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Greenville is known for the massive amount of creative talent housed in its advertising, marketing and PR agencies. The local American Advertising Federation chapter recently awarded some of that talent with its highest award — the ADDY.

The American Advertising Federation (AAF) offers any size agency the chance to shine at the city, regional and national level with their ADDY awards. As the AAF proudly states "the size of your agency, your title or your market does not dictate the size of your ideas...no other competition offers the opportunity and challenge to compete at the local level, move on to districts and ultimately be honored as one of the best of the best at the national ADDY competition."

The local AAF chapter has been around for almost sixty years and according to their website (www.aafgreenville.org) has "made Greenville the creative micro-Mecca that it is. Many superstars have cut their teeth in the Upstate market and made an indelible mark on the Greenville, as well as the national advertising map." The over 100-member Greenville Chapter is comprised not only of agencies but also incorporates students, clients, media, public relations and advertising-related suppliers. According to Larissa Blick, the communications chair for AAF Greenville, "The Upstate is a hotbed for advertising creativity, wit and ingenuity...not only does it allow us to personally expose renowned industry judges to our community and work ethic, but our district winners help display the Upstate's talent to a larger regional and potentially national audience." Any Gold or Silver winner is entitled to go to the next level which is the regional awards.



So who are the winners of this year's ADDYs?

The bounce agency won "Best of Show" for the third consecutive year with their "Made for Vacation" campaign for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Their mall campaign included beach balls that were seemingly being tossed like someone was playing with them and a large fish that simulated someone deep-sea fishing. "We're very excited," says bounce President and Creative Director John McDermott. "It is a testament to the kind of work bounce does for our clients when it translates to both great results and award-winning work." In addition, bounce won nine gold awards, the most won by any entrant.

Erwin-Penland took home 28 ADDYs, which is more than any other agency for work done with clients such as Advance America, Verizon, Bi-Lo Supermarkets, the Greenville Drive and ScanSource. They garnered a "Special Judges Award for New Media" for the Verizon account. Their winner, called "Penguins Pulse," is one of the world's largest real-time Twitter visualizations and has been installed at the Pittsburgh Consol Energy Center. According to Erwin-Penland Senior Vice President Andy Mendelssohn, "It is great to win for so many clients with such a diverse body of work...I'm proud of our team as we celebrate this year's achievements and exceptional creative work."

Another Special Judges Award went to Ferebee Lane & Company for their client Blackberry Farm. "We're proud of all the recognition [five gold and three silver] at this year's ADDYs, but the Special Judges' Award certainly stood out," says Matt Ferebee, Creative Director. "It specifically noted our agency's craftsmanship and attention to detail. That's exactly what our team works so hard to achieve — work that's as thoughtfully produced as our clients' products and services."

Cargo, an "idea generation and brand engagement firm," walked away with two gold and seven silver ADDYs. According to Tom Sloan, partner and creative lead at Cargo, "It's been a great year for us — our best ever, actually. Hard to beat awesome clients and a talented team of Cargonians, but getting recognized for the hard work and the thinking is a definite bonus."

Other winners include Popcorn Initiative, an agency specializing in annual reports. Their expertise gained them a spot in the Black Book's AR100 which highlights the 100 best annual reports in the world. Their expertise also garnered two gold ADDYs. According to owner Chris Jones, "It is always rewarding to be recognized by your peers for the work that you produce, but the ADDYs allow you to really shine in your own community. Having won two golds this year is incredible since we only entered three pieces...winning our golds in the annual report categories in what is primarily an advertising competition makes the recognition that much more important for us and our clients."

Woodward & Zwolinski won two gold awards for their client Campus Crest, builders of student housing. Jackson Marketing won a gold ADDY for their Hoyden North America client, a company that supplies gas and air handling equipment. Peculiar Productions won a silver ADDY for their annual report for Miracle Hill Ministries. MOCA (Maness O'Neill Creative Associates) won a gold for their Anguilla resort client Cap Julius. Spots Incorporated, a recording, video editing and post-production facility located in Greenville, won a silver ADDY for Bi-Lo Brand Music.

In the advertising industry self-promotion category, both Fairway Outdoor Advertising and the AAF Greenville won a silver ADDY.

In addition to the professional categories, there are student awards. Anderson University won 12 awards, including student Best of Show, and Bob Jones University won five.

As the American Advertising Federation says about the ADDYs, "get entered, get known, get up that career ladder two rungs at a time." With all the advertising talent in Greenville, there is quite a ladder to climb.

For a complete list of Greenville's winners, including the student categories, visit www.aafgreenville.org