Jameson Fleming and Shannon Miller have seen it all from every angle—judging submissions, crafting winning entries, and watching agencies make the same mistakes year after year. In the first episode of What’s the Word, hosted by Katie Walley-Wiegert, they pulled back the curtain on what actually matters when the judges sit down to deliberate.
Fleming, Editor in Chief at MM+M, brings the perspective of someone who’s evaluated countless agency submissions across healthcare marketing. Miller, a freelance editor and journalist whose bylines include Adweek, The A.V. Club, and other major publications, has worked both sides of the equation—judging awards as Managing Editor for Creativity, Creator Economy and DEI at Adweek, and crafting submissions as Executive Director of Development at Courage Inc.
Their advice cuts through the usual award show pleasantries with the kind of practical intelligence that only comes from people who’ve been on both sides of the table. Here’s what they want every agency to know before hitting submit.
When Not to Submit (And Why That’s Actually Strategic)
Shannon Miller put it plainly: “Agency of the year is such a blood bath. You really have to be judicious about whether it’s going to be worth it for you in the end.”
The compulsion to enter feels automatic for most agencies, but Miller argues that sitting out can be strategic. If you have to think about whether you have a compelling story, the judges won’t find one either. “It’s okay to look at your past year and say we had a great year, but comparatively to last year, not so much. Maybe we could be a little bit quieter this year.”
Jameson Fleming offered a different framework: if you think you’re two years away from winning, enter now to establish your trajectory. But if you’re 24 months away, save your money and energy. “If you don’t enter one year and then suddenly you’re in, I’m going to be real skeptical as a judge. Most agencies don’t have an amazing turnaround in 12 months.”
The Red Flags That Kill Your Chances
Some mistakes are fatal, and Fleming doesn’t mince words about dishonesty: “If I catch you in a flat out lie, you’re done for that year and the foreseeable future. I’ve had people claim zero layoffs and then I find out afterwards you cut 25% of your New York office.”
Miller and Fleming both pointed to specific warning signs that make judges pay attention in the wrong way:
- Mass talent exodus (“When it becomes a bit every time somebody leaves and I’m listing seven people, it’s not your year”)
- The biggest client losses of the year
- Revenue that’s down year over year
- Obvious manipulation of retention or growth statistics
But context matters. Walley-Wiegert noted that agencies with big losses but equally big wins to offset them have won over agencies with zero client losses. “It’s the balance and full context that matters.”
Why Following Instructions Matters
Fleming was direct: “If you blatantly ignore our directions, it’s going to piss us off. If it comes down between you and another agency, it’s natural instinct to probably ding you for that.”
Miller explained the practical reason: “When you’re reviewing hundreds of submissions, time becomes extremely precious. Respect our boundary that’s been set here.” But she offered a solution—just ask for exceptions when you need them. Most editors will accommodate reasonable requests when agencies are upfront about their constraints.
The Work That’s Not Quite Ready
Agencies often struggle with work that’s right on the edge of eligibility—campaigns that are approved but not yet live, or new client wins that haven’t been announced. Fleming’s rule is simple: the work has to be out by the time judges make their decisions. “If you’re telling me it’s going to be late October and we’re deciding in September, it’s really hard for me to trust that’s actually going to happen.”
Trust plays a bigger role than agencies might expect. Fleming considers the source when evaluating borderline work: “How much do I trust that person and agency? I encourage people to ask me beforehand.”
Write-Ups vs. Reels: Both Matter More Than You Think
Miller changed her position on this completely after working agency-side: “Reels catch a very specific point in a campaign’s life, and things can change in a week. A write-up allows you to squeeze in context that maybe you weren’t able to get the first time.”
Fleming prefers 10-15 minute reels with a simple test: “Does this get me excited about what advertising is capable of? If that reel can’t get me excited about advertising, it’s not a good reel.”
Walley-Wiegert has heard winning calls where the write-up pushed an agency over the edge, especially for agencies with solid work but compelling culture stories that needed more space to breathe.
The Statistics That Make Judges Roll Their Eyes
“Percentages lie” has become a cautionary motto among communications professionals, and the judges see right through manipulated math. Fleming: “A good journalist can sniff out when percentages are bullshit.”
Miller called out the industry’s most meaningless metric: “Your ad garnered 13 billion impressions—that means everybody in the globe watched that ad twice over. We know that’s not the case.”
The solution is context and honesty. Fleming wants to know why a 5% increase might actually be remarkable given market conditions, or why certain retention metrics deserve special consideration.
What Actually Wins: Vulnerability Over Perfection
The most memorable insight came from Miller: “Vulnerability really matters in a submission. I’d rather read about having a problem and finding a solution than being the perfect golden boy agency.”
Fleming gave a concrete example of Joan Creative, which won after being honest about their business model problems: “They were hiring, firing, it was boom or bust. They used the pandemic to retool their business, and they were honest about what worked and what didn’t work for their people.”
Judges are journalists who love good stories. The agencies that acknowledge mistakes, show how they learned, and demonstrate problem-solving capabilities stand out more than those claiming perfection.
The People Award Trap
Miller delivered tough love about individual award categories: “There’s a big difference between someone doing an exceptional job and someone just doing their job. Please don’t make your communications person write a 350-word essay about a person you really like but can’t tell a compelling story about.”
Fleming warned against obvious PR blitzes: “If I see the same person show up on an Ad Age list, then Ad Week 50, then my award, it’s painfully obvious you’re putting all your eggs in one basket. It’s really unappealing.”
The Story Behind the Story
For all the tactical advice, the deeper message from these experts is about authentic storytelling. Walley-Wiegert shared an example of a winning submission that started with “You are wrong” to the judges and succeeded because it had a strong perspective and vulnerability.
Miller summarized it best: “Really get down to the brass tacks of what makes your agency special without feeling the need to use $5,000 words that don’t really apply. If you have to use all those pad words to get the submission over the line, really sit with whether this is your year.”
The judges want to write compelling stories about agencies. The ones that give them the raw material—honest challenges, creative solutions, and genuine growth—are the ones that end up winning.
What Happens After You Submit
Even losing submissions can generate value. Fleming looks for unique aspects of agencies that might warrant future coverage: “If I see something really interesting about somebody and I know they’re not going to win, I may follow up later.”
He cited Pierre O’Dell, whose growth strategy mentioned in an agency of the year entry later became the foundation for a major feature story when they had results to back it up.
Walley-Wiegert mentioned agencies that turned submission elements into speaking opportunities and other earned media wins, proving that the exercise has value beyond the award itself.
The bottom line from all three experts: these aren’t just awards programs, they’re storytelling opportunities. The agencies that understand the difference between promotion and narrative, between perfection and authenticity, are the ones that catch judges’ attention and keep it.
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What’s The Word Podcast
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