Local marketers honored at ADDY awards

Tri-State Advertising & Marketing Professionals (AMP) recognized the best in local advertising Friday at the annual American Advertising Awards Show — the ADDYs — at Isle Casino Events Center in Cape Girardeau.

The American Advertising Awards competition is based on creativity, Tonya Wells, co-chairwoman of the Tri-State Advertising & Marketing Professionals, said. The judges look only at the quality of the work.

“We always bring in judges who work out of our market so they aren’t familiar with the companies entering the competition, and it is a blind competition, so they don’t know who has entered which piece,” she said. “We also try to get judges who work in a variety of fields. That knowledge means they may be looking at different things, which makes for a much more robust

judging experience.”

This year, the judging panel included “a person who works mostly in digital advertising, one who owns his own agency and one who is a designer,” Wells said. “Those backgrounds help make sure they are exposed to all the different mediums entered in the competition and that each are bringing different knowledge and expectations with them.”

Mary Spell

According to the Tri-State AMP website, 171 broadcast, digital and print entries were submitted this year from agencies, businesses, individuals and students in the region. Of those entrants, Tri-State AMP presented 38 ADDY awards and recognitions to professionals and 19 Student ADDY awards to students from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

Before the awards, Mary Spell was honored with the American Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Award. According to a news release from Tri-STate AMP, it recognizes “men and women who have made outstanding contributions to advertising and who have been active in furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern.”

Spell is a former director of the marketing and public-relations department at Saint Francis Medical Center, and she worked for the Saint Francis Foundation.

“She was instrumental in developing community relations, planning special events and writing grant proposals. She is also widely known for her outstanding leadership and generous support of the community as evidenced by the large list of organizations she has served on in the past and present,” stated the news release.

During the ceremony, Gold ADDY awards were presented to Southeast Missouri State University, rustmedia, Red Letter Communications Inc., The Wright Group and Creative Edge Inc.

Southeast Missouri State University, Reveal Graphics, MTI Printing, Horizon Media Group, The Roberts Group, The Wright Group, KR Film + Media and Creative Edge Inc. were presented with silver ADDY awards.

Bronze recognitions were given to Southeast Missouri State University, The Roberts Group, The Wright Group, Red Letter Communications Inc., rustmedia, Element 74, CDC-BME STIHL and Acclaim Press.

Vatchae Sams, Gabrielle Bernier, Lindsey Bequette, Angela Kuri, Tyler Sayer, Hannah Thomas, Anna Moore, Janessa Jenkins, Gabrielle Bernier, Samantha Schaefer, Tyler Sayer, La’Promise Stanford and several group projects from Southeast Missouri State University’s Integrated Marketing Communications Practicum and Typography II classes received ADDY awards and recognitions in the student division.

“Best of Show” recognitions also were awarded. In the print division, Southeast Missouri State University was recognized for its “Will to Do Recruitment Packet.” In the digital division, Southeast Missouri State University received a Best of Show ADDY for “Paul McRoberts Video” produced for its Department of Athletics. The Best of Show in the cross-platform division went to rustmedia of Cape Girardeau for “Cape Comic Con.” The student Best of Show was awarded to Vatchae Sams of Southeast Missouri State University for “Gang Star Diner.”

“Those that aren’t familiar with the local advertising market may not realize how much of what they see and hear every day in advertising is produced in their own backyard,” said Kristen Martin, co-chairwoman of the Tri-State Advertising & Marketing Professionals. “The level of talent in this area is just amazing. The American Advertising Awards is a great way to celebrate this talent. Each year, the bar of the competition is raised. We’re looking forward to seeing what local talent has to offer in 2016.”

bbrown@semissourian.com

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