The Anatomy of a Marketing Campaign
By Luke Carothers Good marketing is hard to fake, and the campaigns that stand out usually solve a real problem. They help firms recruit talent, strengthen client relationships, tell better project stories, or create visibility in a crowded market. The strongest MEA award entries tend to reflect this. These campaigns are more than polished visuals. They clearly explain the thinking, strategy, and results behind the work. That’s part of the reason the Marketing Excellence Awards are evolving for 2026 with a new scoring model designed to create clear expectations for award-winning submissions. Instead of entries being judged against one another, submissions are now evaluated against defined scoring thresholds for Platinum, Gold, and Honorable Mention . This change creates more opportunities for strong work to be recognized regardless of firm size or marketing budget, while also making it easier to understand what the judges are actually l...