Marketing Awards Opportunities

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, Dec 01, 2016 @ 11:22 AM

The 15th annual American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A. which attracts more than 3,000 nominations from organizations nationwide each year, is accepting nominations for the 2017 program. 

The American Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Entry details are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/aba

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT.

ABA female winners accepting.jpgAll organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. The last early-bird entry deadline is December 14 – with discounted entry fees. The final entry deadline is February 16 and late entries will be accepted through March 15. 

One of the larger category groups in The 2017 American Business Awards is the Marketing Awards categories. 

The Marketing Awards categories are divided into three groups:

Categories Include:

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Industry Categories

E01. Agricultural / Industrial / Building: for all related products, materials, tools and services.
E02. Automotive - Aftermarket: gasoline, motor oil, tires, batteries, paint, quick-lube, oil change, muffler, transmission, windshield wipers, enhancements, etc.
E03. Automotive - Vehicles: cars, trucks, motorcycles, both brand and model advertising.
E04. Beauty: cosmetics, fragrances, hair products, nail products, beauty services such as salons, spas, etc.
E05. Beverages - Alcohol: beer, champagne, liquor, wine, wine coolers, after dinner drinks, etc.
E06. Beverages - Non-Alcohol: diet and non-diet soda, coffee, tea, juices, milk, milk substitutes, bottled water, sparkling water, etc.
E07. Breakfast Foods: cereals and other foods intended primarily for breakfast consumption.
E08. Corporate Reputation/Professional Services: includes sponsorships, image & identity, communications to promote corporations, not exclusively their products. Includes business/professional services such as consulting, accounting, legal, employments, etc.
E09. Culture & The Arts: plays, museums, music organizations, concert series, cultural festivals, theater festivals, etc.
E10. Electronics: audio and/or video devices such as TVs, radios, mobile devices, home entertainment (DVD/Blu-ray players), cameras, computer hardware, game consoles, laptops, tablets, sound systems, etc.
E11. Energy/Nutrition Products & Services: products and services aimed at the energy, sports, wellness lifestyle. Vitamins, energy bars, drinks, etc.; weight loss and fitness programs/camps, training camps and facilities, etc.
E12. Entertainment & Sports: includes entertainment and sporting events. Sporting events such as the Super Bowl, sports teams, etc. All forms of entertainment including specific films, books, DVDs, videogames, games (online, mobile, social, board, card, etc.), entertainment apps, greeting cards, online, radio and TV programming, etc.
E13. Fashion & Style: brands of clothing, eyewear, footwear, hosiery, jewelry, accessories, etc.
E14. Financial Cards: credit, charge, debit, reward, phone and other cards.
E15. Financial Products & Services: communications promoting overall image and capabilities of a financial institution and specific products or services including home banking, loans, mortgage, mutual funds, traveler's checks, etc.
E16. Government / Institutional / Recruitment: municipal or state economic development, lotteries, utilities (i.e. electricity conservation messages), membership drives, armed forces marketing communications. Includes political messages and special interest/trade group communications.
E17. Healthcare - Disease Education & Awareness: communications to educate and/or spread awareness about a certain disease or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E18. Healthcare - OTC: communications efforts for products that may be purchased without a subscription that address a specific illness, disease, or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E19. Healthcare - Rx: communications efforts for products that may be purchased with a subscription that address a specific illness, disease, or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E20. Healthcare - Services: marketing communications efforts that were developed for hospitals, HMOs, referral services, dental and medical care services, or chronic care facilities, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E21. Home Furnishings & Appliances: kitchen appliances, air conditioners, carpeting, furniture, decorator's supplies, paint, wallpaper, etc.
E22. Home Supplies & Services: cleaning products, waxes, detergents, floor-care products, fabric softeners, paper products, domestic services, mowers, fertilizers, lawn care, gardening services, etc.
E23. Insurance: communications promoting specific products or services related to insurance and the capabilities of financial institutions offering these services. All types of insurance are eligible (home, auto, financial, health, life, travel, business, etc.).
E24. Internet / Telecom: wireless/cellular providers, high speed Internet access services, online services, portals, search engines and related Internet products & services (including SaaS/IaaS and Cloud-based services), bundled communications (Internet, telephone, and cable TV).
E25. Leisure Products & Services: recreational, sporting, and camping goods/services and other items/services intended for leisure activity.
E26. Media & Entertainment Companies: broadcasters, magazines, newspapers, web sites, consumer or trade media, radio and television stations, including networks.
E27. Office & Delivery Products & Services: delivery - overnight delivery, packagetracking, international service, etc. Office - printers, physical servers, fax machines, copiers, supplies, office furniture, etc.
E28. Packaged Food: packaged and frozen foods both regular and diet/light.
E29. Personal Care: soap, dental products, face & body lotions and cleansers, cotton swabs, deodorants, feminine hygiene products, razors, shaving cream, etc.
E30. Pet Care: animal care products and services of all types, including food, toys, veterinary and boarding services, training, and breeders.
E31. Real Estate: homes, real estate brokers, malls, etc.
E32. Restaurants: quick service, casual dining, mid-scale, white table cloth and other restaurants.
E33. Retail: general -- stores and/or web sites that provides a multiple range of non-related or generally related merchandise, which include department stores, food retailers, and discount/bulk retailers, craft stores, etc. Specialized -- stores and/or web sites that specialize in one particular line of products (e.g. clothing, fashion, jewelry, health food, shoes, pet care, toys, greeting cards, etc.).
E34. Snacks / Desserts / Confections: ice cream, candy, chips, cookies, bakery items, nut, fruit & vegetable snacks, popcorn, etc.
E35. Software & Apps: software, groupware, operating systems, or software stored locally on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. (See category E24 for Saas/IaaS or Cloud-based services, and category E12 for online and mobile games.)
E36. Transportation: air, train, bus/trolley, taxi, subway systems, bike shares, car rentals, leasing not including automobile sales/leasing, ferries, etc.
E37. Travel / Tourism / Destination: cruises, hotels, resorts, amusement parks, travel websites and booking services, travel tours, tourism campaigns, etc.

