The search for the industry’s hottest strategic thinking is on, with the launch of the 2016 APG Strategy Awards Call for Entries. The APG Strategy Awards are held biannually and celebrate brilliantly influential thinking that demonstrates the value of strategy.

A number of key changes have been made this year, to reflect the wider remit of modern planning, and the different types of planning across a range of agencies, from creative, to media, to digital, PR and beyond.

Account planning group chair and executive planning director of J.W Thompson Australia, Angela Morris, said, “Since launching in 2004, the discipline of planning has evolved significantly, in line with changes in our industry, channels and consumer behaviour. Strategy is now adding value to a wider variety of different projects across many different types of Agency and increasingly collaboratively.

“Strategists are contributing earlier by solving business problems and involved throughout the process in many different ways, from inspiration to in market optimisation and beyond. It is important that these changes are reflected in the APG awards.”

This year’s newly created categories therefore include:

• Business Planning (how strategic thinking helped a business to grow/overcome barriers using marketing levers other than communications – e.g. pricing, distribution, product etc.)
• Brand and / or Creative Planning (inc. brand strategy and/or creative & campaign planning across any channel)
• Connections Planning (inc. channel, context etc.)
• Responsive Planning (inc. real time, reactive, optimisation)

Awards will be allocated for Gold, Silver and Bronze, with a best in show Grand Prix awarded for overall excellence. A number of special prizes are also available for entrants to showcase areas of specific focus.

Morris continued, “Our judges are looking for evidence of how your strategy or strategic input has had a significant influence in terms of solving the challenge. Winning submissions will be those that best demonstrate how the strategy influenced and therefore maximised the opportunities for the brand, product or client.”