LONDON/NASHVILLE: Admap, Warc's flagship magazine dedicated to thought leadership and the propagation of ideas, has announced the Admap Prize 2014, offering $5,000 cash to the best essay discussing brand-building in a digital age. 

The competition, which is again sponsored by Kantar, the global insight arm of WPP, is free to enter and seeks to reward excellence in strategic thinking in brand communications.

Full details on the subject – "How brands are built in the digital age" – together with the submission process and entry forms are available on the Admap Prize website. The closing date for entry is 31 January 2014.

Announcing the 2014 Prize at the 4A's Strategy Festival in Nashville, Tennessee, Admap publisher and editor Colin Grimshaw thought the topic should have broad appeal globally.

"I think it allows for a collection of essays that demonstrate different ways in building brands today," he said.

"They may address questions over whether digital and social media and word-of-mouth can build brands, and how the role of traditional advertising may have changed in the digital era," he continued.

He noted that several leading tech brands such as Amazon, Google and even successful food brands such as Innocent had spent little on advertising. "But advertising is still critical to building brands in most sectors," he added.

Among the issues and questions that are likely to be addressed are how brands are built using single or multiple communication channels; through innovation, consumer experience and advocacy. Can digital, mobile and social media build brands? What is the role of traditional advertising today? How does brand building differ in different sectors? And how does a brand go global?

The essays will be judged by a distinguished panel of thought leaders on the subject matter, which includes Marc Mathieu, Senior Vice-President, Marketing, for Unilever.

As well as the cash prize for the winner, the Gold, Silver and Bronze awarded essays plus Judges' Commended essays will be published in Admap magazine and on warc.com.

Data sourced from Warc