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Specialty Categories

E40. Brand Experience of the Year - Business-to-Business: recognizing work that reaches out to business audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E41. Brand Experience of the Year - Consumer: recognizing work that reaches out to consumer audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E42. Branded Utility of the Year: recognizing products and services created to address a marketing or business challenge, not to be sold, as part of a marketing program itself.  Entrants must explain the product or service created in response to the challenge, its roles and objectives, and how it was communicated to its audience, and the results achieved.  (New category for 2017)
E43. Mobile Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns targeted to consumers' mobile devices.
E44. Branded Content Campaign of the Year: recognizing work that has used branded content - original or sponsored - to reach out to audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E45. Online Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that were conducted in their entirety online.
E46. New Product or Service Introduction of the Year: for campaigns conducted to introduce a new product or service to the U.S. market.
E47. Small-Budget Marketing Campaign of the Year (<$3 million)
E48. Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that used word-of-mouth, video stunts, and other viral tactics as their primary means of communication.
E49. Youth Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that targeted the youth market (up to age 24).

Marketing Professional Categories

E50. Marketing or Advertising Agency of the Year
E51. Marketing Department of the Year
E52. Marketing Team of the Year
E53. Marketing Executive of the Year
E54. Marketer of the Year: recognizing non-executive marketing professionals.  There is no entry fee for this category

Topics: marketing awards, American business awards, best marketing, best marketing campaign, best marketing team, Marketing

Death-defying Stunts and a Sense of Fun Get Results for Stevie® Award Winner

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Sep 15, 2016 @ 10:03 AM

The Spaceship, in Sydney, Australia, won five Gold Stevie® Awards in the 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards: two in the Corporate Communications/Investor Relations/Public Relations Awards categories, for Innovation in the Use of Celebrities or Public Figures and for Innovation in the Use of Video; and three in the Marketing Awards categories, for Innovation in Branded Entertainment, for Innovation in Sponsorships, and for Most Innovative Marketing or Advertising Professional of the Year.

