By the time more than 120 winners were recognized at the Advertising Club of Connecticut’s 59th Annual Awards Ceremony on May 23, they included the best of the best creative minds from across the state.
“This is our largest event of the year; it’s an opportunity for the creative part of our community to shine,” says Sandra Brangiero, the club’s executive director. “We have members who have been with us for over 30 years, and some who are brand new. Either way, it is great to have them there and to see them win.”
One newcomer this year was Revisionist, a Hartford-based agency which picked up a gold award for a television spot it produced for The United Illuminating Co. in New Haven. Pedro Bermudez, the agency’s founder, says the timing of the spot made production all the more interesting.
“We began talking to the client in October of last year, before the hurricane,” he says. “By the time it was produced and began to run, it was quite timely.”
The ad aimed to reinforce the concept that the electric company is responsible for making many different aspects of life possible. In it, a glowing orb travels from one setting to the next; a lamp turning on in a family living room, a factory glowing with productivity.
“We wanted to bring the concept to life in a compelling way — to create magic realism,” Bermudez says. “We did that by linking the mundane with the large scale, connecting them side by side.”
Copy for the spot was written by Eric Cavoli of Cashman+Katz, an agency which holds a special meaning for Bermudez.
“When I was 19, I reached out to them. Tony Cashman took the time to get back to me and get to know me, and here we are years later,” he says. “I am thankful to everyone there for the work on this project.”
This was Revisionist’s first appearance at the AdClub awards, and Bermudez says the experience reinforced his decision to move from Los Angeles just last year to cultivate his company in his home state of Connecticut.
“It was such a pleasure to be there and to see the outstanding work being done by Connecticut firms on a national and international level, and to meet other folks with the same passions and interests,” he says. “There are so many opportunities here; I’m excited about what the future has in store.”
For AdClub veterans, the thrill of winning seems just as fresh. Darien-based Colangelo has been involved the awards since 2006. This year marked the third time the agency has walked away with top honors, Best In Show.
Ben Applebaum, co-executive creative director at Colangelo, spearheaded the effort behind their winning entry, Super Bad Newsjack — a spontaneously conceptualized, meticulously executed social media campaign for Red Stripe lager.
Super Bowl ad fans may recall that days prior to the big game, Volkswagen came under scrutiny for an internet-leaked ad which featured various drivers speaking in Jamaican accents. A large media conversation followed, centered around whether the ad was offensive to the Jamaican community. Applebaum and his team knew they needed to jump on the topic, and the idea for a response formed.
“It was real time work. The VW ad leaked on a Tuesday, we met on Wednesday, shot response videos on Friday, and rolled them out Sunday during the game.”
The first video featured a Red Stripe referee making an on-field call that the VW ad was in fact not offensive (“Happiness — always in play, mon!”). It ran within five minutes of the Volkswagen spot and kicked off a series of videos, tweets, and posts which took the social media channels by storm, playing off of everything from the halftime show to the unexpected stadium blackout.
“Throughout the game, we were rolling out videos, live copywriting, getting approval on the fly from the client,” Applebaum says. “In the end, it was ranked the number three top social media moment of the Super Bowl, without Red Stripe ever placing an ad.”
“The question with a challenger brand like Red Stripe is, how do we change the conversation?” says Susan Cocco, executive marketing director at Colangelo. “Live time marketing is an effort which includes high level client collaboration, consumer engagement, and agency responsiveness. In this case, our client was experimental and eager — they wanted to go for it.”
Applebaum says receiving top honors is a big motivator for his team.
“The award gives us an opportunity to celebrate internally and externally, and inspires us to do more,” he says. “To show that we don’t just do work — we are driven to create remarkable work.”
Brangiero says that spirit is exactly what the AdClub awards are all about.
“It’s that wonderful moment of recognition when hard work has paid off,” she says. “What could be better?”
A full list of the winners is available on the Ad Club site at adclubct.org.
