Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
The Outdoor Advertising Association of America presented 38 OBIE Awards, including top honors for Best Billboard, Best Street Furniture/Transit/Alternative, and Best Multi-Format campaigns during of the 73rd annual OBIE Awards Tuesday night (May 12/15) at the 2015 OAAA\TAB National Convention + Expo in San Diego, California.
“The OBIE Awards celebrate outstanding creativity and those who make it all come together as truly memorable advertising,” said Stephen Freitas, OAAA chief marketing officer. “This year’s winners demonstrated the power of the out-of home medium to amplify a brand’s message, thereby connecting with and engaging consumers.”
Adams Outdoor Advertising, Roswell, Georgia, took home the 2015 Best Billboard Campaign award for its ‘Big Slushes’ campaign for Sonic Drive-In. This local campaign informed the residents of the Charleston, SC, area about Sonic’s many flavor combinations by turning billboards into giant slushes complete with 3D straws.
Kenneth Cole Productions was honored with the 2015 Best Street Furniture/Transit/Alternative Campaign award for the ‘Be the Evolution’ campaign for Mankind Fragrance by Kenneth Cole. Inspired by today’s modern and evolved man, this New York subway campaign urged men to perform good deeds throughout the day, such as giving up a seat on the train or taking a photo for a tourist.
Copacino+Fujikado, Seattle, was presented with the 2015 Best Multi-Format Campaign award for the Seattle Aquarium’s ‘Amazing Facts’ campaign. Using billboards and transit ads, the Seattle Aquarium educated and entertained potential visitors, appealing to children and their parents. Playful images and headlines were used to intrigue multiple generations and left families in awe of what they had learned about their favorite aquatic creatures.
Freitas said, “Out of home advertising is based on creative appeal and its ability to communicate to consumers with only a simple line of copy or image. Each winner creatively connected with the public, demonstrating the visual power of out-of-home.”
In addition to the top category awards, OAAA awarded 14 Gold OBIEs and 20 Silver OBIEs.
HBO was honored with the 2015 OBIE Hall of Fame Award, recognizing the brand’s consistent excellence in OOH advertising design over many decades.
A new OBIE Awards website was launched today, housing images and information about all OBIE winners. The new site will also serve as a portal to submit OBIE entries for future awards programs and offers expanded coverage of past OBIE Hall of Fame winners.
The complete list of OBIE winners and Finalists can be found on the new website at www.obieawards.org.
OAAA is the national trade association for the out-of-home advertising industry. Founded in 1891, the association represents more than 90% of the US industry based on revenues. OAAA is dedicated to leading and uniting a responsible OOH industry committed to serving advertisers, consumers, and communities. The OOH industry generates $7 billion annually in ad revenues and donates more than $450 million in space each year.
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