---
id: ins_uddhav-parab-awards-bait-system
title: 'Awards-bait campaigns are a structural necessity, not a choice, for creative leaders.'
operator: Uddhav Parab
operator_role: Creative Director. Writer. Comic. 3x TED Talks Viewer.
source_url: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7343617495565537281/
source_type: thread
source_title: 'Awards-bait campaigns are a structural necessity, not a choice, for creative lea'
source_date: 2026-04-10
captured_date: 2026-05-03
domain: [pmm]
lifecycle: []
maturity: applied
artifact_class: framework
score: { originality: 3, specificity: 3, evidence: 2, transferability: 3, source: 3 }
tier: B
related: []
raw_ref: raw/linkedin/reactions/linkedin-reactions-2026-04-10.md
---

# Awards-bait campaigns are a structural necessity, not a choice, for creative leaders.

## Claim
An average ECD should make north of 40-60 lakhs, with 10% of variable pay linked to performance, and awards like Kyoorius, Cannes, etc. You expect them to leave that money on the table? If they don't win awards, they can't give better appraisals to their juniors either.

## Mechanism
The compensation structure for creative leaders ties a portion of their income to award wins, creating a perverse incentive to produce case study films for obscure brands and causes, regardless of real-world impact. This system has been in place for decades and will intensify with AI, as creatives try to prove they can do work AI can't.