The 2017 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards will open for entries in October. 

Request your Entry Kit here.

We spoke with 2016’s Most Innovative Marketing or Advertising Professional, Kumar Manix, Founder and Creative Director of The Spaceship, about his company, his work philosophy, and what winning multiple Gold Stevie® Awards has meant to him and his team.

1609SpaceshipSmaller.gifKumar and his team at The Spaceship specialize in blending the creative and the commercial with an entrepreneurial flair, and bring to each project a deep level of strategic thinking and industry knowledge honed by years of experience working with blue chip brands.

The Spaceship team is talented and highly motivated, and they approach campaigns with a provocative and adventurous spirit, as well as a strong sense of fun, but are still relentless in achieving demonstrable results for their clients.

Kumar told us that winning in the Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards has been great for his team and his clients. “We take great pride in our work,” he told us. “We celebrate our success at the Stevie Awards and it is something each of us will hold close to our heart. Our clients also get to share in the win and it allows them to shine amongst their peers.”

Transforming Customers into Fans

Together with his team at The Spaceship, Kumar’s goal is to find innovative and inspiring ways to transform customers into fans, content into ideas, and ideas into experiences. 

A great example of this is the Gold Stevie® Award-winning entry for their Rise of The Tomb Raider Asia Launch.

Tomb Raider is the iconic video game franchise starring its beautiful and fearless protagonist, Lara Croft, battling enemies through highly challenging environments using improvised weapons and gadgets. The exclusive launch of Rise of the Tomb Raider on Xbox made the event a natural magnet for worldwide attention, Xbox sought to elevate the game experience even further by bringing Lara Croft herself to life for fans in Asia.

The Spaceship team created and executed a clever stunt-led idea that developed into an all-encompassing, fan-focused campaign. It started with a death-defying stunt, and continued with fun interactive contests using Twitch, the leading video platform and community for gamers.

High Impact Stunt

Renowned Lara Croft cosplayer, Jenn Croft, leapt off the world’s highest bungee jump at Macau Tower, decked out in the latest Tomb Raider outfit and accessories.

Embedded Prizes

Fans could #HackTheIce through the twitter hashtag to reveal prizes embedded in eight Rise of the Tomb Raider-themed ice sculptures.

Social & Digital

The entire event, from the death-defying stunt, fan engagement contests, unveiling of never-before-seen Rise of the Tomb Raider footage, meet-and-greets, and question-and-answer sessions were all streamed live over Twitch–a first for a game launch in Asia.

Fans who tuned in participated by tweeting in their questions bearing the #HackTheIce hashtag, and voted for the ice sculpture to be hacked by Jenn Croft, to reveal prizes for participating fans. This sequence of events was also amplified via Xbox and Microsoft social media channels across Asia. A media release on the #HackTheIce campaign was disseminated to media across Asia, and posted on the Microsoft Asia News Center.

Outstanding Results

In line with Lara Croft’s personal adventures in Rise of the Tomb Raider, the #HackTheIce Campaign has shown that the bold execution of big ideas and going off-the-beaten-track can lead to great rewards:

  • The campaign generated the highest-ever digital sales for any Tomb Raider version on Xbox;
  • The video game content created for the campaign was viewed more than a million times;
  • The interactive live stream event saw nearly 600 questions tweeted over just two hours, and reached close to 600,000 fans from around the world via social media; and
  • The media outreach garnered 66 stories across multiple markets in the region.

Bringing Crazy Ideas to Life

We asked Kumar how The Spaceship team keeps coming up with such amazingly wild and crazy ideas. He told us: “We are fortunate to have an incredible team that thrives on the challenge and relishes the buzz of bringing crazy ideas to life. We have a zest for doing amazing experiences. We want our clients to push us to create new and bold ideas. We don’t want to just emulate other best practices. We want to create them.”

