A board game, created by a Penryn company to promote its copywriting services, has been shortlisted for an international marketing award.

Radix Communications, an agency which writes for business-to-business technology companies worldwide, received the nomination for its work on Funnel! – the world’s first board game about content marketing.

Now the game, which the company produced to gain the attention of potential clients, has itself been shortlisted at the national B2B Marketing Awards, for ‘Best Use of Creative’.

“In a world of corporate lanyards and branded ballpoints, we wanted to create a different kind of giveaway to raise awareness of our B2B copywriting services,” said Fiona Campbell-Howes, managing director of Radix. “Something that was not only fun, original and worth keeping, but also demonstrated our knowledge of the industry sector.”

Armed with an unusual assortment of skills, ranging from graphic design to tabletop gaming, the team at Radix worked on Funnel! for over a year, moulding a polished board game out of a cloud of big ideas and a hand-drawn cardboard prototype.

The game is based on one of the enduring metaphors of the marketing industry: the idea that customers progress through a kind of funnel, from the moment they become aware of a brand to the moment they decide to buy something.

In Radix’s Funnel! game, players create marketing campaigns that move prospective customers through the funnel. They’re tasked with building a team from a deck of marketing talent and navigating unique events that can throw carefully co-ordinated strategies into chaos. Players can focus on creating their own campaigns, or on derailing rival players through subtle sabotage.

Funnel! carries more serious messages too. It emphasises three core factors that content marketing needs to succeed: strong content, getting the right team for the job, and being responsive to changes in the industry are all vital in marketing.

Currently in its twelfth year, the B2B Marketing Awards aims to showcase the work and celebrate the achievements of the very best in the business-to-business marketing industry around the world.

For George Reith, Radix copywriter and leader of the project, making the shortlist is about more than just recognition for the game: “London is seen by many as the hub of business creativity," he said. "With Funnel! being shortlisted for this prestigious award, I hope the world will see that Cornwall is also home to some exceptional creative minds.”

The 2016 B2B Marketing Awards ceremony will be held in London November 24.