EMAS Awards

Battle of the Agencies

The Battle of the Agencies is back and it’s not one to be missed! It’s a real showdown between agencies trying to create the ultimate email campaign. Each agency can apply by submitting a compelling motivation. Registrations are open.

Procedure

The Client: KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association

The KNVB (Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond) is the official governing body for football in the Netherlands, overseeing everything from grassroots initiatives to the prestigious Eredivisie and the Dutch national teams. With a mission to inspire and unite through the power of football, KNVB is dedicated to promoting the sport at all levels while emphasizing innovation, community engagement, and excellence.

As a respected and influential organization within both national and international sports communities, KNVB provides a unique and high-profile platform for agencies to demonstrate their creative and strategic email marketing capabilities in the EMAS Battle of the Agencies 2025.

Agency selection

Among all submissions, three agencies will be selected based on the pitch:

Step 1: Register your agency with a concise, impactful motivation. Clearly articulate why you believe your agency can achieve the best outcome for KNVB. Please note that the deadline for submitting motivations is March 20th, 2025, before 5 PM.

Step 2: The motivations will be assessed by KNVB’s email marketing team. The top three pitches will proceed to the battle. Note: motivations will be evaluated anonymously!

Please note that all entries must be anonymized, with no mention of agency names, to ensure that motivations are evaluated purely on their content. Any agency names included will be removed or blacked out before the KNVB reviews the motivation.

Process and rules after nomination

The nominated agencies will undergo the following process:

  1. Case Briefing: The selected agencies will receive the case details from KNVB.
  2. Campaign Design: Agencies will create an email design based on briefing.
  3. HTML Submission: The nominated agencies must submit one HTML email to KNVB, based on the approved design. The email may include dynamic content as specified in the briefing.
  4. Target Audience: The target audience for all emails is uniform and will be selected by KNVB.
  5. Email Dispatch: KNVB will handle the dispatch using its own systems.
  6. Simultaneous Communication: All communications will be sent simultaneously by KNVB.
  7. Results and Announcement: KNVB will analyze the results and announce the winner at the EMAS on June 26.

*If the provided email does not comply with the rules, KNVB reserves the right to refrain from sending the email at any time.

Judging Criteria

The sent emails will be assessed by KNVB based on the following metrics:

  • KPIs: Conversion rate, view rate, click-to-open rate, unsubscribe rate, evaluation of creativity and originality (by KNVB’s Email Marketing Team).
  • In the event of unforeseen circumstances not specified in the rules, KNVB, in consultation with the DDMA and the associated Email Committee, will make a decision.

On June 26th, during the DDMA Email Marketing Automation Summit (EMAS), the three agencies will compete for the prize. Each will deliver an engaging pitch (8 to 10 minutes) explaining their approach, rationale behind their choices, and the appearance of their campaign.

 

Important dates

March 20 before 5 p.m. 2025
DEADLINE motivation submission

April 8, 2025
Announcement of nominated agencies

June 26, 2025
Announcement of the winner during EMAS 2024 in Circa Amsterdam

Thank you for your interest, unfortunately entries are closed.
The winner will be announced during the EMAS 2025 on March 26 in Circa Amsterdam.

Contact

Questions? Please contact Merel de Koning:

Email: evenementen@ddma.nl
Phone: 06 42016010