A Bright Future for Brands in Digital and Social Media

Kumar added that the Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards are helping in broadening awareness of his company.  “Being recognized as an ‘innovative business’ by the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards is helping to further open doors for us in new business development. It is also helping us to transcend the traditional events agency model.”  As Kumar puts it:  “We work on creating epic launches and experiences for brands across Asia.”

Looking ahead, Kumar sees a bright future. “We love the challenge of creating shareable experiences that go well beyond the moment and that extend beyond the audience at an event,” he explained. “We aim to transform customers into fans. Digital and Social are at the heart of what we believe is the start of an amazing era of rich experiences for brands all over the world.”

About Kumar Manix:

Kumar has led a wide range of high profile campaigns for clients such as Microsoft, Foxtel, Samsung, Intel, Coca Cola, and Adobe. He has achieved enormous success, driving millions of dollars’ worth of earned media and inspiring epic levels of fan engagement.

As a marketer, his campaigns have seen him collaborate with some of the greatest storytellers in the world including Oprah, the BBC, Disney and Marvel. Through his innovative use of video to drive engagement, Kumar has taken fans on numerous adventures to thrilling places, such as floating 100,000 feet into the sky on a space balloon, leaping off a high building with Lara Croft, and driving at 280 km/h in a racing car with The Stig.

He has worked extensively in the Asian market, primarily in China and Singapore, but also in Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. His deep understanding of the unique character and requirements of consumers in Asia has helped him to achieve extraordinary results, including working on the launch of the Xbox video game console in China in 2014 following a decade-long ban on foreign video game consoles.

Outside of his work, Kumar is happily married and the father of two children, Kiran and Ria. He is sports obsessed–something the Australians term a “sports tragic”–and a lover of street food from all over the world. He also owns an enviable collection of sneakers.

About The Spaceship:

The Spaceship is a brand activation agency that is based in Sydney and works globally.

For more information, go to http://thespaceship.com.au/

Topics: marketing awards, communication awards, best marketing, best marketing campaign, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

American Business Awards 2016: Marketing Awards Judging Committee

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, Apr 05, 2016 @ 05:07 PM

The Stevie Awards would like to thank the 2016 American Business Awards Marketing Awards judging chair and committee.

Now through the end of April, the professionals listed below will determine the Stevie Award winners in over 50 categories for marketing campaigns and professionals. See the full list of categories they will be reviewing at the end of the post.

It's not too late to submit your 2016 American Business Awards nominations. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. The 2016 awards honor achievements since the beginning of 2015.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

Meet the judging chair and committee:

Chair:
16-ABA-MARKET-Chair-2.gif
Gina Ellis-Strother, Director of Marketing
Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission, Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Gina Ellis-Strother has been Director of Marketing for Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission since 2013.  She has had more than 20 years of experience in travel and technology marketing, and previous employers included American Airlines, SABRE, Worldspan, and Verizon Wireless. 

In 2015, the American Marketing Association of Charleston awarded Gina the Spark! Award for Marketer of the Year for her innovative rebranding and advertising work for Charleston County Parks. That same year, she was presented with the Gold Stevie Award for Marketer of the Year at the American Business Awards in Chicago. She is a member of the American Marketing Association, serves as an officer of the board at the Charleston Collegiate School, and continues to use her marketing expertise to support the nonprofit organization, The Parklands Foundation. 

Gina graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor Degree from
Hunter College at The City University of New York, and received a Master of Business Administration at The Citadel Military College of South Carolina. She presently lives in Charleston, SC with her husband Troy and daughter Gabrielle.

Committee:

Sana Baig, Vice President, Global Digital Marketing
Worldwide Clinical Trials, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA

Debra Bergevine Debra Bergevine, SVP, Marketing and Sales Operations
DCR Workforce, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, USA
As Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of DCR Workforce, Debra is responsible for overseeing the company’s global marketing activities, driving sales excellence and go-to-market effectiveness. She has consulted with dozens of Fortune 500 companies, helping to shape their indirect procurement and workforce management programs.

