by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB![]()
Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: SUNDAY, February 16, 1992 TAG: 9202140023 SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: MAG POFF BUSINESS WRITER DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
ROANOKE'S BEST ADVERTISING WAS DONE FOR FREE
The Roanoke Valley's best advertising this year was created by a group of young marketers who donated their time and energy. And their winning ad was not for a paying customer, but for a non-profit agency getting it aired as a public service TV spot.Ad2, a club for young advertising account executives, artists and copy writers, won "best in show" at the local Addy Awards Saturday night for its commercial created and produced on behalf of Center for Independence for the Disabled Inc.
No single agency dominated Saturday night's annual awards ceremony sponsored by the Advertising Federation of Roanoke. The annual event was held at the Roanoke Airport Marriott.
The awards were based on selections decided Jan. 25 by a panel of three judges who selected 51 top Addy Awards and 61 second-place Citations of Excellence from among 388 entries from agencies in the Roanoke Valley, New River Valley and Lynchburg.
The club's members donated their work for the 30-second commercial. So did the crippled and deaf people who served as the actors.
The Ad2 campaign "really increased awareness about people with disabilities and the center," said Karen Michalski, the independence center's executive director.
The goal of the center, she said, is to assist handicapped people "to be as independent as they would like to be." It also works toward creating an environment that is more accessible to them.
In addition to physical barriers that can be seen, Michalski said, handicapped people often face "attitudinal barriers." The Ad2 campaign especially helped with that problem, she said.
The winning spot showed a man attending his class reunion and recalling that some successful graduates were the butt of jokes in school because they were different. The camera then reveals that the man is in a wheelchair and, because of that, his former classmates now treat him differently.
Ad2 also won two Addy Awards and two Citations of Excellence for the various phases of its television and radio campaign on behalf of the center.
Ad2 is a nationwide division of the American Advertising Federation for professionals who are aged 30 and younger. All are volunteers, and the club has no advertising budget. Their time and talent are donated for a different public service project each year.
The local club, which has 70 members, solicits bids from non-profit organizations each year. The club mounts a full print, radio and television campaign for the organization it selects. The media donate space and time to the public awareness effort.
Lindy Adams of Roanoke, district governor for the American Advertising Federation, said the Ad2 win "is really exciting stuff" for the local advertising industry because the club cuts across many talents and local agencies.
Sandra Burks, director of marketing for the Roanoke City magnet schools, is the current president of Ad2.
Shawn Murray of Edmonds Packett Group and David Hodge of the Roanoke Times & World-News served jointly in the two roles of creative and art directors for the "best in show" spot.
Murray and Eric Weltner, also of Edmonds Packett Group, were copywriters for the winning entry. BES Teleproductions of Richmond donated production work.
Edmonds Packett Group won the most awards during the evening. The Roanoke agency came away with 10 Addys and 12 citations.
Its winning works were done on behalf of the Economic Development Partnership, Shenandoah Life Insurance Co., Washington and Lee University, United Way of Roanoke Valley, Roanoke Memorial Hospitals, B&D Comic Shop, Lawyers Title Insurance Co. and Tredegar Industries.
Edmonds Packett also took two "special judges awards" for two posters that the agency created for Stephen Haynes, the son of an employee at the agency, who was running for treasurer of his class at Cave Spring Elementary School.
Adams, the district governor, said the posters were produced at virtually no cost to the agency and fell outside the usual Addy categories. "That was a fun thing. It wasn't truly paid advertising," she said.
Other top agencies honored at the award ceremonies were:
Jack Smith Agency won eight Addys and nine citations for work on behalf of Roanoke City recycling, Tanglewood Mall, Holdren's, Securitas, American Lock & Supply and Mundet Hermetite.
Poindexter Associates took six Addys and six citations for work on behalf of Dominion Bankshares Corp. and Hart Motors.
Roanoke Times & World-News received five Addys and four citations for newspaper promotions.
Maddox Agency won five Addys and one citation for work on behalf of the Advertising Federation and Lewis-Gale Hospital.
John Lambert Associates took three Addys and two citations for work on behalf of Roanoke Orthopaedic Center, Roanoke Gas Co., Podiatric Medicine & Foot Surgery and W.W. Boxley.
Virginia Tech University Relations and Publications received two Addys and one citation for work on behalf of the university.
Russell McKenney Advertising won two Addys and one citation for work on behalf of the Kroger Co.
Eight other agencies won a single Addy each and, in most cases, citations. Still another 11 went home with at least one citation.