How to write an award-winning case study

Dooj Ramchandani Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Blink Digital shares the formula of writing an Award Winning Case Study for your best work.

There have always been great ads that haven’t seen the awards, the accolades, or the fame they deserve. While there can be many reasons for this, one detail that can be blamed more often than not is the case study. While the adage ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ might be true for most of life’s situations, let’s just say that winning at awards works differently. The ‘cover’, or the case study, in this case, is the most important aspect of gunning for metal and will often be what your work is judged on.

Without further
ado, here are a few simple guidelines to follow that will give your award entry
a leg up:

1. Category: The jury always aims to award the best pieces of work in a category. This simply means that the work needs to work well in the category selected. Think of what the work is, make sure it connects with the relevant categories. For instance, one of our most successful campaigns thus far has been Watt A Box for KFC India. However, we have no awards to show for it — because we didn’t find the right category for it to fit in. And this was despite the fact that the campaign received international coverage from the likes of Time, Forbes, Mashable, Entrepreneur, and more. The lesson here? Research your categories well in advance and prepare better.

Also Read: KFC’s #WattaBox takes social media by storm with cutting edge technology

2. Results: A lot of case studies show larger than life results achieved for campaigns. Now unless you are participating in The Effies, these earthshattering numbers won’t help much in swaying the jury. So, if you have great results, keep them, but remember that for creative awards, the idea, execution and purpose matter more than anything. Ensure that these factors shine; the good results are nice to have, but they don’t make or break your case.

3. Attention Economy: Something that’s very easy to forget is that the jury is no different from a consumer. If the case study doesn’t catch their attention in the first few seconds, they are bound to lose interest. So, take the time and effort to design something that will grab attention right at the start, just like your work. Think everything through right from the title, the typography to the first frame. Give them a reason to stay hooked.

Also Read: Agency Feature: Blink Digital

4. Cultural
context: A lot of brilliant work and cases don’t get their due because the
jury doesn’t understand the context that is firmly rooted in a particular
culture. You don’t want your case study to fall short because the jury didn’t
get it, do you? It’s important to keep in mind that what’s normal for one
culture can be completely foreign to others. Set a clear cultural context right
at the outset so that the jury understands it clearly.

5. Originality: Think for the jury. They are going to see hundreds of case studies. Now, if your case study is just like the rest, you will be drowning in the sea of sameness. Sure, tick the right boxes in terms of providing the right information, but ensure that your case study stands out. Remember to stay connected to what your work is, and let it shine every step of the way. The aim is to give your work the spotlight it truly deserves, so that the jury sees it the way you do, understands its worth and scores it right.

Follow these tips for your case study,
but don’t forget to invest a bulk of your time in that piece of work. Grill it,
break it down, ensure it is perfect. A great piece of work with a winning case
study is truly unbeatable.

 (DoojRamchandani is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Blink Digital, the only Indian agency to win at the Webbys 2019. Blink also won big at the 2019 edition of The One Show Awards)