Richard Black Richard Black, Managing Director
Momentum Worldwide, New York, New York, USA
With 25 years of experience in the integrated marketing industry, Richard is the General Manager of the NYC headquarters of Momentum Worldwide. He sets the vision for the leadership teams and is accountable for their development. A catalyst for innovation, Richard is a driving force behind Verizon, American Express, Porsche, Google and other businesses as well as business development within Momentum.

Deirdre Blackwood, Global Media & Analyst Relations
Accenture, Washington, D.C., USA

Julien Brandt Julien Brandt, CEO
OrganikSEO.com, Solana Beach, California, USA
Julien Brandt is the Founder & CEO of Organik SEO, a San Diego-based online marketing company that harnesses the power of SEO, social media and content marketing to help businesses increase their online exposure. Julien and his team of specialists manage search engine optimization projects, social media campaigns, web development projects and content marketing campaigns.

Leslie Cozatt Leslie Cozatt, CEO
Optum, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
Director of Marketing, Provider - Thought Leadership & Content Strategy at Optum. Lead strategist in developing Optum's award-winning thought leadership & content strategy. Authored eBook on best integrated content marketing practices utilized throughout Optum.

Natalia Diaz Payton Natalia Diaz Payton, Marketing Specialist
Forte Payment Systems, Allen, Texas, USA
Natalia obtained a B.A. in Speech Communications with a minor in Ethnic Studies from Colorado State University. Her adaptability has enabled her to work in various fields including film, education, finance, sports and live entertainment. She has worked in tandem with some of the biggest event producers including Clear Channel Radio, The Grammy Museum at L.A. LIVE, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, STAPLES Center, JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Los Angeles Clippers, LA Galaxy and the LA Kings.

Mary DiMaggio-Finley Mary DiMaggio-Finley, Senior Vice President
BioCentric Inc., Collingswood, New Jersey, USA
Ms. DiMaggio has more than 25 years of experience in a complete range of strategic multi-media health communication services for government programs, consumer awareness and health education, social marketing, partnership development and brand management. Ms. DiMaggio is the Senior Vice President of Government Relations for BioCentric Inc. a medical communications company.

Toby Eckhardt Toby Eckhardt, President
Focused Image, Falls Church, Virginia, USA
Toby Eckhardt is the founder of Focused Image, a communications firm that helps clients realize their business potential and growth opportunities through brand development, marketing, advertising and PR. Toby has developed strategic plans, award-winning designs, and highly creative campaigns brands such as Airbus, Bechtel, Black & Decker, CACI, CSC, Spirit Aerosystems and many others.

Christopher Faust Christopher Faust, Chief Marketing Officer
Qvidian, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA
Christopher Faust is an accomplished global marketing executive with deep domain expertise in the technology sector, and a proven track record with startup, venture-backed, and private equity based high growth companies. Mr. Faust is a thought leader presenting and writing on best practices in successful marketing and sales execution.

Jean Gea Jean Gea, Product Marketing Strategist
ESRI, Kirkland, Washington, USA
Experienced software marketer, passionate about tech and its ability to make positive, disruptive change in lives and livelihoods. Positioned products toward the cloud and SaaS licensing models. Lived, worked and studied on 3 continents. Effective, efficient and adaptable, honed through years of high-pressure marketing agency experience. INSEAD alumna.

Deanna Harms Deanna Harms, Executive Vice President
Greteman Group, Wichita, Kansas, USA
Clients naturally seek Deanna Harms counsel. Maybe its her solid background in journalism, public relations and account management. Or the smarts she brings to every challenge. She rolls up her suit-jacket sleeves, works with terrier-like tenacity and loves every moment. Deanna guides clients through choppy waters, from new-product rollouts in fiercely competitive markets to leveraging interactive media for brand building. Sonia and Deannas yin-yang creates a force that breaks down barriers and drives projects forward. Deanna ensures that we think through every project with equal attention to quality and outcomes, creating a responsive, resourceful, client-first team.

