ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & PROCESS
Please read rules and details before beginning the 2013 ECHO™ entry process.
How Good Is Your Work? 97 Good? Or More Likely 89 Good? Only an ECHO™ number measures greatness in strategy, creative, and results. Even the judges' gut feelings. It all adds up to business impact, which lasts far beyond campaign run dates. The Formula is Simple — 30% strategy, 30% creative, 30% results, 10% Mojo — that extra something that takes a campaign from competent to special. For the 2013 ECHO™ Awards Entry Form, go to www.dma-echo.org.
Campaign Eligibility
Direct response marketing campaigns produced, completed, and response results tabulated from October 1, 2011 - March 31, 2013.
Completing the Entry Form
Entry Form — Work On/Maintain It Online
Entries must be entered online using the online entry form. See Entry Criteria and Accepted Formats/Creative Work Advertising Media for more information on labeling and mailing your creative samples.
The electronic form cannot be altered or modified in any way. No other form or substitution will be accepted. Please provide all required information. Failure to provide complete information will be subject to disqualification. An entry is considered submitted after clicking the "submit for judging" button. An entry is considered received and processed by the ECHO™ Awards once payment is accepted and you receive your confirmation email.
Complete and Compliant
Entrants are required to answer all questions in the three main areas: Strategy, Creative and Results. Each question has subheadings indicating the kind of information that should be included. Please be as specific as possible. And please be concise — the better written your entry, the more likely you are to win.
We recommend that you write your entry like a short story, but keep it simple, clear, and concise. While ECHO™ judges are highly experienced marketing professionals, they review several campaigns in a single judging session. We recommend that you consider the readability of each entry and attempt to tightly edit your write-ups, using short, succinct paragraphs wherever possible.
To protect the integrity of the judging, do not include the agency name except where asked on the entry form. Any mention of the submitting agency in the body of the Entry Form is grounds for disqualification. The only exception would be for agency self-promotion campaigns. Also, please avoid anything on samples or materials that could identify the creative group or agency, such as labels, addresses, URLs, etc.
Credits for Your Entry
An area to list companies and individuals who worked on your campaign is part of the entry form. You should list agency individuals as well as client individuals. Please be accurate — the way you list it on the form is the way it will be presented should your entry be a winner. The credit information you list will be considered final. We do not allow removal of credits at time of win because our policy is to recognize those credited at the time of entry.
Sample Entry
To see a sample entry for ideas, contact Jenny Abreu.
Submit Proper Materials — Online and Offline
Please submit one complete set of creative samples. Do not mount samples on boards. All mounted materials will be disqualified. See Rules and Entry Criteria and Accepted Formats/Creative Work Advertising Media for more detailed information.
- Printed Media: physical samples (1) of all direct mail, print ads, catalogs, scripts/storyboards for broadcast, telemarketing scripts and other materials. You may upload samples in addition to sending physical samples.
- DRTV/Video/Radio: submit samples via upload (25 MB maximum). DVDs are to be submitted for broadcast advertisements larger than 25 MB.
- Digital: submit via upload, (25 MB maximum), or enter URL address in appropriate area on the entry form. DVDs are to be submitted for advertisements larger than 25 MB.
- Online Video Advertisements: submit via upload, (50 MB maximum), or enter URL address in appropriate area on the entry form.
- Social Media: submit via upload, (25 MB maximum), or enter URL address in appropriate area on the entry form. DVDs are to be submitted for advertisements larger than 25 MB.
- Translations into English of all non-English copy. (Please see Foreign Language Entries section).
- Payment (please see Payment section).
Do not place an insured value on the contents of your entry shipment. Send all materials via Priority Mail or special courier (i.e., FedEx or UPS). Do not send via an airline or agent, as we are unable to collect from the airport or customs. Also, should you need to confirm delivery of your entry package, please check with your courier for delivery confirmation.
Please keep a copy of your entry application. Should your campaign entry advance to the final round of judging, you will be asked to resubmit your entry and creative components in July mounted in a portfolio that will become property of the DMA. Please note that the person submitting the entry form will be considered the entrant and will be advised of the competition results.
Foreign Language Entries
All foreign language copy must be translated into English. Clear translations must be provided for all work not in English. Broadcast entries may be dubbed or subtitled in English or include a complete written translation. Local idioms that may not be understood in the U.S. must be explained. Entries not accompanied by translations and/or explanations will not be judged. Submit translations electronically via URL or upload with official entry form.
For foreign language support, you may contact the ECHO™ International Ambassador, Denmark Judging Chair, or Australia Judging Chair for further assistance. Click here for the list of Ambassadors.
Video Clip of Your Entry
Entrants have the opportunity to supplement the written entry form with a video explaining how you brought your ideas to life. This video should support your entry which should summarize the challenge, strategy, objectives, execution, and outcome of your entry. This clip will be viewed by the judges during the judging sessions. If your entry is a winner the clip will also be used at the ECHO™ Gala, in the ECHO™ Gallery during the DMA Annual Conference, on the ECHO™ website, and for media and educational purposes. Please indicate when you submit your submission if there are reasons, such as music licensing, that restrict your video showcase from being shown at or after the Gala.
Your presentation should be no longer than 3 minutes. This explanatory clip must be concise and should contain key visuals — video, still images or any other relevant footage — along with a simple, clear commentary in English summarizing your entry. Please name this video clip as "2013 entry video showcase" and upload on your entry form.
- 3-minute video to be provided in the widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio, at the minimum of 853px x 480px.
- The format should be an .h264 QuickTime movie. A larger HD720p or HD1080p file may also be provided.
- The size of the file allowed by the entry portal should be no larger than 50 MB.
- If the size of the file exceeds what is allowed by the entry portal, you may provide the above on a DVD or USB drive. An alternative smaller file may then be made for upload and judging.
You are not required to submit a video showcase — this is purely optional. The video clip should not be in place of any of the required creative work to be submitted with your entry.
Where to Send Your Entries, Payment, and Creative Samples
If you are in North America or Latin/South America, entries must be submitted and sent to:
Jenny Abreu, CMP, MTA
DMA International ECHO™ Awards
1120 Avenue of the Americas
13th Floor
New York, NY 10036-6700
Telephone: 212-790-1450/ 212-768-7277
Email: jabreu@the-dma.org
The following dates apply for the Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.
- Early Bird Deadline: May 3 — Entry fee $395 per entry
- Entry Deadline: May 15 — Entry fee $495 per entry
If you are in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, entries must be submitted and sent to:
Finn Overgaard, ECHO™ Chair of European Judging
RelationshusetGEKKO
Rosenvaengets Alle 11 1. sal
DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Telephone: 45-31-10-00-95
Email: finn@relationshusetgekko.dk
If you are in the Asia Pacific, Australia or New Zealand, entries must be submitted and sent to:
Mike Chuter, ECHO™ Chair of Australian Judging
Cubed Communications
125 Ferrars Street
Southbank VIC 3006
Australia
Telephone: 61-3-9696-8333
Email: mikec@cubedcommunications.com.au
