The American Advertising Federation (AAF) is known on several prime fronts–for one, its ADDY Awards competition which earlier this month bestowed its national best-of-show honor on Microsoft Xbox 360’s “Jump Rope” directed by Frank Budgen of Gorgeous, London, and bicoastal Anonymous Content for McCann Erickson, San Francisco, and 72 and Sunny, El Segundo, Calif. The spot then made AAF history as the first best-of-show winner to garner the ADDY Mosaic Award for multicultural advertising.
The AAF also enjoys high-profile status for its national network of 200 ad clubs located in communities across the U.S. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AAF trade association represents some 50,000 advertising industry professionals.
But somewhat lost in the shadows are two other AAF attributes–one being another awards competition, the other residing in a lesser known network of artisans that the organization maintains.
The latter is embodied in the AAF’s 215 college chapters. Through this college group, the AAF provides 6,500 advertising students with real-world case studies and recruitment connections.
The latest case study was for Postal Vault, a postal security company, which challenged those 6,500 students on 215 campuses to develop a creatively engaging campaign for its identity theft prevention product line. The best entries gained recognition at the AAF’s 2006 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC).
For several months, students worked in teams conducted primary research to study Postal Vault’s target market, including its media habits, and the client’s competition. Getty Images provided use of images for the teams, and its materials were featured in the winning campaign.
Judges from Postal Vault and leading advertising companies assessed the field, declaring the winning entry as that from a team at the University of Virginia. Webster University, the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) and the Art Center Design College (Albuquerque) took second, third and fourth place, respectively.
The University of Virginia won for its “The Think Campaign.” The campaign mission was to motivate consumers to think about their mailboxes and the need to secure mail with a Postal Vault product. Utilizing traditional, nontraditional and business-to-business marketing tactics, the University of Virginia team presented an emotional appeal to prospective consumers with the tagline, “Postal Vault. Now You’ve Thought of Everything.”
Making the presentation to NSAC judges for the University of Virginia were team members Jennie Averbrook, Zoe Chen, Erin Fromherz, Karen Land and Cathy Sposato. Faculty advisor is Jack Lindgren.
The NSAC judges included Postal Vault Systems’ VP of sales and marketing Chuck Hosier, Adweek publisher Wright Ferguson Jr., BBDO West associate creative director Neil Levy, and The D-Group’s president/owner Danny G. Smith.
The first place team received $3,500; second place prize was $2,500, third place, $2,000, and fourth place, $1,000.
The NSAC is regarded as a leading student advertising competition. It has been a proving ground for some 80,000 student participants over the years. Just as, if not more importantly, the NSAC is a showcase which ad industry recruiters scrutinize for new talent. The bottom line is that through the NSAC, the AAF mentors and opens up career doors for up-and-coming artisans.
Nominees Unveiled For Cinema Audio Society’s 61st Annual Awards
The Cinema Audio Society has unveiled its nominees in seven categories for the 61st Annual CAS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing 2024.
The 61st CAS Awards will be held on Saturday, February 22, at the Beverly Hilton.
Nominated in the live action motion picture category were the audio teams behind A Complete Unknown, Deadpool & Wolverine, Dune: Part Two, Gladiator II and Wicked.
Animated motion picture nominees were the sound ensembles behind Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King, The Wild Robot and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
As previously announced, multi-award-winning sound mixer Tod A. Maitland CAS (A Complete Unknown, West Side Story, Joker), will be honored with the CAS Career Achievement Award. In addition, visionary filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two, Blade Runner 2049, Arrival) will receive the Cinema Audio Society’s Filmmaker Award.
The CAS Award nominees highlight the outstanding contributions of sound mixers, recognizing excellence in the specialized craft of sound mixing for both film and television. Each year, accomplished CAS members—who possess extensive expertise in the art and science of sound—carefully review hundreds of projects to ensure the nominees truly reflect excellence in sound mixing in Motion Picture and Television entertainment.
“2024 was a year of remarkable achievements in the sound community, with exceptional talent on display across every category,” said CAS president Peter Kurland. “The innovation and artistry of these sound mixers continue to elevate the craft, and the upcoming awards will be a celebration of the outstanding contributions made this year. Congratulations to... Read More