Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

What's Type Of Marketing Is This??

Posted by Anonymous on 10/29/2009 at 6:48 PM ET 250 Points
What do call it when a business markets its products using an award it has won? For example, if I have a product that won So-and-so's Best in Category award, what is it called when shouting about that award IS the advertising?
I ask because I want to confer these awards on manufacturers and I should know what this kind of marketing is called. Thanks.

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RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/29/2009 at 7:15 PM Accepted
    I'd call that "bragging rights." It doesn't really tell anyone what the products benefits are or why they might want to buy them. It's just chest-thumping and patting yourself on the back, in hopes that your prospective customers will equate the award with some kind of superiority, quality or third-party endorsement.

    Unless you are the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, or maybe JD Power -- both recognized as "good to have" endorsements -- this isn't likely to be a great promotion tool for the "winners." Depending on what YOU want out of it, it may not be worth much for you either.

  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 10/29/2009 at 8:28 PM Member
    To me this is just a form of an endorsement. Basically the same as having a famous person say that they use your product. As said above, the quality of the award is just like the quality of the famous person -it affects the value of the endorsement.
  • Posted by BizConsult on 10/30/2009 at 12:38 AM Member
    Agree with previous statements and would add that an award is a form of conferred legitimacy. However, advertising the award will have impact and meaning only to the extent that the award giver, process and medal winners have perceived legitimacy, authority, validity and value.

    To achieve that, I'd say that:
    - the awards must be rigorous in their criteria
    - given to a relatively small number of entrants/potential winners
    - come from a recognized authority (i.e., a better trade/industry association or organization)
    - and last, but not least, have some publicity to raise awareness of the exclusiveness and meaning of the awards.

    Best of luck!
    -Steve Udell
  • Posted on 10/31/2009 at 11:15 AM Member
    [Taking into account all said above about the value of the award]

    I would do some PR about it; the people you are talking to about it will give the proper value of the award.

    Secondly: direct mailing to all the stakeholders. Tahnk you leter (and a copy of the award) to clients, providers, employees etc. Everybody that helped you to get the award. Paid advertising, in my opinion, is too ostentative in this case.

    Bogdan Theodor Olteanu
    [https://bto.ro]
  • Posted on 10/31/2009 at 1:37 PM Author
    No one answered the question. The following is the most cogent part of an answer I got...

    Unless you are the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, or maybe JD Power -- both recognized as "good to have" endorsements -- this isn't likely to be a great promotion tool for the "winners." Depending on what YOU want out of it, it may not be worth much for you either.

    I know it's a long shot. Earning validity as an award is my problem but, all due respect, that's not what I asked. I've seen GM run ads where their JD Power award was the commercial and Mac where a CNET award was theirs. WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS TYPE OF MARKETING? It's not affiliate and it's not peer, what it is it?
  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/31/2009 at 2:00 PM Moderator
    Organizational endorsement?
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