Ahead of the 2016 ESA Excellence Awards ceremony, taking place on Thursday 9th February in London, we’re asking each of our chair of judges to give some insight into their judging categories and highlight any trends or themes that are starting to appear.

In this first feature, Andy Westlake, CEO of Oaks Consulting, talks to us about the ‘Best Use of Social Media’ category.

I’ve been really impressed by the number of solid entries we’ve had this year, and it’s clear that social media is now at the heart of much of the great activation we see across our industry.

Social media is a place, perhaps the place, where brands and consumers can meet and share their passion, and it’s a key area where brands can become a credible and relevant part of the discussion.

Reviewing this year’s entries it’s become clear that Twitter has remained a key channel, and we’ve seen more entries focusing on the power of video. Alongside this, I’ve also noticed how many of the entries have placed an importance on real time marketing.

We’ve also seen some great work around a broader range of social channels – the industry has not shied away from innovating and inventing new firsts!

Social media is being used to deliver a range of outcomes, most frequently focused on three key areas: awareness; brand preference; and share of voice.

For some of the major events where sponsor standout is a challenge, we’ve seen creative executions in social media used to elevate the brand story not only above their sector competitors, but also above the other event sponsors. Very clever and very effective.

The real winners in this sector recognise that while reach is obviously a crucial metric (views / likes / follows etc), real brand impact is even more important. So it’s been very heartening and reassuring to see that a lot of the 2016 submissions have taken measurement seriously, certainly over and above video views and reach.

It’s become very evident that social media is a place where the industry continues to show how sponsorship can help to create more engaging marketing.  

The 2016 ESA Excellence Awards ceremony takes place in London on Thursday 9th February 2017 at Porchester Hall.

For further information, and to book tickets for the event, please click here