Gordon Hochhalter Gordon Hochhalter, Head of All Creation
Art Of It, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Gordon started life as a copywriter.Today he is the "Head of All Creation" at the Art Of It, a creative consultancy. Along the way he has been a Creative Director, Director Creative Development, Vice President Creative Director, Group Director / Integrated Marketing Communications Creative, Partner Creativitystrategyconnectivity, and Managing Partner.The proud owner of more than 450 creative awards from the likes of The One Show, Clio, Art Directors Club, Addy, Andy, New York Festivals, International Titan, Telly, CEBA, and Ace Awards, Gordon has also reinvented a very successful integrated branding firm not once but four times.

Chris Hook, Director, Global Marketing
AMD, Austin, Texas, USA

Erik Huberman Erik Huberman, CEO & Founder
Hawke Media, Santa Monica, California, USA
As the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, Erik Huberman is a serial entrepreneur and brand marketing consultant who founded, grew and sold three startups in the last eight years.

Allen Jernigan, President & CEO
My Marketing Department, Inc., Seminole, Florida, USA

Sean Kapoor Sean Kapoor, Vice President, Global Marketing
Harman International, Stamford, Connecticut, USA
Sean Kapoor serves as Vice President of Global Marketing at Harman International (NYSE:HAR). He leads the definition, expression and implementation of the company’s brand portfolio strategy across all customer touch points. In his role, he spearheads the conceptualization, development and execution of innovative and disruptive marketing strategies that drive consistent profitable growth for Harman's industry defining audio brands - JBL, Harman Kardon, Infinity and AKG.

Patrick King Patrick King, Founder & CEO
Imagine, Inc., Manassas, Virginia, USA
Patrick’s experience in branding, graphic design, website development, marketing technology and doodling has helped him win the company dozens of industry awards, including those from the Prince William County Chamber of Commerce, VEMA, Marcom and W3. Patrick serves on several boards of directors including those of Historic Manassas, Inc., Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation. He is on the advisory boards of the Greater Prince William Food Council and The New School.

Hao Kuo Hao Kuo, Marketing Manager
Aurico, Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA
Hao Kuo is the Marketing Manager for Aurico, a global leader in background screening and drug testing services. He has been with Aurico for 5 years developing marketing strategies to further the growth of the company leading to its recent acquisition by CareerBuilder.

Dan Lobring Dan Lobring, Managing Director, Communications
rEvolution, Chicago, Illinois, USA
A communications professional with more than 15 years of experience in public relations, sports and marketing, including work with leading global and national brands such as the America's Cup World Series Chicago, Continental Tire, ESPN, EA SPORTS and Travelers, as well as the Chicago Fire Soccer Club.

Acacia Mace Acacia Mace, Communications Specialist
OptumRx, Overland Park, Kansas USA
Acacia Mace is a communications specialist with a natural ability to promote ideas through written, verbal and nonverbal types of communication. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and is skilled in project management, internal communications and overcoming challenges with ease.

Ashley Mayhew Ashley Mayhew, Employer Brand Specialist
TD Bank, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Graduated with a Masters of Industrial Relations and Human Resources from U of T while working in the Employer Brand space- a true hybrid between HR and Marketing. Specialize in Branding, Online Marketing and Social Media strategy. Passionate about developing company brands and storytelling.

Diane Seay McNulty Diane Seay McNulty, Associate Dean for External Affairs and Corporate Development
Jindal School of Management, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
Dr. McNulty coordinates the marketing/pr, community, and corporate relations strategies at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas. She is editor-in-chief of MANAGEMENT and the Jindal School's eNewsletter, and teaches in the executive MBA and undergraduate programs for corporate governance and ethics. Dr. McNulty serves on the boards of several charitable and professional organizations nationwide.

