One of the many exciting new elements to our upcoming Retail Innovation and Marketing Conference in San Francisco in the beginning of March is an updated Racie Awards to include digital retail innovations.  The Racie Awards have been one of the most popular elements of the Retail Advertising Conference and I am extremely excited to be including the Racie Awards in this new conference as we bring these two communities together.

I sat down with Kelly Gilmore, my counterpart at RAMA, to learn some more about the Racie awards.  I hope you enjoy the interview with this true industry leader.

Let’s start with the basics.  What does Racie stand for and what exactly are the Racie Awards?

Racie stands for The Retail Award for Creativity, Innovation and Excellence. Each year the Racie Awards honor the best in retail advertising and marketing, whether it is TV, digital, or integrated campaign work.  We even have a category for gift cards.

Can anyone enter any category?

Yes, any retailer, agency or media company can enter their clients’ retail work in any category.  I had someone call me and ask if the Shop.org community can enter other categories besides the six new digital categories–the answer is “YES.”  Our goal is to showcase and celebrate the best work in multiple categories happening in the retail industry.

How does the entry process work?

We have worked hard to make the process as straightforward as possible.  All entries are done online at www.nrf.com/racie.  The checkbox system and option to write up some comment to tell the judges makes it easier then ever.  After you are done entering, the actual creative is mailed to Schawk Studios in Chicago where the judges will meet and score the work.

How are the entries judged?

Each piece of work entered is judged on creativity, strategy, results, and innovation.  Innovation is a new piece of criteria that we just added this year!  The judging panel consists of professionals from the retail advertising and marketing industry and partners from agencies, media and consultants who serve the industry.  Each piece of work is independently scored, without any debate or discussion.  It can be a grueling process, but it’s also a lot of fun to be so hands on with all of the great creative.

How much does it cost to enter?
There is a $75 fee per entry.  Campaigns are considered one entry.

Over the years, have you had a favorite winner or a most memorable entry?

It’s hard to pick just one favorite.  I can say that I always look forward to seeing what people submit for the Peter Glen Cause Marketing Award.  We started this award in 1994 and each year it has been presented to winners who have given back to the community or environment in a unique way.  I’m always so proud of our industry and the commitment they make to communities, a specific cause or global issue.  Retail makes in impact!

I would say our wackiest entries are gift cards that come in the shape of race cars, transformers, and some even sing to us!  Another entry that had the judges buzzing was a brown wallet. One store dropped wallets in a competitor’s parking lot for their grand opening down the street. Knowing that everyone picks up a wallet and looks inside, these wallets had coupons for the competitor’s grand opening.

In the digital space, I’m exited to see the innovative ways retailers are touching their customers through the web, Facebook, apps and cell.

You mentioned six new digital categories. This sounds like something that appeals directly to the Shop.org community.  What are they?

They do! This year we wanted to really focus on expanding our categories to include all of the amazing digital creative work that is being done right now.  The six new categories include: digital / in-store experience, motion design, website experience, rich media online advertising and promotion, social commerce, and mobile apps.  That is on top of our other digital categories, such as website, online and interactive.

Is there a place that I can go to check out past winners, just to get a feel for what type of work you usually honor?

If you go to www.nrf.com/racie you can not only find out all of the latest info on the Racies, but you can also view past winners.  We show the winners as far back as 2003. It’s a great archive to not only see who has been honored over the years, but also to see how creative work has evolved.