ABABP, Financial Marketing Awards: fifty-one entries honored.

• Position: 2009 ABA Financial Marketing Awards - Conference news

Fifty-one entries from banks and advertising agencies have been honored by the 2009 ABA Financial Marketing Awards. The awards were presented in September during the ABA Marketing Conference in San Antonio.

The competition, which is hosted by the ABA Marketing Network, recognized outstanding bank marketing creative work in six categories: annual reports (for 2008 and 2009); branding; financial education; humor; impact; and customer acquisition and retention.

More than 380 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) mostly been published or broadcast during 2008.

Below are the winning entries by category. The Spotlight Award is given to an entry that deserved recognition but did not actually win a prize. The Marketers' Choice Award is the most outstanding entry based on the votes of ABA Marketing Network members themselves.

Images of all the winning entries will be published in the "Idea Bank" section of future issues of ABA Bank Marketing magazine.

Overall Winner

Norway Savings Bank, Norway, Maine

Asset Size: $500 million to $1 billion

Agency: Leslie Evans Design Associates

Overall Runner-Up

Chemical Bank, Midland, Mich.

Asset size: $1 billion to $5 billion

Agency: Gravity Six

Spotlight Award

Alpine Bank & Trust Co.

Rockford, Ill.

Asset size: $500 million to $1 billion

Marketers' Choice Award

State Bank of Countryside

Countryside, III.

Asset size: $500 million to $I billion

Branding

Asset Size: Under $500 Million

First Place

Alliance Bank

Francesville, Ind.

Agency: Marketing-Made-Easy

Planters Bank

Hopkinsville, Ky.

Agency: BLF Marketing

Asset Size: $500 Million to $1 Billion

Norway Savings Bank

Norway, Maine

Agency: Leslie Evans Design Associates

Montecito Bank & Trust

Santa Barbara, Calif.

Agency: Kosaka Design

Asset Size: $1 Billion to $5 Billion

First Place

Chemical Bank

Midland, Mich.

Agency: Gravity Six

Runner-Up

Beneficial Bank

Philadelphia, Pa.

Agency: LevLane Advertising

Asset Size: Over $5 Billion

First Place

TIAA-CREF

Charlotte, N.C.

Agency: Purple@Epsilon

National City

Cleveland, Ohio

Agency: BrandPartners

Annual Report

Asset Size: Under $500 Million

First Place

Foundations Bank

Pewaukee, Wisc.

Runner-Up

Seaside National Bank...