BUSINESS leaders who demonstrate excellence in innovation and creative marketing are sure to be rewarded at this year’s Winchester Business Excellence Awards.

The Wilkins Kennedy LLP Excellence in Innovation Award is open to any business within the Winchester district which offers an innovative product, process or service which has helped the firm to develop.

It’s been announced alongside the Creative Marketing Excellence Online Award. New to this year and sponsored by Rooster Creative Marketing this award aims to recognise an effective use of online marketing techniques.

Ian Talbot, managing partner of Wilkins Kennedy, said: “Wilkins Kennedy’s decision to sponsor the Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2015 demonstrates our dedication and loyalty to Winchester, which has been our home for many years and will continue to be. Our involvement in 2014 confirmed that Winchester is blessed with so many flourishing and successful businesses and we are delighted this year to continue our support by sponsoring an award for Innovation.

“In the current climate often businesses need more than good products to survive, they require innovative processes and products to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their business and we are dedicated to helping these businesses carry on growing and succeed further.”

Judges will look for evidence of an innovative product, process or service, a clear strategy for the market impact, an increase in customer satisfaction, demonstration of competitive advantage obtained and the positive effect of innovation on business results.

Chris Tyler-Smith, director of Rooster Creative Marketing, said: “Rooster Creative Marketing is very proud to be supporting the Winchester Business Excellence Awards and sponsoring the Excellence Online category. Rooster is a huge appreciator of online excellence and have been very fortunate to work with many local and global brands to help them create theirs. Many of us utilise these online tools every day to make our personal and business lives easier without actually appreciating them.

“The points we are judging are some that we feel go towards creating a successful online marketing campaign and this award provides the perfect platform to acknowledge those businesses which stand out from the competition.”

Judges will want to see an innovative approach to online marketing and how the use of new technologies has enhanced the organisation, an online presence that caters for their target audiences from a creative, visual and technical perspective and that measureable success has been delivered and quantifiable benefits to the organisation through involvement with online initiatives in the past year.

The deadline for entries has been extended to 5pm on Friday, March 6.

For more information on these categories and others please click here or winchesterbusinessawards.co.uk.