Chapter 7: Campaigns and Awareness Initiatives
Technology alone cannot solve cybersecurity challenges. Firewalls, encryption, and advanced detection tools are powerful, but attackers often exploit the human factor—convincing someone to click a phishing link, reuse a weak password, or ignore a security update. That is why campaigns and awareness initiatives are so critical. They build the culture of vigilance that makes security technology effective.
Whether it is a company-wide phishing simulation, a government-led national awareness campaign, or a nonprofit’s training program for small businesses, awareness efforts are a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity. Yet these initiatives are often undervalued because their results—such as fewer successful phishing attempts—are preventative rather than visible. Recognition through business awards like the Globee® Awards ensures that the people and organizations behind these campaigns receive the credit they deserve.
Why Recognizing Campaigns and Awareness Initiatives Matters
1. Human Behavior Is the Weakest Link
Over 80% of breaches involve some element of human error. Campaigns that change behavior directly reduce risk. Recognition validates the importance of this work.
2. Culture Is as Important as Technology
Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue—it is cultural. Campaigns build that culture across organizations, industries, and societies.
3. Prevention Saves Costs
Every avoided breach saves millions in potential damages. Recognition emphasizes the measurable return on investment of awareness campaigns.
4. Raising the Industry Standard
When award-winning campaigns are shared, they inspire other organizations to adopt similar best practices.
5. Visibility for Undervalued Efforts
Executives and products often get recognition. Campaigns ensure trainers, communicators, and advocates are also celebrated.
Types of Campaigns Worth Recognizing
Phishing Awareness Campaigns
- Simulations and training sessions that reduce employee susceptibility.
- Award-worthy achievements: cutting phishing click rates by 60% or more.
Password and Authentication Campaigns
- Encouraging strong password use, multi-factor authentication, or passwordless systems.
- Award-worthy achievements: measurable increases in MFA adoption.
Policy and Compliance Campaigns
- Educating staff on GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA requirements.
- Award-worthy achievements: reduced audit errors or zero compliance penalties.
National or Public Awareness Initiatives
- Government or nonprofit campaigns promoting safe practices (e.g., safe browsing, child online safety).
- Award-worthy achievements: nationwide participation, measurable increase in public awareness.
Cybersecurity Culture Campaigns
- Ongoing internal efforts to integrate security into daily work.
- Award-worthy achievements: employee surveys showing higher awareness and confidence.
Executive Awareness Programs
- Training boards and leadership teams on cybersecurity risks.
- Award-worthy achievements: increased budget allocations and strategic prioritization.
Examples of Award-Worthy Campaign Achievements
- Phishing Simulation Program
- Challenge: Employees clicked phishing emails 35% of the time.
- Solution: Company launched quarterly simulations and training.
- Outcome: Click rates dropped to 5% in 12 months.
- Impact: Reduced risk of breaches, saving millions in potential damages.
- National Cyber Awareness Campaign
- Challenge: Citizens lacked knowledge of safe online banking.
- Solution: Government launched a multimedia campaign across TV, radio, and digital platforms.
- Outcome: 10 million people engaged; online fraud reports decreased by 15%.
- Impact: Improved national digital safety and consumer trust.
- Password Management Initiative
- Challenge: 60% of employees reused passwords.
- Solution: Introduced password managers and MFA training.
- Outcome: MFA adoption rose from 20% to 90%.
- Impact: Reduced account compromises significantly.
How to Frame Campaign Achievements for Awards
For recognition, campaign submissions should show behavioral and cultural impact. Use the challenge → solution → outcome → impact model.
- Challenge: Identify the human or cultural weakness.
- Solution: Describe the awareness campaign.
- Outcome: Provide measurable data (reduced click rates, higher MFA adoption).
- Impact: Explain how the organization or society became safer.
Example Submission:
- Challenge: Employees often ignored compliance policies, leading to audit failures.
- Solution: Launched interactive training sessions with gamification.
- Outcome: Policy completion rates rose from 50% to 95%.
- Impact: Organization passed audits with zero errors, avoiding significant fines.
Common Mistakes in Campaign Recognition Submissions
- Vagueness: “We raised awareness” without metrics.
- Overemphasis on Content: Judges care about outcomes, not just materials produced.
- Ignoring Behavior Change: Campaigns should show measurable improvement in user behavior.
- Lack of Data Collection: Without before-and-after comparisons, submissions feel incomplete.
The Organizational Value of Campaign Recognition
Recognizing campaigns benefits everyone involved:
- Employees: Feel proud to be part of a secure culture.
- Organizations: Strengthen client trust and reputation.
- Campaign Teams: Gain motivation and visibility for their contributions.
- Clients and Partners: Reassured by working with an organization recognized for security culture.
- Industry: Learns best practices from award-winning initiatives.
Why Globee Awards Are Ideal for Campaigns
The Globee Awards are particularly well-suited to recognizing campaigns and awareness initiatives because they:
- Include categories for training, awareness, education, and cultural transformation.
- Accept entries from companies, nonprofits, and government agencies.
- Use data-driven evaluation, ensuring focus on measurable outcomes.
- Provide publicly verifiable recognition, increasing trust and visibility.
- Highlight both large-scale national campaigns and smaller organizational initiatives.
Building a Recognition Roadmap for Campaigns
To maximize recognition, organizations should:
- Track Metrics From the Start
- Measure participation, completion, and improvement rates.
- Document Behavior Change
- Show how awareness led to fewer breaches or policy violations.
- Gather Testimonials
- Add quotes from employees, executives, or citizens.
- Promote Internally and Externally
- Share campaign recognition widely to reinforce the security culture.
- Submit Annually
- New awareness efforts each year can highlight continuous improvement.
Final Thoughts
Cybersecurity is ultimately about people. Technology can only succeed when human behavior supports it. Campaigns and awareness initiatives build the culture that sustains resilience.
Recognition through awards ensures that these efforts are not overlooked. Globee Awards provide independent, globally respected validation that campaigns work—that they change behavior, strengthen culture, and make organizations and societies safer.
By recognizing campaigns, we celebrate the trainers, communicators, advocates, and leaders who transform cybersecurity from a technical requirement into a shared responsibility. In a field where culture and behavior define resilience, these achievements are among the most important to honor.