ABA financial marketing awards: sixty-six entries honored.

• Position: MARKETING edge

Sixty-six entries from banks and marketing agencies have been honored by the 2008 ABA Financial Marketing Awards. The awards were presented in September during the ABA Marketing Conference in Denver.

The competition, which is sponsored by the ABA Marketing Network, recognized outstanding bank marketing creative work in 10 categories: annual reports (for 2006 and 2007); branding; community service; inspirational; financial education; humor, diversity; internal branding; customer retention; and customer acquisition.

More than 325 entries were received for this year's contest. Awards were presented in four bank asset categories, including: banks with assets of less than $500 million; assets of $500 million to $1 billion; assets of $1 billion to $5 billion; and assets of over $5 billion.

A panel of judges evaluated the entries, which had (with the exception of annual reports) all been published or broadcast during 2007.

Below are the winning entries by category.

Overall Winner

Adcom Communications (agency), Cleveland, for KeyBank, Cleveland; asset size: more than $5 billion; category: brand campaign.

Overall Runner-Up

The Gillo Group (agency) for Hyde Park Bank, Chicago; asset size: under $500 million; category: customer retention marketing.

Spotlight Award

Umpqua Bank, Roseburg, Ore.

Marketers' Choice Award

SpiritBank, Tulsa, Okla.

Annual Reports

Asset Size: Under $500 Million

First Place

Commonwealth Creative Associates (agency), Framingham, Mass., for Commonwealth National Bank, Framingham, Mass.

Runner-Up

Beacon Bank, Shorewood, Minn.

Asset Size: $500 Million to $1 Billion

First Place

River City Bank, Sacramento, Calif.

Runner-Up

Bank Iowa Corp., Des Moines, Iowa

Asset Size: $1 Billion to $5 Billion

First Place

The Palmetto Bank, Laurens, S.C.

Runner-Up

First Interstate Bank, Billings, Mont.

Asset Site: Over $5 Billion

First Place

Private Bancorp Inc., Chicago

Runner-Up

Adcom Communications (agency), Cleveland, for KeyBank, Cleveland

Branding

Asset Site: Under $500 Million

First Place

Financial Marketing Solutions (agency), Franklin, Tenn., for Ohio Valley Financial Group, Henderson, Ky.

Runner-Up

Financial Marketing Solutions (agency), Franklin, Tenn., for Progress Bank.

Asset Site: $500 Million to $1 Billion

First Place

The KIDD Group (agency), Tallahassee, Fla., for Darby Bank, Savannah, Ga.

Runner-Up

Hampden Bank, Springfield, Mass.

Asset Site: $1 Billion to $5 Billion

First Place

Eric Mower and Associates (agency), Atlanta, for...