Bruce D. Murdy Bruce D. Murdy, President
Rawle Murdy Associates Inc., Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Bruce Murdy is president of Rawle Murdy, a full service integrated marketing firm in Charleston, SC. Bruce started his career at top tier advertising firms in Tampa and Chicago before moving to Charleston in 1987. The digitally-savvy agency focuses on strategic development, with a vision of creating ideas that can change the future for their clients.

Beth Nathan Beth Nathan, Assistant Director of Marketing & Sales
South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Beth began her career in the for profit space more than 15 years ago. Currently thriving in the non-profit world, Beth joined the South Carolina Aquarium for a second-stint in 2013 to run the marketing and sales teams implementing creative, results driven products that move the audiences of today and tomorrow.

Christopher Risheill Christopher Risheill, Senior Director of Communications and Events
Ohio AEYC, Westerville, Ohio, USA
A previous American Business Award winner himself, Chris works with the best for profit and non-profit organizations in the country because he is good enough, smart enough and gosh darn it, people like him!

David Rockenbaugh David Rockenbaugh, Senior Writer and Creative Director
AbbVie, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Award-winning people persuader and client delighter. Over 30 years in marketing communications as a creative director and writer for boutique and megatique agencies such as Ogilvy, Wunderman and Della Femina McNamee. Published four kudos-conferred family games and wrote a musical about Alfred Hitchcock wooing his blonds in Heaven.

Jean Romano Jean Romano, Marketing Specialist
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
With 30+ years of advertising and marketing experience for industries such as telecommunications, pest control, tourism and healthcare, Romano has worked in both corporate and agency settings. She’s currently Marketing Specialist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she develops and implements brand advertising and other marketing initiatives.

Vishal Sapra Vishal Sapra, Growth & Innovation
MRY, New York, NY, USA
Sitting at a quirky and awesome intersection of Madison Avenue, Wall Street, and Silicon Valley, I helped lead global new business and innovation efforts at MRY (formally Mr Youth), working with brands to assess their business needs and deploy digital and social media infrastructure, strategy, analytics, and content services.

Susan Saurage-Altenloh Susan Saurage-Altenloh, President & Chief Insights Officer
Saurage Research, Inc., Houston, Texas, USA
Susan employs creative research methodologies that deliver the "big ideas" for successful marketing strategies for planning and brand development. Susan surfs the early adoption curve of new techniques and methodologies and has won several national and regional awards for clever, unique research approaches to securing critical information for clients.

Tina Stafford Tina Stafford, Principal & Client Services Director
Stafford Creative Inc., Edmonds, Washington, USA
As agency principal and client services director, Tina is the lead project manager for all Stafford Creative projects and the primary client contact. Stafford Creative’s groundbreaking work for Seattle-based senior living management company, Leisure Care, has led to seven ABA Stevie Awards.

Nichole Stevens Nichole Stevens, Director of Marketing
Roper St. Francis, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Nichole Stevens is Director of Marketing at Roper St. Francis, Charleston’s only private, not-for-profit health system. Nichole oversees Marketing, Corporate Communications/PR and the system’s Contact Center. Prior to Roper St. Francis, Nichole worked for Southern Regional Medical Center and Wellstar Health System both based in Atlanta, GA.

Scott Thomas, CEO
Exegan Music Group, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Molly Waring Molly Waring, Director of Media Relations
Explore Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Molly Waring is the Director of Media Relations at the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. During her four years with the CACVB, the Charleston area has won numerous awards, including Condé Nast Traveler Readers Choice #1 U.S. City Award for five consecutive years as well as Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best #1 U.S. City Award for three consecutive years. Throughout the year, Waring works with scores of editors, producers, photographers, and freelancers affiliated with publications worldwide.

Jake Wengroff Jake Wengroff, Founder/Director
JXB1 Social Business, West Palm Beach, Florida USA
Jake Wengroff is the founder of JXB1 Social Business and advises clients on the full spectrum of paid, owned and earned media strategies, including content marketing, social media, and analytics. Jake also reports on tech news and trends on Overnight America on CBS Radio.

