After going through a number of submissions as part of AMI judging, you start to notice a pattern quite quickly.  The difference between good marketing and award-winning marketing is rarely about budget or scale.  It usually comes down to clarity. 

Many submissions do a reasonable job of explaining what was done.  Where they tend to fall short is in explaining why it was done and what actually changed as a result.  That gap is often where entries lose their strength.  

The stronger submissions almost always begin with a clear business problem.  Not something broad, but something specific and real.  It could be declining sales, difficulty in reaching a key segment, or pressure from competitors.  When that starting point is clear, everything that follows becomes easier to understand. 

From there, the strategy needs to make sense quickly.  Who are you targeting, what are you trying to shift, and why this approach.  Judges are not looking for complexity.  They are looking for logic. When the strategy is clear, the execution feels connected.  When it is not, even well-executed campaigns can feel disconnected.  Another common issue is over-explaining activity.  Long lists of channels and tactics do not add much value unless they are clearly linked back to the strategy.  It is not about how much was done.  It is about whether it worked. 

That is where results become important.  

Strong submissions show outcomes that link back to the original problem. Growth, conversion, retention, or any meaningful shift, supported by evidence.  It does not need to be perfect, but it does need to be clear.  Something else judges tend to notice early is how easy a submission is to follow.  Within the first few minutes, you can usually tell whether the thinking is structured.  When the story flows naturally from problem to strategy to execution and results, it builds confidence.  When it feels disconnected, it becomes harder to see the true value of the work, even if parts of it are strong. 

For anyone unsure whether their work is award-worthy, it is a simple check. Can you clearly explain the problem, the thinking behind your approach, and the outcome in a way that is easy to follow and supported by results? If you can, you are already ahead of many submissions.  In practice, this is also how marketing is judged in the real world. It is not just about visibility or creativity. It is about delivering outcomes that matter to the business. The closer a submission stays to that reality, the stronger it becomes. 

At the end of the day, judges are not looking for complicated stories. They are looking for work that makes sense and delivers real impact.  That is what stands out. 

 Kevin Baduge 

Chartered Marketer (CIM, UK) | CPM (AMI) | MBA – (UK) | P.g Dip in Mkt (CIM, UK) 

Teaching Associate, Monash University – Australia / Trade Specialist – Bunning Group Australia