MGH wins “Best in Show”; Kapowza, Marriner Marketing Communications and idfive honored with Special Judge’s Awards

The freaks of Baltimore’s advertising community gathered on March 7 to celebrate the 45th Annual Baltimore American Advertising Show (the ADDYs), presented by the American Advertising Federation of Baltimore (AAFB) at the B&O Railroad Museum. The premiere advertising industry event awarded 32 gold and 54 silver ADDYs to the top agencies, production houses and in-house marketing team in the Baltimore region.

The “Freakin ADDYs,” which was produced by Jeremy Martin, creative director and founder of Mammoth Creative, shocked and amazed more than 300 marketers from across Maryland, with a spectacle of oddities and performances that included a contortionist, a sword swallower, a human blockhead and a sideshow barker.

“The American Advertising Awards is the high holiday for creative, business and technology in Baltimore,” said Matt McDermott, AAFB president and creative director at idfive. “There's not an industry event in this region that comes close to its energy, authenticity, and bold attitude."

Top honors included:

• 2019 Best In Show presented to MGH for Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls Body of Work
• Judge’s Award for “Freakin” Awesome Broadcast presented to Kapowza for Northrop Realty “Faucets” :15 TV spot
• Judge’s Award for “Freakin” Awesome Copy presented to Marriner Marketing Communications for Snacklins Copywriting
• Judge’s Award for “Freakin” Awesome Interactive presented to idfive for Smithsonian Institution Public Service Annual Report

A complete list of all winners is below.

Sponsors for this year’s awards show included Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business, Comcast Spotlight, The Creative Group, Catholic Relief Services and Acer Exhibits. Mammoth Creative produced the event with support from GKV, idfive, MissionTix, Indigo Ink, Studio Unknown, Three Seas, Propr Design, Percepto, The Wairehouse and David Weston Gregory.

At the ceremony, the AAFB announced the recipients of its prestigious individual achievement awards:

• Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Sean Carton, chief strategist, idfive
• Patricia Martin Crystal Prism Award presented to Courtney Black, senior account executive, GKV
• Silver Medal presented to Michael Teitelbaum, president, Baltimore Magazine

The AAFB Scholarship committee also presented the following scholarships to students in advertising, marketing and design programs:

• Carolyn E. Fugett Scholarship Award for $2,500 - Blanca Assie, Morgan State University
• AAFB Scholarship Award for $2,500 - Zoey Russomano, MICA
• AAFB Scholarship Award for $2,500 - Richa Mishra, University of Maryland College Park
• Wendy and Matt McDermott Scholarship for $1,0000 - Ashley Edmonson, Towson University
• Alexander & Tom Digital Scholarship for $1,000 - Gary Crisostomo, University of Maryland College Park

The American Advertising Awards competition is the industry’s largest and most representative competition — attracting more than 40,000 entries every year in local competitions. Gold winners at the local level move on to the regional competition, competing with agencies from Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Virginia and Washington, D.C. A win at the district level earns a spot in the National American Advertising Awards Competition. National winners will be announced at the AAF’s national conference, Admerica, taking place June 5-8, 2019 in Hollywood, Florida.

Complete list of winners:

About the American Advertising Federation of Baltimore

Originally formed in 1920 at the Women’s Advertising Club of Baltimore, the American Advertising Federation Baltimore (AAFB) is one of 225 local affiliate chapters of the American Advertising Federation. Its mission is to advocate for Baltimore as a strong advertising community and to respond to the needs of its members through continuing education, informational programs, networking and social opportunities as well as legislative issues that confront the advertising industry. To learn more, visit www.baltimoreadvertising.com.