IKEA FAMILY wins retails category at Data Strategy Awards
It goes without saying winning an award gives a great fillip to both agency and client and no one’s going to turn one down. But they don’t half cost a lot of cash – and that’s without factoring in any time spent creating the submission.
There’s the entry itself – most are near the £200 mark – and any costs you need to give it a chance of winning, plus the studio time.
The cost of the table. “For 10, luv? That will be two grand please, oh and don’t forget to add on the VAT!”
Typically, you have to pre-order of the drinks – why is it that Central London hotels can find a way of charging forty quid for a bottle of plonk that you can get in an off licence for a fiver? Watch out here, on the order form you may well find a note stating that a ‘discretionary’ service charge, in the region of 12.5%, will be added to the drinks bill. That’s simply for placing it on the table, not pouring it!
And when you’re actually at the event, pre and post-do drinks are exorbitant and heaven help you if you actually win, because champagne becomes de-rigeur.
All in, you can do your monthly debit card limit in one night. Mind you, it’s a lot cheaper than recruitment agency fees (another subject worthy of a moan) and the smile does take a while to get off your face.
Not surprisingly, a lot of people I know in other companies are saying awards schemes are off the agenda at the moment, which is a shame as they can provide a real morale boost to companies in these financially challenged times. Do you think they should be a little more sensitive in their pricing?
