Category Archives: Addys

ADDY Insider Tips Part II – Open Before 2014 Edition

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When you’re running an event you say to yourself and the committee a million times, “we have to remember this for next year.” Most of the time you forget anyway. Hence, your wonderful committee. So while we covered some of these ADDY tips just a short time ago, the judging trip made us remember a few more nuggets for you to store away. And of course, a few tips we just can’t tell you enough. Good luck in 2014, and remember that it’s never too early to start thinking ADDY, even if 2013′s awards haven’t even happened yet (see you on the 14th!).

1. Read the submission guidelines
ADDYJudging-2

2. You spent hours, days, weeks, months on your work and campaigns. Now spend some more time preparing your entry properly and make it easy to view. Your work and your passion deserve it.

3. Even if your work is interactive or a physical piece, consider mounting some screen shots or stills to help educate the judges.

4. Mount just the entry number on your boards, not the entire entry sheet or your work will look like this at the judging.

5. Read the submission guidelines again.

6. Remember to enter your company information and titles correctly in the entry system software. It’s the same text and info we use to promote and print your work if you win an award. We don’t know that your company name is misspelled unless you do first.

7. We can’t say anything about your work unless a judge asks a question. So don’t leave anything to chance in case they don’t ask us a question. Prep every element of your entry as if the judges know nothing about you and your work, because, well, they won’t.

ADDYJudging-7

8. You might be on the fence about it. The judges might love it. Take a chance. Enter.

9. Students! We were students once too, we get it. Professionals still have deadlines and homework too. Ask questions. Submit everything on time. In addition to your talent, a well planned entry is a good way to signify you’re ready for post-grad awesomeness.

10. If your work was live and then taken offline, it never hurts to tell us the dates it ran. Nothing lowers a score, or worse, says “DQ,” better than an entry we can’t find online or elsewhere if the judges need details.

11. Another one for the students. In your entry credits, make sure your professor is included. They too have a stake in the game of seeing you succeed and have earned a line with their name. That kind of respect goes a long way.

12. READ. THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. One last time.

Inspired Judging

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Entries arranged for judging

Entries arranged for judging

Hard to believe we’re only a few days away from the 2013 ADDY Awards. It feels like we were just organizing the judging trip to Pittsburgh.

In case you didn’t know, here’s how we got there. Months before, we decide on a city that is known for its creative community or we can respond to invitations from other AAF clubs. We then invite creative professionals in that city to judge the work. From there, the Judging Committee from the RAF spends an entire weekend curating and prepping your entries for the judges to evaluate.

We had such an incredible group of people with us in Pittsburgh. They’re a diverse bunch of writers, artists, thinkers, and entrepreneurs who really enjoyed looking through all of your inspired creative work.

5MICHAEL HOFF
SVP, Creative Director / Mullen

After five years at Brunner and a stint at a small retail agency in State College, PA, Michael Hoff joined Mullen in 1997 as a senior writer. At Mullen, Mike has been part of the team that crafted award-winning work for PPG Industries, UPMC Health Plan, Pennsylvania Tourism, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Magellan GPS, and The American Diabetes Association. Today, he oversees the agency’s creative talent in all media, from in-store to digital.

1DEREK JULIN
Senior Art Director / Brunner

Derek started off as an art director at Brunner, a Pittsburgh-based advertising agency. During his first stint at the agency, Derek created campaigns for Cub Cadet, CONSOL Energy, Pittsburgh Corning, and Zippo.

After four years at Brunner, Derek moved to DraftFCB in Chicago. As senior art director, Derek helped create a new brand campaign for DOW that was recognized by Creativity Magazine’s Top 20. He also worked on a DOW campaign for the 2012 London Olympics, along with campaigns for the NHL, KFC, Taco Bell, and Nivea. With some big city experience under his belt, he returned to Brunner and his hometown of Pittsburgh in 2012.

Over the past eight years, Derek’s work has been honored and recognized by Archive, The National ADDY Awards, Creativity Magazine, The Webby’s, and Graphis. He also won two Best of Shows in the Pittsburgh ADDY Awards.

2FRANK WALSH
Owner / Walsh Photography

With more than 20 years of experience as a commercial photographer, Frank Walsh has photographed everything from ants to automobiles. He partners with advertising and design firms to develop original images, servicing clients such as Campbell’s, Philips, ESPN, and Quaker Oil. His work has been recognized in Communications Arts Photo Annuals, Graphis, and PDN Photo Annuals.

