Exciting new initiative to encourage young people from all backgrounds to consider a career in marketing - Graeme Atha

The challenges of the pandemic have demonstrated the important role marketing professionals play in building back business and helping make society a better and safer place.

Winners feel good at the Star Awards

The economy needs great marketing leaders to drive business resilience and recovery leading to commercial success and customer confidence.

The Marketing Society empowers our members to be brave leaders to do well, do good and to feel good.

Do well in their careers and to ensure their organisations also do well.

Graeme Atha, Director, The Marketing Society

To do good across all areas of the society from our environmental impact to an enlightened approach to equality, diversity and inclusion.

And to feel good about our profession and role we play in the economy and in society.

We provide our members with inspiration and ideas from world class events, speakers and content. We encourage conversations and connections in our community of smart people and bright minds. And we provide aspiration and acceleration in careers by opening doors and opening minds.

This year we will launch an exciting new initiative to encourage young people from all backgrounds to consider a career in marketing. This will help ensure much more diversity in our industry which will in turn help organisations be more successful by better reflecting the market they operate in.

We have also changed the name of entry level of membership from Graduate to First Role to ensure we are not just attracting talent from universities and colleges. Successful marketers often just need an entrepreneur attitude and an inquisitive mind.

Many people in their first role in our industry have not studied marketing or business and The Marketing Society helps them feel they are part of a professional community.

The Marketing Society Star Awards reflect diversity in our industry with of have categories across all levels, sectors and disciplines

The Development category includes the Star School Award which has been developed in association with Young Enterprise Scotland where teams of pupils from across Scotland submit business plans for a new product or service.

Universities from across Scotland nominate students for our Star Marketing Student Award and this year we have launched a new award for the Aspiring Creative Star with entries encouraged from anyone who is interested in a career in our industry. They do not need to be in further education.

Nominations are invited for our three Rising Star Awards – Rising Agency Star, Rising Creative Star and Rising Marketing Star and they are judged on their achievements, expertise and ambition.

The Strategic Category has a range of awards including Brand Development, Digital Strategy, International Marketing, Integrated Marketing, Marketing Planning and Insights and Marketing in Society.

In the Communication category the disciplines that are covered include Advertising, Brand Experience, Design, Digital, Media and PR. The Sectors covered include Financial and Professional Services, Food, Drink, Public Sector, Retail, Tourism, Leisure and Sport.

The Chairman’s Category includes special awards for first time entrants and small to medium sized enterprises. This year we will also recognise the great work that has been carried out in our industry in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Champions category includes an award for organisations promoting diversity and equality in our industry as well as Star Agency and Star Marketing Team of the Year.

We also recognise the Inspirational Agency Leader and the Inspirational Marketing Leader of the Year as nominated by our members.

For the individuals and organisations who make the shortlists announced in April is a great achievement and for the winners announced at the Star Awards event in June there is a real cause for celebration.

To be recognized by your peers feels really good.

The entry deadline for the Star Awards is the 15th of February and details can be found on starawards.marketingsociety.com.

Graeme Atha is a Director of The Marketing Society