Meet the class(y) of 2024: these are the people who will be applying their skills of critical appreciation to this year’s Thinkbox TV Planning Awards entries. They’re worth knowing a thing or two about, so here they reveal what they really, really want from the submissions they’ll be sifting through and what they think makes a winner. Entries for 2024 have now closed.
Ollie Shayer, omni media director, Boots
“I will be seeking campaigns that skilfully blend strategy, creativity, and innovation, assessing how the 'big idea' aligns with business objectives and yields tangible results.”
Munnawar Chishty, marketing director, Britvic
“I’ll be looking for entries that demonstrate the powerful combination of strategy, creativity, effectiveness, and tangible results.”
David Wilding, chief strategy officer, EssenceMediacomX
“Smart insight, creative problem-solving, good storytelling and perhaps the odd joke.
It's a lot to ask but I'm an optimist and the word count is generous :).”
Jon Forsyth, founder and chief creative officer, Neverland
“How a simple, energy-fuelled insight led to an idea that travelled into more people's lives through the power of broadcast.”
Natalie Cummins, chief executive, Zenith UK
“A simple narrative that stays with me. I always think we shouldn’t be surprised when advertising works so the best entries go beyond ‘we did some AV and it really worked.’ The best entries will have a new dimension or a new way to tell an AV story.”
Garrett O’Reilly, chief executive, Hearts & Science
“In a fragmented, ever-changing TV landscape, I’m looking out for really sharp audience insights that are the springboard for more creative, more impactful and more effective ideas. Yes, there are new platforms, more data, and seemingly endless brilliant content but I can’t wait to see how the smartest media minds have turned all of this into actionable growth for their clients and their brands.”
Karin Seymour, director of client & marketing, Sky Media
“When judging awards, I’m always excited to see how brilliant insight, clear strategy and creative thinking leads to great work and, importantly, great results for clients. For me, that connection between the insight and the execution, understanding where to use all the tricks and tools that TV has to offer to engage an audience, is what I am looking for. Make your entry easy to follow and engaging to read. We’re talking about TV planning, which is an art form – so paint an inspiring picture.”
James Bailey, chief executive, iProspect UK
“I’m looking for super smart measurement and execution that illustrates the full potential of every commercial partner as a video platform. The campaigns that pull every lever to maximise and understand immediate effect.”
Alex Uprichard, managing director, IMA-HOME
“In our challenging market, it is essential that we can demonstrate the effectiveness of investment in media activity. So I am hoping to see entrants who have genuinely interrogated the business challenge and actually made a demonstrable impact to their client's business as a result. I will be looking out for innovative approaches to data that have then fuelled unique creative thinking in particular.”
Ed Chalmers, head of trading, Channel 4
“I will be looking for work that demonstrates sharp insightful thinking, a creative application and, above all, very tangible results.”
Lindsey Clay, chief executive, Thinkbox and chair of judges
“I’m interested to see what the latest generation of brilliant planners are making of the newer tools in TV’s toolbox.”
Keith Welling, managing partner, investment, UM
“I’m looking forward to seeing brilliantly simple, truly original ideas…the ones that leave you thinking, ‘why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?’”
Lydia Saxby, AV account manager, Wavemaker; Thinkbox Young TV Planner of the Year 2023
“I’m looking for entries which have strategically overcome the challenges of TV planning in an ever-changing market and showing us how TV is king.”
Rupen Shah, head of client services, Thinkbox
“Judging the TV Planning Awards is always a real privilege as I get exclusive access to the smartest thinking behind the best TV campaigns out there. Once again, I’ll be looking for the crème de la crème of entries that demonstrate outstanding performance against clearly defined objectives achieved through brilliant planning, and the innovative and creative use of TV advertising.”
Beau Jackson, media editor, Campaign
“I am really looking forward to judging the Thinkbox TV Planning Awards for the first time this year. I’ll be looking for fresh planning ideas that make TV sing for clients, backed by a clear strategy reflected in the results.”
Zoe Harkness, head of training, Thinkbox
“I will be looking for a paper that tells me about a key insight the agency had that led them to make their planning decisions. The best papers are ones where another agency planner, if reading it, might think ‘I wish I had done that’.”
The shortlist will be announced in May and winners will be celebrated at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday July 10th. More information on the awards can be found here.