Judging Procedures

Judging Process
Judge Benefits
Awards, Including Special Awards
ECHO Jury Application

Judging Process

The International ECHO Awards represent the oldest and most prestigious honor in direct marketing. Supported by the DMA, and governed by the Board of Governors of the ECHO Academy of Direct Marketing Arts & Sciences, the ECHO is the only international award where judges rigorously assess entries based on strategy, creative execution and results — recognizing the whole picture of a campaign's success.

This focus on balanced judging assessment, combined with top-notch judges and outstanding entries year in and out, has played a major role in the ECHO Awards representing so wellthe best that direct and interactive marketing have to offer.

Only an ECHO number measures greatness in strategy, creative, and results. From your first “a-ha” down to the judges hunch, it all adds up to business impact that last far beyond any 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.

Entry Categories
ECHO entries are judged by business category. There are twelve separate categories representing business segments. Categorizing entries by business segment enables entries to be evaluated by judging panels of direct and interactive marketing professionals with actual experience in the relevant business category. This leads to a more intelligent and insightful evaluation of entries. Click here for the list of Categories of Entry (Business Category Explanations).

How Work is Reviewed
All International ECHO Award winners go through three rounds of judging.

Round 1 is a screening round. Through a combination of individual reviews and collaborative discussion, judging panels determine which entries represent an effective balance of strategy, creative execution and results; and which move on to the next round.

In Round 2, all surviving entries are then scored numerically with regard to strategy, creative execution and results. After scores are totaled and re-checked, the top entries advance to the third and final round.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Winners are Chosen
In Round 3, entries are reviewed individually by three judges, all of whom are senior-level, most experienced direct marketers. All earlier scores are wiped out, so finalist entries start out on equal footing. As in Round 2, entries are scored numerically with regard to strategy, creative execution and results. An entry needs to reach a certain minimum score to quality for a Gold, Silver or Bronze ECHO. Therefore, it is possible for some categories to have multiple winners at each level, while other categories might have a single Bronze winner, or no winners at all.

All scoring is done anonymously and confidentially.

Who are the ECHO Judges?
They're an elite group of senior-level professionals with years of direct marketing experience as well as specific industry experience. Judges are nominated by the ECHO Committee and are fair, impartial, and committed to keeping the ECHOs the most meaningful Direct Marketing Award. Judges may not vote for any entry with which they have a conflict of interest which is closely monitored.

Screening (round 1) and Semi-Final (round 2) judges have 3+ years of direct response-based marketing among mimimum of 3 different types of media. Experience in all relevant direct marketing strategies including traffic, demand generation, conversation, conversion, retention/loyalty, advocay, and enhancing customer value.

Final Round Judges have 15+ years of direct response-based marketing experience, among minimum of 3 different types of media. Experience in all relevant direct strategies including traffic, demand generation, conversation, conversion, retention/loyalty, advocacy, and enhancing customer value.

Being an ECHO judge isn't just an elite honor. It's also rewarding — and enjoyable.

Click here to see a list of the 2011 judges.

Judge Benefits

The ECHO Award is a yearly honor that recognizes and celebrates direct marketing excellence across multiple channels and industries.

As an ECHO Judge, you'll reap myriad benefits such as:

Notoriety — you'll be recognized as a leader in direct marketing.

Exposure — you'll be exposed to a wealth of creative and innovative marketing strategies and techniques that will keep you ahead of the pack.

Networking — you'll have opportunities to foster new relationships and alliances.

Complimentary Passes — as an ECHO Judge, you'll have access to an exclusive Judge's Reception in May and June, as well as a discounted registration fee for DMA12 Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And the list goes on!

Sound good? Then click here and submit your application.

We look forward to your joining our team.

Judge Representation
Round 1 judging takes place in Denmark, Australia and New York City. Rounds 2 and 3 judging are in New York. Overall, participating judges came from cities across the United States, as well as from UK, Brazil, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Scotland, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Hungary, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia.

For more on the benefits of participating as an ECHO judge, experienced direct marketers should contact Barbara Parker at bparker@the-dma.org, or 212.790.1450, or you may click here to complete the Judge Application.

Award Descriptions

ECHO Award (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Leader)
Over a three-round process, judges choose the award-winning campaigns based on: (1) overall creative concept which includes copy, graphics and production quality, (2) marketing strategy and (3) response results. Winners are based on scoring methodology that applies the entrant's score average of the Final Round (round 3). An entry needs to reach a certain minimum score to quality for a Gold, Silver or Bronze ECHO. Therefore, it is possible for some categories to have multiple winners at each level, while other categories might have a single Bronze winner, or no winners at all.

Diamond Award
The Diamond is the most prestigious award of the ECHO program. The Diamond is considered the best-in-show and is awarded to the top campaign overall. The ECHO Board of Governors selects the winner from the Gold winning campaigns.

ECHO Governors Award for Strategic Innovation
This award is given to a campaign that took strategic thinking to a whole new level. The ECHO Board of Governors selects the winner from the Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners.

ECHO Green Award
The ECHO Green Marketing Award recognizes the most creative and strategic use of eco-responsible marketing tactics to deliver outstanding results, from a response or return on investment perspective, while producing impacts that affect the environment in positive ways. The award is judged by representatives from the DMA Committee on the Environment & Social Responsibility (CESR).

Henry Hoke Award
Selected by Hoke Communications, this award reflects the campaign with the most courageous solution to
a difficult sales marketing problem. The recipient is chosen out of the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners.

Search Marketing Award
The Search Marketing Award recognizes the most creative and strategic use of Internet search technology
to achieve a direct marketing objective. Includes Search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. This award is chosen from all Search engine-marketing entries by the DMA Search Engine Marketing Council.

USPS Gold Mailbox
The Gold Mailbox Award is chosen based on the most innovative use of mail. The ECHO Steering Committee selects the award winner among the Gold, Silver and Bronze ECHO Winners.

ECHO Judging and Rules Committee

Chair:
Tedd Aurelius – VP, Account Director, The Martin Agency

Members:
Eamon Boyle – Director of Analytics, The Martin Agency
Karina Pena Garcia – Senior Director of Marketing, Direct Marketing Association
Ethan Harlow, Client Support Services, OMNI Solutions Group, Inc.
Angella Hubbert – Director, Print Production, Russ Reid
JP LaFors – Director of Client Service, Gyro
Matt Leonard - CIPP
Jennifer Monaghan – SVP, Management Supervisor, Campbell-Ewald
Barbara Parker – Director of Award Programs, Direct Marketing Association
Lori Savage – Advertising & Media Planning, United States Postal Service

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