That's clever: Addy awards recognize state's creative minds.

• Author: McKimmie, Kathy
• Position: MEDIA & MARKETING

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

WORKING IN A CREATIVE field may be its own reward, but hey, awards are good too. The Addys are the coveted awards of the American Advertising Federation, AAE headquartered in Washington, D.C. It's the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 50,000 professionals and spreading its influence through 200 ad clubs across the country. Indiana has six AAF-affiliated clubs.

"It's a vehicle for expression, a vehicle for honor and recognition for those in the advertising industry," says Allison Meadows, Indiana state director and past president of the North Central Advertising Federation, Lafayette, the AAF affiliate club of the year in 2007.

Who did that billboard?

Just ask Pearson Partners, Indianapolis, what's likely to catch your eye and make an impact in outdoor advertising. It garnered a gold Addy for its "Burn Crash Quake" campaign for client Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance. "The key to the concept was to keep it simple," says Ron Pearson, president and CEO, adding that there is way too much type on most billboards.

"We wanted to build the next evolution of the Indiana Farm Bureau brand," says Pearson. It created three different messages on 14-by-48-foot three-dimensional vinyl boards that were strategically placed around the state and rotated. The insurance company has a presence in all 92 counties, so the agency's media buying team was kept busy doing research and driving around the state to find the right locations. "The billboards pointed to problems that are very efficiently and quickly handled by local claims people."

For "burn," the board looked like a house on fire; for "crash" a car is crumbled in an accident...you get the picture. "We used a clean white board with faux damage in a 3-D effect," says Pearson. "It really broke out of the clutter of the typical billboard."

The billboards were part of a larger ad campaign. The print, radio and "IV segments were all able to give more detailed information about the company "The billboards created a regular reminder because people were exposed to other media." About a dozen of the agency's 20 people "touched" the whole campaign, says Pearson, with four or five dedicated to the account on a daily basis. What happens when a billboard campaign is over? The boards are stored, he says, but may never see sunlight again. "The very first people to get tired of a creative are the company and their ad agency."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

E-blast away. LaBov &amp...