3ILONA SEGEDY
Founder / wrIte LLC

Ilona has more than 20 years of experience in developing unique voices for brands. She started as a junior copywriter at Ketchum Advertising, and then quickly worked her way up the ranks of Pittsburgh’s top creative shops – Werner Chepelsky & Partners, Dymun-Nelson & Co., Mullen, and Smith Brothers Agency. Today, Ilona is her own boss. She founded write, LLC two years ago.

While her niche is in writing for healthcare and health insurance brands, Ilona has also touched the worlds of banking, tourism, B2B, education, CPG, and public service. She’s developed integrated campaigns for clients like Highmark, UPMC, Pennsylvania Tourism, Del Monte, Skinny Cow, PNC Bank, Point Park University, United Jewish Federation, and countless others.

Ilona’s work has won numerous awards, including 23 Pittsburgh Gold ADDYs, a Print Best of Show, TV Best of Show, Special Judges Award for Writing and Creative Excellence, and numerous Telly Awards and AIGA merits. Her most recent achievement? Making par on holes 14 and 15 on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina.

4JILL TRIMBLE
Creative/Art Director / smART DIRECTION

Jill is a creative/art director at smART DIRECTION, a freelance business she founded after spending more than 20 years in the advertising industry. She previously worked at agencies from Fahlgren to Marc USA to Mullen.

Jill’s client experience includes Paula Deen Foods, Highmark, Pennsylvania Tourism & Travel, PPG Industries, and Rite Aid. Her work has helped agencies win new business, including projects for the U.S. Air Force and Pennsylvania’s Department of State Voter ID Campaign. She has also won numerous awards for her work for non-profit clients, including the American Red Cross, Southwestern PA, and the national Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Judges looking over and scoring a category of entries

Judges looking over and scoring a category of entries

ADDY Never Sleeps

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“You look tired.” – said everyone I talk to.

It’s probably the bags under the eyes but at least I came by them honestly. Because for our organization (like most volunteer based groups), strategizing, mobilizing, and awards show prep never stops. Luckily, neither does the energy or commitment to good ideas from the incredible event committee we’ve assembled. And being President of an organization like the RAF is the best and most influential “stress” I have ever known. It’s such an exciting time for us.

Over the past few months, I’ve talked to so many people in the creative community that I never have before. All with questions about what the ADDY awards could and should mean to them. Mostly, they wonder if they have a chance to win. My answer is always the same. Absolutely, everyone has a chance to win. Of course, your chance goes up exponentially if you do actually enter your work (deadline is Feb. 8th). There are also several benefits to participating besides the aspect of winning something. We’re poised to have the most diverse amount of entries we’ve ever had so don’t miss your chance to be a part of something.

So where else are we? Well, times change and so have the needs/scope of the RAF
membership.Today we represent an incredible amount of professionals from all aspects of the advertising and marketing world as our responsibility to everyone from agencies to freelancers to clients has grown. And we are certainly better for the diversity we have decided to embrace. Realistically, our time could be spent solely on something like the ADDY Awards show, but we always want to do more and we hope you’ve been the recipient of some good interaction on our part whether it’s an RAF event, our growing network, or something like this blog post.

So let’s recap some quick things you should know:

The ADDY Awards – The one event you have 364 days to prepare for:

+ The Facebook inspiration board and call for entry portals have been very active. We can’t wait to see what you can offer both.

+ The theme, venue, and overall experience will ask; what inspires our diverse creative community?

+ The show will be shorter, we promise, in an effort to make sure you have more time celebrating your work and with your colleagues. It will also remain as interactive as ever, with a few extra ways to contribute, stay tuned.

+ The call for nominations for the Silver Achievement Award is out. This is a chance for you to nominate someone you believe has been a healthy influence on Rochester’s creative professionals and the community at large.

+ Remember that our show is THE local awards platform that promises both professionals and students alike the opportunity to be recognized regionally and nationally. Local gold and silver ADDY award winning entries are automatically eligible entries for the District 2 ADDY awards, winners in that competition can then forward their entries to the National ADDY Awards for consideration. For years, our community has had several agencies, freelancers, and students alike all achieve National ADDY recognition.

+ We have space available in the upcoming bound edition of the official ADDY Showbook as well. This is a unique reference and record of what this incredible creative community is capable of and there are plenty of opportunities for your work and services to be a part of that record. Join in our creative community’s biggest night and every day after that by advertising in the Official 2013 RAF ADDY Awards Showbook. To reserve your space today or if you have any questions, contact us at showbook@rafconnect.org

Like I said, it’s easy to focus on something as big and important as the ADDY Awards but we have more “20 Minutes & A Beer” dates coming up, as well as more “20 Minutes & A Pizza” events for students. We’re working on bringing in more speakers, holding more networking events just for freelancers, a possible film series, and even plans for an “inspired” RAF exhibit.

