Introduction.
The Automate UK Awards celebrate the people, businesses, technologies and innovations driving the UK automation industry forward. De Bono Marketing Communications was brought in to help develop the Awards into a stronger, more recognisable event brand, supporting everything from strategy and brand development through to creative, storytelling, content and campaign delivery.
The goal was twofold: attract more high-quality award submissions while building excitement around the event itself to drive attendance and strengthen its position as a key date in the industry calendar.
The result? A record-breaking year for award submissions in 2025.
Challenge.
Awards programmes depend on engagement. To grow the Automate UK Awards, we needed to reach the right people at the right time and give businesses, teams and individuals a compelling reason to enter, while simultaneously creating an event that people wanted to attend.
The challenge was bigger than simply promoting an awards ceremony. We needed to build a distinctive identity and story around the Awards, increase awareness across the industry, communicate the value and prestige of entering, and maintain momentum from the opening of submissions right through to the event itself.
With multiple categories, audiences and campaign stages to manage, every touchpoint needed to feel consistent while giving people a clear reason to take action.
Solution.
Our team developed an integrated approach that supported the Automate UK Awards from initial strategy and brand development through to creative execution, storytelling and campaign delivery.
Campaign strategy
Brand and creative development
Storytelling and content
Our strategy focused on growing the profile of the Awards and creating sustained engagement throughout the campaign, rather than treating the event as a single moment in the calendar.
We mapped communications around the complete Awards journey, from opening entries and encouraging submissions through to announcing finalists and winners, promoting attendance and maintaining engagement beyond the event itself.
This allowed us to build momentum at every stage while creating more opportunities for Automate UK and its members to share and amplify the campaign.
We developed a distinctive creative identity for the Awards that could work consistently across digital, social, email, website and event communications.
The creative approach gave the Awards a stronger presence of their own while remaining connected to the wider Automate UK brand. This provided the foundations for a campaign that could evolve across different stages without losing recognition or impact.
Strong creative needed an equally strong story.
Our team developed campaign messaging and copy that brought the Awards to life, communicating not only what they were, but why entering mattered.
From encouraging companies to showcase their achievements to celebrating the people and innovations shaping the industry's future, content was developed around different audiences and stages of the campaign.
Website content was also continually updated to support entries, communicate key information, showcase categories and finalists, and ultimately encourage attendance.
Entry acquisition
A major focus of the campaign was increasing both the volume and quality of submissions.
Targeted communications were developed to communicate the value of entering, showcase the breadth of award categories and encourage businesses and individuals from across the industry to put themselves forward.
Through carefully timed email, social, digital and content activity, we maintained visibility throughout the submission window, using key milestones and deadlines to create momentum and drive action.
Event promotion and attendance
Once submissions closed, the campaign evolved from entry generation into building anticipation for the Awards themselves.
Finalists, categories, entertainment and event highlights provided new opportunities for storytelling, allowing us to celebrate success while creating excitement around attending.
This helped position the Awards as more than an industry ceremony. It became an opportunity for the automation community to come together, celebrate achievement, build connections and recognise the people and businesses moving the industry forward.
Gallery.
Results.
+70%
Record-breaking number of award entries - +70% award submissions year on year
Increased
social media impressions – extending the Awards’ reach and visibility across the industry.
Higher
member engagement – driving greater interaction with Awards content and communications.
Stronger
communication conversions – turning engagement and click-throughs into submissions and event attendance.
Conclusion.
By bringing strategy, brand development, creative, storytelling, digital and campaign delivery together, we helped turn the Automate UK Awards into a stronger, more engaging and increasingly recognised industry event.
The campaign delivered a 70% year-on-year increase in award submissions, resulting in a record number of entries in 2025, while simultaneously building awareness and engagement around the event itself.
More importantly, the approach created a platform for continued growth, helping Automate UK celebrate achievement across the industry while keeping its audiences engaged before, during and long after the Awards themselves.
What did our client say...
De Bono Marketing Communications has played an important role in helping us grow and develop the Automate UK Awards. They understand what we're trying to achieve and support us across the entire journey, from strategy and brand development through to creative direction, campaign messaging, content, website updates and promotion.
What really stands out is their ability to bring everything together into a consistent campaign that builds momentum. They don't simply produce individual pieces of marketing; they think about the complete audience journey, from encouraging people to enter through to announcing finalists, promoting the event and driving attendance.
The results speak for themselves. In 2025, we achieved a record number of award submissions, with entries increasing by 70% compared with the previous year, while continuing to build engagement around the event. We're now looking forward to building on that success, growing participation and engagement even further and using the Awards to support Automate UK's wider goals of connecting our industry, celebrating excellence and strengthening the automation community for the future.
Liezl Orenzo-Javier
Marketing Manager, Automate UK