Creativity matters more than big budgets, says SLIM DIGIS Judge

Organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), the national body for Marketing in Sri Lanka, the final call for applications for SLIM DIGIS 2.1 will be drawing to a close on 25th November 2021. The highly anticipated SLIM DIGIS is the only awards ceremony that celebrates Sri Lankan’s best digital marketing endeavours, innovation and talent and recognizes the region’s growing influence on the global digital industry.

Over the years, Digital Marketing has become a key focus for mainstream marketers and as a platform, SLIM DIGIS aims at recognising Digital Marketing professionals by empowering every digital marketer to become a master of their own destinies with a clear-cut focus on key deliverables that need not be backed by big budgets in comparison to mainstream advertising.

According to Imal Fonseka, Jury Chair of SLIM DIGIS 2.1, a stand out entry would always have three key components: The campaign, the case and the presentation. “The campaign must break through the clutter and surprise the jury. The case of your entry must be compelling-in that, its goals, strategy, execution and results have to have a clear ‘linear relationship’. Finally, its presentation; has to be impactful. The applicant must understand that the Jury has gone through many entries, and therefore for the applicant’s presentation to grab the judges’ attention it has to stand out”. He adds that “based on past experiences, Jurors do not wish to see ‘long winded’, ‘non-linear’ submissions with ‘documentary type’ presentations”.

Both SLIM and its jury have volunteered their time to consider a fair, transparent and competent evaluation of the submissions. If applicants require further clarity on entry pre-requisites, they may reach out to SLIM via email at hesara.u@slim.lk or Gangani.l@slim.lkand they will be guided accordingly.

Unlike most other campaign awards, big budgets are not a prerequisite to standing out at the DIGIS. “There are plenty of ways to create cool social media campaigns with small budgets as opposed to conventional media campaigns”. Additionally, while it’s true that paid social is extremely effective, organic social serves as a strong foundation for any social media strategy, especially when there are creative marketers involved”. He concludes “Creativity matters more than big budgets”.

The entry process for SLIM DIGIS 2.1 is unique, as entries must be submitted in a video (mp4) format not more than 05 minutes long. Applicants must submit an entry video along with supporting annexures (data, statistics, reach etc.) in PDF format. In addition to the above, a practice that is common in other award events, but not adopted by SLIM DIGIS is the creation of a ‘shortlist’ of entries for evaluation/judging. All entries are evaluated by the panel of judges, and judging takes place when a primary round of submissions is validated and verified to ensure that all entry prerequisites are fulfilled.

There are general and special categories in SLIM DIGIS 2.1. Whilst the general categories are self-explanatory when applying for the special categories, Imal advises applicants to “read beyond the title and fully understand the descriptor”.