If you’re not innovative, your business will die: Nadya Powell, MD at MRY, warns

One of the judges for the Social Buzz Awards, in association with iomart, Powell stated bluntly that “Unless there is a clear link between reach and an uplift of X per cent the campaign cannot be judged a success.”

Having been a judge at the Bima awards very recently, she noted that there was a “complete lack of correlation” between objectives and results, adding that when she looks at the entries for the Social Buzz Awards, she will be keeping an eye out for “beautiful and meaningful work that can prove it achieved what it set out to do”.

Powell was a late joiner to the social space: “I went on maternity leave and the social media industry did not exist. I came back and every advertising/digital/media agency had a social media department. So, it was a bit of a surprise.

“I moved into digital in 2000 as it enables me to get closer to what people want and need from brands. Social is the next stage on that journey.”

Being the co-founder of Innovation Social, Powell is a strong believer in the theory that if you don’t innovate, your business will fail.

“If we don’t innovate, in a world where a 15 year old can start-up a company that supersedes yours, your business will die. You see this every day in social – the rise of WhatsApp, Snapchat, Vine, Jelly – each of them are disrupting the industry one update at a time.”

Stating that social enables people and brands to get closer and only works if this closeness is meaningful, it is clear that Powell will not be an easy judge to impress during the awards.

A full list of the judges – including newcomers Chris Hamilton, social media editor for BBC News; James Cuff , head of content and social media at Confused.com; and Jim Dowling, managing director at Cake London – can be seen on the Social Buzz Awards website.

The awards are open until 13 August.