Thank you for the support over the last few months and we have some good ideas for the ones ahead. FYI – probably going to grab some of this stuff for the bags under the eyes, I’ll let you know how it works out.

See you all the night of March 14th, if not before!

Sincerely,
Pres. T.C.

Shoot me a message and say hello why don’t ya? = president@rafconnect.org
Everything ADDY = http://rafconnect.org/events/addys/

2012 State of the RAF

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The 2012 state of the RAF. My last address I get to give as president, and I am leaving on a high note. I soon pass the presidential torch to T.C. Pellett. The Marketing guru over at the Monroe County Parks Dept. As a non-agency employee, he brings a unique perspective to the board. One that welcomes the further inclusion of our entire creative community from agency to client and freelancer to student. T.C. has an extensive background serving on boards to help make our community stronger. He is connected. Works with the Seneca Park Zoo, owns a freelance design firm and was honored this past year with the prestigious RBJ 40 under 40 distinction. He gets it. And the RAF is lucky to have him at the helm. For me, turning things over is bitter sweet. I have enjoyed being the RAF president (way more than I thought I would… thanks Kate and Pete for the push) but since I am three years into a two year term, I know it’s time to let a new way of thinking take over to continue the positive momentum. T.C. is the perfect choice, and I thank him for his service to the RAF in advance.

Our year started out strong with our board completely retooling the RAF bylaws and returning the board structure back to its roots. I know, it sounds boring, but for those serving on the board it was a much needed step in order for us to grow. The RAF board is a volunteer working board that needs to have a process in place in order to move forward. T.C.’s influence and experience on past boards has already paid off, since he spearheaded this effort along with Andrea Zuegel, Jeff Zielinski (the Partner’s one) and myself. Our programing also started with solid showing with the Cannes Lions event at the Eastman House. This event brought together broadcast and agency people together for a spirited discussion from our 3 panelists and moderator. Inspiration was overflowing that day, I encourage you not to miss the next one coming this fall. 20 Minutes and a Beer has been a staple program for the RAF and has caught the National eye form our fellow AAF affiliates from across the county. Using the RAF program as a model other groups now hold their own 20 Minutes and a Beer events in Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio to name a few. Wait until they hear about how we customized it for the students at RIT with 20 Minutes and a Pizza. The RAF is again lead the way Nationally. And If you want to be one of the speakers for this event or have some ideas on topics please let us know. We are always eager for suggestions. This year also marked the first time the RAF was awarded with a 3rd place AAF Club Achievement award for our programming. The AAF Club Achievement awards recognize the good efforts Clubs like our do over the year. It’s kinda like the Addy’s for the Groups.

Speaking of which, the Addy’s this year were way different. It was a gamble that I am glad the RAF board took in order to bring the show into the digital age. And for the first time in recent memory the Addy’s didn’t lose money. A huge step for the RAF. Some of our Addy winners went on to win Gold and Silver at the District 2 level. And the RAF is also fortunate to have a great showing at the National Addys his year in Austin.

Our National winners are:

From RIT, congrats Hope Tweed for this #addyinspired entry: La Jolla Mobile App Design,

Also from RIT congrats to Jon Brennan for a 2 #addyinspired entries: Know Your Beers and Traveller’s Guide to Boulder

Roberts Communications also is #rafaddyinspired with this entry: Xerox – Jazz Festival Campaign. This entry also was the 2012 people’s choice award at the Addy’s this year. What can I say, the RAF membership has good taste. :)

Partner’s and Napier also has this #rafaddyinspired entry in the National Addy mix: Mondavi Family of Wine Brochure

The National Addy’s are this Tuesday, June 5th in Austin Texas. Good luck to all those nominated and we look forward to toasting your success!

The state of the RAF is good. We’re moving in the right direction with our membership, programming content, professional development, students, and even our Addy clout nationally. Like I said at the top of the post I am leaving on a high note and I leave the RAF in the very capable hands of T.C.

Thanks for sticking with me for three years,

Prez Joe.

TOP 10 REASONS YOU SHOULD SUBMIT WORK AND ATTEND THE ADDYS

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#10 – As part of the “No Creative Left Behind” program, all submissions will be displayed online before the event.

