.

I guess now I won't have to do THIS. (Or do I?)