Organizations honored at ADDY awards banquet

The Tri-State Advertising and Marketing Professionals presented best of show awards to four organization and honored a longtime newspaper executive during the 14th annual ADDY awards banquet Friday at Cape Girardeau's Drury Lodge.

The Wright Group, Element 74, Southeast Missouri Hospital and a Southeast Missouri State University advertising campaign class were honored for their creative work in regional advertising and marketing in 2008.

Gary Rust, founder and chairman of the board of Rust Communications, was recognized for his contribution to the community, service to advertising and advancement of advertising with the Silver Medal Award. Rust Communications owns the Southeast Missourian and more than 50 other publications in eight states.

"It's special, and you're a special group," Rust said during his acceptance speech. "... I hope you're all winners tonight. I sure am."

The Wright Group of Perryville, Mo., won best of show in print media for It's All About Choice brochure promoting BiltBest Windows and Patio Doors. The group also garnered three awards.

Element 74, in addition to winning two other awards, won best of show in interactive media with its campaign for the Men At The Cross website.

The best of show winner for electronic media was Southeast Missouri Hospital, which won for its Calling television campaign about childbirth care. The hospital also won six awards.

The MC418 Spring 2008 Southeast advertising campaign class won the student best of show award for its brochure about solar greenhouses.

Out of 151 entries, eight gold, 14 silver and 29 bronze awards were distributed.

The gold and some silver winners will be judged at the district level against others in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. Those winners then advance to the national competition in early June in Washington, D.C.

"This gives our people a chance to be recognized and it gives them gratification for the work they've put in because it's the clients who are always in the forefront," said Richard Proffer, president of the Tri-State Advertising and Marketing Professionals. "These people who are winning tonight are always in the background, so this is our chance to celebrate them, the creatives."

The evening also included the naming of Big Brothers Big Sisters as the winner of "Advertising for a Cause," a $40,000 grant for advertising assistance to a local not-for-profit organization. The project was conceived by Jim Riley, owner of Red Letter Communications and member of the Tri-State Advertising and Marketing Professionals.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

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