Neil and Alex (second and third from left above) last night attended the annual awards of marketing management consultancy Oystercatchers Club at the May Fair Hotel. We mingled with an audience of marketers, CEOs, agency chiefs and industry movers and shakers. And we were delighted to come home with a couple of gongs.

The awards recognise outstanding achievement in new business marketing by the UK’s creative industry. They also share insights into what marketers look for when reviewing agency marketing materials. 

Wieden+Kennedy won 'best agency film' (ie best film made by an agency to promote itself) and was a runner-up for best RFI (ie response to an invitation to tender).

It's fascinating to check out the competition at an event like this. When pitching for new biz, you never see what you're up against, but last night we got a glimpse of other agencies' materials and approaches. The new biz 'arms race' is such that much of the materials are of a very high standard of finish and indicate huge investment of time and money. Saatchi & Saatchi had, impressively, made a spoof episode of BBC comedy W1A featuring Saatchi's own people as part of their BBC pitch tender. A very risky move that could have resulted in something cringeworthy, but I have to admit this was pretty good. On the other hand, it was interesting to hear the judges' criticism of some of the entries as being dull, unmemorable, poorly produced or, in the case of some of the films, too bloody long to sit through. One commented, "Some of them are so long and boring you feel like they need to be split into Parts One and Two, like The Hobbit."

Neil clutches award. Alex clutches glass of BOOZE.