Each year we enter some of our best work in the American Advertising Federation’s Addy compeition. It starts at the local chapter level, and if it wins Gold, it advances to the district level, and hopefully to the national competition. This year we had a ton of great things to submit, and the awards were held over the weekend. It’s always a bit of a crapshoot with the Addys, since interactive categories were only recently added. It is easy to judge a brochure or billboard for it’s advertising value, but the same cannot always be said for Web sites. There’s always the debate about what role, if any, functionality plays. Does a nice looking Web site that doesn’t do anything score better than a site that has robust, database-driven components? Tough to say. But we took our chances and put our hat in the ring, and here’s what came out.
First let me say that it takes a team effort to make each of our award winning projects. In addition to the people you’d expect like account managers, project managers, designers, and programmers, there are a ton of other people that touch every project and deserve to be mentioned. Those include the development directors for creative, technical, and project management, Kelli Kimpton, Dan Vogt, and Jodi Higbee respectively. Also the support team which help test and launch every site, including Drew Keller and Eric Cunningham. There are others like Robin Horton and Caroline Cooper in accounting, Lauren Lester in Traffic Management, Evan Blake and Jon Sasser supporting the sales people, Don Wedington running sales, and Geoff Wilson, the CEO, who touch each and every project that are just as important as the developers in the trenches getting there hands dirty. Though their names aren’t on the awards, they played a huge part in making them happen!
But I’m sure you want to know who won. Well here were the winners! The Addys award Silver and Gold winners. Our Silvers included:
Intermountain Electronics, http://intermountainelectronics.com/ Contributors: Joy Senart, Tom Brenneman, Chris Brauckmuller, and Ed Egun
Play Action Online Kids Camps, CampPete.com Virtual World, http://play.camppete.com/ Contributors: Jodi Higbee, Geoff Wilson, Lincoln Anderson, Daniel Alves, Neal Horstmeyer, Tim Pratt, Chris Brauckmuller, Peter Brownstein, Peter Juchniewicz, Jon Sasser, Selena Carter, and Group 5 Advertising
World Equine Teaser Web Site, http://www.worldequine.com Contributors: Kelly Lammers, Mark Chizanskos, Joy Senart, Lincoln Anderson, Tim Pratt, Neal Horstmeyer, Chris Brauckmuller, and Peter Brownstein
Play Action Online Kids Camps, Camp Spurrier Web site, www.campspurrier.com Contributors: Jodi Higbee, Gary Nevins, Geoff Wilson, Lincoln Anderson, Daniel Alves, Neal Horstmeyer, Tim Pratt, Daniel Alves, Peter Brownstein, Peter Juchniewicz, Jon Sasser, Selena Carter, and Group 5 Advertising
Young America’s Foundation Web site, www.yaf.orgContributors: Tremaine Bagley, Don Wedington, Joy Senart, Paul Traylor, Time Pratt, Adam Davis, Chris Brauckmuller, Sean Jeng, Ed Egun, and Andrew Keller
CruiseNow.com Web site, www.cruisenow.comContributors: Kelly Lammers, Tom Brenneman, Joy Senart, Chris Brauckmuller, Brent Walbolt, and Ed Egun
Southeastern Mills Web site, www.semills.comContributors: Jodi Higbee, Matt Schiller
Microsoft Expression Web site, www.microsoft.com/expressionContributors: Joy Senart, Peter VanRysdam, Kelly Lammers, Lincoln Anderson, Tim Pratt, Neal Horstmeyer, Brent Walbolt, Peter Juchniewicz, Peter Brownstein, and Ed Egun
Gold Addys Included:
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, “Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes Web site,” www.jdrfnpod.orgContributors: Kelly Lammers, Mark Chizanskos, Paul Traylor
BAE Systems “Safariland Web site,” www.safariland.comContributors: Gary Nevins, Joy Senart, Jan Siemaszko, Lincoln Anderson, Tim Pratt, Brent Walbolt, Chris Brauckmuller, Peter Juchniewicz, Evol Greaves, Zach Floyd, SEan Jeng, and Ed Egun
Southeastern Mills “Shore Lunch Brand Web site,” www.shorelunch.comContributors: Jodi Higbee, Matt Schiller, Joy Senart, Neal Horstmeyer, and Zach Floyd
Play Action Online Kids Camp “Camp Pete Online Campaign,” www.camppete.com and Banner AdsContributors: Jodi Higbee, Gary Nevins, Geoff Wilson, Lincoln Anderson, Daniel Alves, Neal Horstmeyer, Tim Pratt, Daniel Alves, Peter Brownstein, Peter Juchniewicz, Jon Sasser, Selena Carter, and Group 5 Advertising
Microsoft TweetCraft Trailer Video, http://tweetcraft.codeplex.com/Contributors: Peter VanRysdam, Tim Pratt, Lincoln Anderson
Play Action Online Kids Camps, “Play Action Web site,” www.playactiononline.comContributors: Dana McPherson, Geoff Wilson, Chris Brauckmuller
352 Media Group’s Blog, Ranting and Raving (You’re already on it!)Contributors: Peter VanRysdam, Kelli Kimpton, Chris Brauckmuller, Paul Traylor, Adam Davis, Zach Floyd
352 Media Group’s DeepZoom Project, staging.352inc.com/deepzoomContributors: Peter VanRysdam, Michelle Brownstein, and Andrew Keller
Concurrent Computer Corporation Homepage Animation, www.ccur.comContributors: Tremaine Bagley, Jan Siemaszko, Tim Pratt, and Chris Brauckmuller
Again, big congrats to everyone involved in putting these amazing projects together. Next stop is districts, and I have a feeling we will make some serious noise there as well!