Becky Wilson Becky Wilson, President & Chief Visibility Officer
WDS Marketing and PR, Overland, Kansas, USA
Becky S. Wilson is the Chief Visibility Officer at WDS Marketing & Public Relations, a boutique agency that uniquely utilizes media, accolades, awards, milestones, events and other prime public relations opportunities to help clients get known in the most positive, dynamic, profitable and highly enjoyable ways. Becky is a 2014 Kansas City Influential Women and Stevie Awards for Women honoree. Contact Becky Wilson @bwilson@wdspr.com. www.WDSPR.com

Gregory Wright, Gregory Wright, Director, Content Marketing
Association of National Advertisers, New York, New York, USA
Gregory Wight is a skilled marketing technologist with more than 12 years of experience in marketing, communications and advertising. He has an MBA in Marketing and a BS in Political Science and Geography. Currently with the Association of National Advertisers leading their marketing procurement and brand management events and content areas, he has extensive experience with marketing across a wide range of industries.

Didi Yunginger Didi Yunginger, CMO
LM Wolper Information Delivery, Easton, Pennsylvania, USA
Didi Yunginger plans and executes content marketing and social media for LM Wolper Information Delivery, a provider of subscriptions and related information services to academic and medical institutions, corporations, public and government libraries. Her prior experience includes B2B marketing for Rodale, Inc. sports magazines and magazine and newspaper writing.

Marketing Awards categories:

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Industry Categories

E01. Agricultural / Industrial / Building: for all related products, materials, tools and services.
E02. Automotive - Aftermarket: gasoline, motor oil, tires, batteries, paint, quick-lube, oil change, muffler, transmission, windshield wipers, enhancements, etc.
E03. Automotive - Vehicles: cars, trucks, motorcycles, both brand and model advertising.
E04. Beauty: cosmetics, fragrances, hair products, nail products, beauty services such as salons, spas, etc.
E05. Beverages - Alcohol: beer, champagne, liquor, wine, wine coolers, after dinner drinks, etc.
E06. Beverages - Non-Alcohol: diet and non-diet soda, coffee, tea, juices, milk, milk substitutes, bottled water, sparkling water, etc.
E07. Breakfast Foods: cereals and other foods intended primarily for breakfast consumption.
E08. Corporate Reputation/Professional Services: includes sponsorships, image & identity, communications to promote corporations, not exclusively their products. Includes business/professional services such as consulting, accounting, legal, employments, etc.
E09. Culture & The Arts: plays, museums, music organizations, concert series, cultural festivals, theater festivals, etc.
E10. Electronics: audio and/or video devices such as TVs, radios, mobile devices, home entertainment (DVD/Blu-ray players), cameras, computer hardware, game consoles, laptops, tablets, sound systems, etc.

...and many more.

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Specialty Categories

E40. Brand Experience of the Year - Business-to-Business: recognizing work that reaches out to business audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E41. Brand Experience of the Year - Consumer: recognizing work that reaches out to consumer audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E42. Mobile Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns targeted to consumers' mobile devices.
E43. Branded Content Campaign of the Year: recognizing work that has used branded content - original or sponsored - to reach out to audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E44. Online Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that were conducted in their entirety online.
E45. New Product or Service Introduction of the Year: for campaigns conducted to introduce a new product or service to the U.S. market.
E46. Small-Budget Marketing Campaign of the Year (<$3 million)
E47. Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that used word-of-mouth, video stunts, and other viral tactics as their primary means of communication.
E48. Youth Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that targeted the youth market (up to age 24).

Marketing Professional Categories

E50. Marketing or Advertising Agency of the Year
E51. Marketing Department of the Year
E52. Marketing Team of the Year
E53. Marketing Executive of the Year
E54. Marketer of the Year: recognizing non-executive marketing professionals.  There is no entry fee for this category

 

Topics: The American Business Awards, business awards, marketing awards, American business awards, marketing campaign of the year, best marketing, award marketing, best marketing campaign