2021 Gartner Communications Awards Video Submission Showcase

We are excited to share with you more information on some of the entries that made it to the Finalist stage this year in our new video showcase. As part of the submission process for this years Gartner Communications Awards, we asked all entrants to provide a 20-30 second video of why they thought their entry was so valuable and innovative.

The Finalists below have given permission to share their video, enabling you to learn what they did, how their work impacted strategic business outcomes and gain some inspiration for your own communications campaigns.

If you were a finalist and would be happy for us to include your video in our showcase, please email commsawards@gartner.com.

COVID-19, economic downturn, BLM and other racial equity protests, the 2020 U.S. election — these are just a handful of the unplanned events Communications teams faced across 2020. Whether tasked with moving your entire workforce to remote status or partnering with your peers in Diversity & Inclusion to design and deliver a response to ongoing protests in your community, Communications teams faced an unprecedented number of urgent and complex challenges during the past year. Despite limited time and resources, teams have achieved and sustained impact on business processes, employee performance, stakeholder preference, customer satisfaction and financial results.

The only thing that’s constant is change — a cliché, yet true nonetheless. Dynamic market events, fierce business expectations and evolving technology are just some of the reasons organizations are undergoing massive amounts of change. Consequently, communicators find themselves on the front lines, providing communication support to leaders while ensuring that employees understand the change and feel committed to and capable of taking action. Sound familiar? Has your team persevered through difficult organizational change such as merger and acquisition, restructuring or a strategy overhaul? 

Innovations in CommsTech are enabling Communications teams to reach audiences more effectively, work more efficiently, and measure the impact of their work like never before. Communications teams have an increasingly diverse portfolio of resources at their disposal — but effectively harnessing these tools requires deep audience understanding and expertise in
technological adoption and integration. 

Crises can take many forms, from cyber attacks and media misinformation to safety incidents and controversial employee social posts. Whether they come from inside or outside the organization, Communications stands on the frontline of response. Effective crisis management, however, is about more than just responding: It’s about being prepared, vigilant and learning from mistakes. Has your team developed scenario plans to prepare for crises? Do you track issues in a particularly smart or efficient way? Have you experienced a crisis response gone right/wrong that taught your team important lessons and ultimately helped you save your organization’s reputation? 

Have you unleashed collaboration — and improved your organization’s performance goals — with a smart communication strategy? Aligned your company values with a greater good and improved employee engagement? Redefined your internal brand and seen your culture, employee commitment and ability to meet customer needs become stronger and more competitive? We’re looking for entries that demonstrate employee engagement at its most effective, creative and tangible. Consider examples of powerful CSR communication, fresh thinking around employee engagement and employee experience, and increased organizational performance and productivity. 

 Internally and externally, reputation is a critical organizational asset in the drive to achieve business goals. As the guardian of this precious asset, Communications holds the power to elicit more organization-benefitting behaviors from every stakeholder group that matters. But harnessing that power is complex, encompassing everything from brand architecture and sustainability reporting to agency management and media relations. Has your team coordinated its reputation-building efforts in a particularly smart or efficient way? Have you found a means to measure the impact of your reputation-related activities on the business’s bottom line? Did you recently refresh your corporate narrative, brand or sustainability reporting to rave reviews? 

Sometimes big things come from humble beginnings. Small tweaks, improvements and innovations can translate into major impact on internal and external audiences. Did you or your team have a “small idea, big impact” moment last year? Did your organization reap outsize rewards from a small change? This award recognizes the impact of teams, big and small, who have seen and felt the power of small but savvy ideas.