But the truth of the matter is that after the positive sales numbers are in, the guest counts are confirmed up and product has long since flown off the shelves, we like to know that our peers around the country (not just our clients) think we do some cool and interesting work.

Thankfully, after careful review and industry scrutiny, it appears that for yet another year, we don’t suck. In fact, building on last year’s One Show award, DFWIMA “Best in Show” and being featured in Archive Magazine, this year is also shaping up to be a great one.

-Five Telly Awards for both television and online video

-DFWIMA “Most Effective Non-Profit/Public Service” campaign

-Art Directors Club for “Eat Out for a Change”

-Dallas Society of Visual Comm. bronze award for television

Yes, when it comes to creative, we work in a very “what have you done for me lately” kind of industry. But this is proof that lately, we’ve been doing great work for great clients. More importantly, it’s achieved great results. And isn’t that why we got into this business in the first place?

In spirit, I agree that award shows are insular and self-serving. In the past few years there’s also been an influx of questionable (fake) entries and overall, I’d say that award shows have become less about “great work that works” and more about “great work we got away with”.

Having said that, I also think Jeff is being naïve (cue lightning strike on my location). Fame, as a measure of greatness, has an awful lot to do with levels of exposure (ie: big budgets, national media buys). It’s a lot easier for Burger King or Hewlett-Packard advertising to get “famous” than it is for a local clothing boutique. Does that mean the work for the boutique is any less creative or great? Of course not. It simply means fewer people will see it because the media budget is measured in dimes instead of dollars.

By Jeff Goodby’s definition, great (famous) advertising will be reserved for big brands with deep pockets. Ripe stuff coming from the principal of an agency that made its reputation on the back of an obscene amount of award show hardware.

The bottom line is that agencies have always needed award shows for self-validation. It’s the one stage where small agencies can compete, idea for idea, with big agencies. They’re an annual barometer of shops and individuals that are hot and executing great ideas.

The trick is keeping it all in perspective and, as an industry, doing our best to keep each other honest.