#9 – It’s one more opportunity to be able to write off a whole evening of partying as a business expense.

#8 – Where else can you give a rival agency the “stink-eye” without the risk of a fist fight?

#7 – Drink orders via Tweet.

#6 – Your work will be seen by the entire Rochester Advertising Community, not just the 15 people in the “target audience.”

#5 – You may show up single, but you could leave with a new client.

#4 – Rumor has it that Joe Mayernik is planning an interpretive digital dance routine.

#3 – Side-effects may include a swelling of your network and increased visibility in the Ad community.

#2 – There’s no penalty for excessive celebration.

#1 – We need to show those sissies in Minneapolis (aka judges) just what the Rochester Ad community’s made of.

Submitted by Andrea Zuegel and Matt Smythe

“BUT THEY ALWAYS WIN!”

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The problem with awards and awards competitions is that there’s the inevitable win or lose factor. Our annual ADDY awards are no different. And when you’re trying to maintain a mission of building up our incredible creative community, it’s hard to make everyone happy. But if you count yourself among those who feel the awards are ripe for domination by any one party, hear us out on the bigger picture.

Entering the ADDYs also means exposure. When was the last time a large sampling of your colleagues and creative mentors were all in the same room together? We work hard to make sure event attendees have plenty of time to see the complete gallery of entrants. Think about the amount of time you spend posting, e-mailing, or otherwise promoting your work. Now factor in all of that time plus your resources vs. the expense of an ADDY entry where you can guarantee your work will be seen by those who matter to you. Would you rather just mingle with people or have something to show them while you’re catching up?

Granted, nobody should base their creative goals solely on winning an ADDY, but because you can never handicap your kind of talent or even the judging, you should never NOT try. An event like this should also incite friendly competition and dare we say, inspiration. In a market like ours, when has it ever paid to be divisive?

In addition to the usual ADDY book we publish post ceremony, this year, a microsite will go live after the initial judging showcasing all entrants. This means your entries will live well beyond the night of the show, “win” or “lose.”

We’ve got a simple ADDY mantra of “Don’t just do good work, do extraordinary work.” We all know what it feels like to become attached to an idea, or a sketch, and then a final product. Why not take a final step to see what other professionals think beyond the client and the market itself?

T.C. Pellett, RAF V.P., 1-19-12

The State of the RAF

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Watching the state of the Union Address from President Barack Obama inspired me to give my own State of the RAF speech, and well since there is no avenue (yet) for me to give a citywide address on the state of our industry, I’ll have to write about it in an RAF blog post. As president of the RAF I do not have President Obama’s struggles of party lines, big egos, hidden agendas and spin doctoring, hmm… maybe advertising and politics are more alike than I think.

I have lived in Rochester for almost ten years. Within that time I have seen many ad agencies sadly close their doors. Saatchi & Saatchi, Buck & Pulleyn, EMA’s strong Rochester presence, and ICE to name a few. Our industry in Rochester cannot sustain losing one advertising agency every two years. For our creative community to thrive, we as an industry, need to work together to stop the bleeding. One way we can accomplish this is to stop the brain drain. The RAF is dedicated to our creative community by developing programs, fostering mentorship and sponsorships that educate, inspire and celebrate great work. Our program, 20 Minutes & a Beer, is a huge success. It’s a program designed to showcase the talented individuals in our market, while drinking a cold one with peers. I have seen over a dozen of these events thus far. Each attended by at least 30 people, and the crowd is always different. It’s a true testament that we are tailoring the content of these events to appeal to all facets of our industry. We are fighting the brain drain.

Our newest program is the RAF Backstage Pass. It’s a series of events tailored specifically to the broadcast community. Last fall was the first annual Cannes Lion Event, where we brought Rochester industry professionals together to give insights on the winners and how it relates to us in our market.

We are ushering in a new age of the Rochester advertising scene. Many new agencies, design shops, and interactive agencies have started to have success. These small 2 to 5 person shops are the future of our industry. They have been forced to adapt to the ever changing rules of our business. Bygone are the days of traditional media. Guerilla marketing, the internet, social media and phone apps are their wheelhouse. 10 years from now they will emerge to be the next Partners + Napier, Martino Flynn, or Jay Advertising. They will be rewriting the rules of how to grow a clients brand.

Since our market has changed so too has the RAF board. We realigned the members, formed new board seats, and cut the outdated. Our board is now comprised of a nice mix of agencies, freelancers, marketing professionals, and key client contacts. We polled our membership, asked tough questions, and got back honest responses. These responses have already been placed into action. Look for some major revisions in the Addy’s this year.

