AAF of the Midlands honors local advertising talent at 2018 American Advertising Awards
February 25, 2018
AAF of the Midlands hosted its annual American Advertising Awards gala on Saturday, February 17 at 1208 Washington Place in Columbia. More than 50 awards recognizing exceptional work in advertising were presented to advertising professionals and students in the Midlands.
AAF of the Midlands holds the yearly competition as part of the American Advertising Federation’s American Advertising Awards, the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition. The awards embody the true spirit of creative excellence by recognizing advertising in all forms and media from entrants of all levels around the country. As a chapter of the national organization, the AAF of the Midlands American Advertising Award winners will move on to compete at the district level and then in the national competition.
AAF of the Midlands President, Stephanie Owens, said that the caliber of work entered into this year’s competition truly reflects the best advertising talent in the Midlands.
Advertising professionals and students from across the Midlands submitted nearly 200 entries into the local competition. AAF of the Midlands recognized winners in a variety of categories and honored overall winners for print, interactive and broadcast media:
- Best of Broadcast – dustofthground, “Reclaimed” done for Ridgid Power Tools
- Best of Print – The Half and Half, “Shiny and Chrome” done for Nickelodeon Theatre
- Best of Interactive – Chernoff Newman, “Roots Campaign” done for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture
The Best of Show award was given to dust of the ground for “Reclaimed” done for Rigid Power Tools.
The Student Best of Show award was given to JOUR 516 Advanced Creative at The University of South Carolina for “Bounty Fairytales: Cinderella.”
The three-judge panel also awarded “Special Judges’ Awards” to entries which they felt deserved additional recognition for their excellence in creativity, originality and strategy.
Special Judges’ Awards:
- Riggs Partners, “Lula Drake Table Book” done for Lula Drake
- Experience Columbia SC, “Columbia SC – Inset C Campaign”
- University of South Carolina, “Total Eclipse 2017”
Special Judges’ Award: Local Media
- WACH FOX, “Sports Zone 5th Quarter”
Student Special Judges’ Awards:
- Andrew Floyd Wright for “Lucy,” University of South Carolina
- Bleu Hedrick for “Rikimaru’s Ramen Shop,” University of South Carolina
In addition, the 2018 AAF of the Midlands Member of the Year Award was presented to past President, Megan Telencio. The award recognizes an AAF of the Midlands member that exhibits the greatest commitment to the industry and the organization through committee involvement, time and resources invested, and their positive impact on the organization.
About AAF of the Midlands
The Columbia Ad Club was founded in 1955 and is affiliated with the American Advertising Federation (AAF), the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry worldwide. By vote of the local organization’s Board of Directors, the affiliate’s name was changed in 2007 to AAF of the Midlands in order to enhance branding at the local, regional and national level. In 2011, 2013 and 2014, AAF of the Midlands was honored as National Club of the Year. For more information, visit aafmidlands.com or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/aafmidlands and Instagram and Twitter at @aafmidlands.
