JUDGING PROCESS

The AMA Marketer of the Year Committee, led by Chair Jill Fuller, sent out a call for nominations in early November to a select list of high performing western Pennsylvania brands that have demonstrated marketing excellence in 2007.  A general call for nominations is underway in which others can submit an entry through mail or online.

Our esteemed panel of judges are respected marketing leaders in academia and business in the Pittsburgh region.  As nominations come in, our judges will score each one based on the Judging Criteria and deem one worthy of a Marketer of the Year in their specialized industry.  Once all individual votes are tabulated, a simple majority vote will be made to determine the overall Marketer of the Year for 2007.

JUDGING PANEL

In this first landmark year kicking off the first annual AMA Pittsburgh’s Marketer of the Year Awards, the selection of judges and judging process is critical to the success of the inaugural year and future years to come.

The judges of the Marketer of the Year Awards bring years of experience and knowledge from the business and marketing world. They understand the need for strong business acumen and marketing excellence and direction to promote healthy brands in the marketplace.

The judges, who will select Marketer of the Year finalists and overall winner, include the following respected marketing leaders:

Dr. Audrey Guskey, Associate Professor of Marketing at Duquesne University, is considered to be one of the nation's leading consumer experts

Dr. John Mathers, Executive Director of Master Programs and Teaching Professor of Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University,

Dave Oshlag, Former AMA President 2006/2007 and President of Project Marketing Associates

Melissa Sassano, Former AMA President 2005/2006 and Vice President, Zone Marketing Manager, MidWest Zone of Marsh USA, Inc.

Dr. J. Jeffrey Inman, Albert Wesley Frey Professor of Marketing, University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business

JUDGING CRITERIA

Each entry must include answers to the five judging criteria questions below. Responses must be typewritten on 8 1/2” x 11” plain paper, with a maximum of three pages. Judges score each entry according to the point system outlined below. The entry with the highest total number of points in each category is the winner. (Looking into online submission as well.)

1. Business Problem /Opportunity (10 points)
What was the basic problem to be solved or situation to addressed by the marketing program? Highlight internal and external constraints.
 
2. Objectives (10 points)
What objectives were established to solve the problem or address the situation? Judges will assess points based on whether the objectives are sound, clear and measurable.
 
3. Strategy (20 points)
What was the strategy for achieving the objectives? Judges will assess points based on how well the strategy is defined, and how well it resolves the problem or situation being faced by the organization. Judges will also examine the organization’s selection of target market(s) and message positioning.
 
4. Tactics (20 points)
What individual tasks and/or promotional tools were used, e.g., print, radio, television, outdoor, direct mail, public relations, etc? Judges will assess points based on how well the tactics are defined and how appropriate the tactics relate to the strategy.
 
5. Results (40 points)
What were the results of this effort? Judges will score this section based on how effective the entry was in achieving the stated objectives and producing the results that solved the problem or addressed the situation. Because marketing is about results, this criterion will be weighted more heavily than the others. Therefore, a thorough description of the results is especially important to the overall score. This year’s award competition is based on promotional tools: radio, television, outdoor, direct mail, print, and interactive media.

There will also be an entry form required in addition to the supplemental information requested above. The fee to enter will be $50 for AMA members; $100 for non members. Deadline for all entries is Friday, November 30.