We cut socials from the RAF calendar. Not because we don’t like to drink (trust me, we like to drink). But we realized that social only events do not ladder back to our core mission of inspiration, education, and celebration of great work. Social only events only served to continue the stigma of the RAF being a closed tight knit advertising fraternity. A stigma that we have spent a lot of time tying to break. And for us to grow we needed to adapt, and listen to our membership. We are fighting the brain drain.

We better aligned ourselves with the national organization of the AAF. There are many benefits RAF members receive from this affiliation. Benefits like savings on FedEx shipments, discounted publication subscriptions and savings of supplies for the office. I urge you to take advantage of these benefits. Let your membership work harder for you. Your membership perk is not only discounted tickets to the Addy’s.

We are in the process of creating a new program for the freelance community. Realizing the past Freelance Expo had it’s place but now the dwindling number of advertising agencies and the birth of the information age has forced us to refresh, renew this staple of the event calendar. Big things are in the works and I am happy to say that by the 2011-2012 RAF season, we’ll have a new program and initiatives directed to the freelance community. Think of it as the Freelance Expo 2.0.

We have renewed our commitment to the students of Upstate, New York. Our expanded partnership with RIT has forced us to look out our organization with a fresh perspective. To put in processes that insure the RAF is working as hard and as efficiently as it can, to realize that accountability is our greatest ally in an organization comprised entirely of volunteers. We created a new program, 20 Minutes and a Pizza. In this program the RAF brings agency and marketing professionals to the campus of RIT, to inspire the students, to educate and mentor. We at the RAF want to ensure that after students graduate they stay here in this area. To grow our industry in Rochester, not shrink it. Their talent and creativity is key to the revitalization our creative community. We need them to help us fight the brain drain.

This is a great city. It’s a place where many blue chip clients call home. In fact, the RAF stays strong due to the generosity of corporations like Xerox. I would love for our city to be viewed as the next Minneapolis, or dare I say Miami. There certainly is enough talent here. Each year at the Addy’s we prove that even though Rochester may not be a big city, we do big things, service big clients and think up big ideas. Our addy winners are successful in the District 2 and national level Addy Awards, and this success is just one of the ways Rochester can become a creative powerhouse. This year the Addy’s turns 20. Our theme is the old time revival. We’re getting back to our roots to celebrate what is really important to our profession. The creative idea.

And finally, I urge you to get involved. Help us help the creative community. If you’ve ever wanted to take an expanded role, or maybe even serve as RAF board member, please let us know. Rochester needs bright and eager marketing and advertising professionals to lead the RAF for the next 20 years. The state of the RAF is good, but the involvement of others will make it great. President Obama talked about the past vs the future. He spoke of not fighting over what has been, but look to what we all can do moving forward. I’d say we could do the same.

Thanks and let’s party hard at the Addy’s on March 24th, but the only way to salvation is through submission. Enter you work today, the final call for entries due February 11th. And, like our President after his speech… If you want my autograph… I can oblige.

Prez Joe

Get Your Freak On.

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Be judgmental. We insist. That’s what I told the 6 judges from various disciplines that judged the work for the 2010 Addy Awards. And well RAF members, we had a very successful first day here in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. They combed through all the print work and were very impressed. We are poised for another solid showing. But our, and their, job is not done. Sunday is the second day where broadcast, interactive, and campaigns will be judged. Pictures from the day one and two festivities will come on Sunday.

Remember to purchase your tickets by March 5th. No tickets will be sold at the door. No matter how much we like you. GYFO!

JOE

RAF student member takes home national ADDY gold!

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Huge props to David Nardone who scored some more hardware for his trophy shelf at the national ADDY Awards Show & Gala in Atlanta last weekend. David took home National ADDY Gold for his “Houdini” poster series for the Museum of Magic. David also won gold at the district and local levels.

Apparently, advertising talent runs in the family. David is the nephew of Rochester ad & marketing veteran Joe Nardone of Eastman Kodak.

With over 60,000 entries annually, the ADDY® Awards are the world’s largest and arguably toughest advertising competition. The ADDY® Awards represent the true spirit of creative excellence by recognizing all forms of advertising from media of all types, creative by all sizes and entrants of all levels from anywhere in the world. The American Advertising Federation, a not-for-profit industry association conducts the ADDY® Awards through its 200 member advertising clubs and 15 districts. It is the only creative awards program administered by the advertising industry for the industry.

Check out all the 2009 winners here.