The U.S. Virgin Islands took the majority of the Caribbean awards at the Annual American Advertising Awards held in Daytona Beach, Fla. in May.
Virgin Islands winners include Mock LeBlanc Brown with Caribbean Best of
Show honors and five district and Caribbean awards, Kate N. Design, Don Hebert
Photography and Marine Scenes photography by Steve Simonsen.
Local clients represented by the USVI creative teams include Banco Popular Virgin Islands, Antilles Wireless Cable TV, TOPS, Virgin Java Coffee and Virgin Islands Institute of Performing Arts and The Nature Conservancy corporate brochure which received the Caribbean Advertising Awards highest honor, Best of Show.
Austin Advertising represented the Advertising Club of the Virgin Islands in the district competition winning a gold award for the Cruzan Rum full color newspaper campaign.
The event was hosted by the 4th District American Advertising Federation (AAF). The competition is the largest and most representative creative advertising competition in the U.S. designed to acknowledge creative excellence in all media of local, regional and national advertising, according to Terri Brown, former president of the Advertising Club of the Virgin Islands.
The V.I. was followed by Trinidad, Barbados and Puerto Rico. "The level of work was very high," remarked Norman Mayers, Vice President of Creative Services for McCann-Erickson Barbados and cofounder of the Caribbean Advertising Federation. "Some of the work coming from the Caribbean is as good as any in the world, and it just goes to show you that a good idea can come from anywhere, even Paradise."
For the first time in the history of the AAF, multinational Caribbean advertising agencies took part in the American Advertising Awards competition, according to Brown. Nearly 100 entries representing the newly formed Caribbean Advertising Federation (CAF) were judged among the 1,400 4th District AAF entries. Twenty-six Caribbean gold and silver district medals were awarded for excellence in print, radio and broadcast advertising as well as specialty and public service projects. These winners will advance to the
national AAF American Advertising Awards final competition in Washington
D.C. to be announced in June.
The 4th District competition was judged by notable industry professionals including Kathy Ryan, Partner, WW Account Director, OgilvyOne Worldwide based in New York heading the integrated marketing team for IBM software group; Tom Fowler, president and creative director of Tom Fowler, Inc.,Stanford, Conn. servicing 50 Fortune 500 accounts; and Kathy Pyatt, owner of Pyatt & Associated of Kalamazoo, Michigan whose clients include Whirlpool, Kellogg and Amway.
Winning photographer Don Hebert believes the national scope of the competition to be a valuable marketing tool for his businesses. "This is a unique opportunity to expand my client base by showcasing winning work to local, regional and national markets."
"The AAF District Awards focus merited attention on Caribbean creative agencies," said Terri Brown of Mock LeBlanc Brown and cofounder of the CAF and the first annual awards competition. "The degree of professionalism and marketing excellence in our islands is second to none. With advanced technology and overnight delivery, there is no reason more creative work shouldn't be centered in the Caribbean and of course, right here in the USVI."
The American Advertising Federation is made up of 15 geographic districts.
The Advertising Club of the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean Advertising
Federation are members of the 4th District.
Gold and Silver Winners from the U.S. Virgin Islands include:
Caribbean Advertising Federation Best of Show
Entry Title: The Nature Conservancy Corporate Brochure
Client: The Nature Conservancy of the Virgin Islands and Eastern Caribbean
Agency: Mock LeBlanc Brown, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
GOLD AWARDS
Four Color Brochure
Entry Title: The Nature Conservancy Corporate Brochure
Client: The Nature Conservancy of the Virgin Islands and Eastern Caribbean
Agency: Mock LeBlanc Brown, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Four Color Newspaper Campaign
Entry Title: VI Rum Color Newspaper Campaign
Client: Cruzan Rum
Agency: Austin Advertising, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Sales Presentation Kit
Entry Title: CES Sales Promo/Sales Kit
Client: CES, Tampa Florida
Agency: Mock LeBlanc Brown, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Silver AWARDS
Point-of-Purchase
Entry Title: Virgin Java Coffee Label
Client: Virgin Java Coffee
Agency: Kate N. Design, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Four Color, Full Page Consumer Magazine Advertising
Entry Title: Banco Popular Emancipation Message
Client: Banco Popular Virgin Islands
Agency: Mock LeBlanc Brown, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Multi- Media Campaign, Business to Consumer – Local
Entry Title: "Soap Opera"
Client: Antilles Wireless Cable TV
Agency: Mock LeBlanc Brown, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Visual and Audio Elements of Advertising – Still Photography Color
Entry Title: Virgin Islands Calendar
Client: TOPS
Agency: Don Hebert Photography, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Visual and Audio Elements of Advertising – Still Photography Color
Entry Title: Printer Calendar
Client: The Otto Companies
Photographer: Steve Simonsen Photography, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Visual and Audio Elements of Advertising – Logo / Trademark Design
Entry Title: VIIPA Logo
Client: Virgin Islands Institute of Performing Arts
Agency: Mock LeBlanc Brown, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
For further information, photos or to get this release via e-mail contact:
Norman Mayers, Barbados / 246-426-1772 Fax: 246-429-2188 /
mangomango@caribsurf.com
Terri Brown, U.S. Virgin Islands / 340-774-8478 Fax: 340-774-8372 /
terri@mlbcaribbean.com
