The Messenger 03.13.09

Components of two ad campaigns developed by University of Tennessee at Martin students recently claimed American Advertising Federation student ADDY Awards in annual competition.

The student ADDY competition is a part of the overall competition.

The West Tennessee chapter of the AAF sponsored the West Tennessee regional ADDY competition that UT Martin students entered. The student entries are evaluated by the same judges as the professional entries and held to the same criteria. The judges for the West Tennessee ADDY competition included an advertising agency owner, a media production professional and a graphic designer.

The students accepted the awards at the West Tennessee ADDY banquet hosted on Union University’s campus in Jackson. Both entries advanced to the District 7 regional competition that includes seven southeastern states.

The winning entries were components of two image campaign proposals created for the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police during the fall Principles of Advertising class offered in the Department of Communications. The students were responsible for conducting research and developing a background for the campaign, developing a creative strategy, proposing a media schedule and budget and producing campaign media samples. Representatives from the two campaigns presented the ideas to the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police and other state public safety officials in Nashville last month.

The “Hometown Heroes” 30-second radio public service announcement won a silver award in the student ADDY radio category. The PSA was one component of an overall campaign for Tennessee Law Enforcement. The students on this team and their majors were Kassi Abney of Martin, Jackie Bettie of Medina and Stephanie Lovett of Troy, all visual communication majors; Becky Parnell of Tiptonville, Jonathan Kiser of Adamsville and James Buchanan of Memphis, all public relations majors; and Brooks Taylor of Jackson, a broadcasting major. The students created the concept, wrote the script and produced the radio spot, with assistance from Lana Carpenter of Martin, a 2008 broadcasting graduate and an employee of WCMT radio station.

The “I am Tennessee Law Enforcement” campaign won top honors and a gold award with an ADDY in the mixed media campaign category for the combination of the 30-second radio PSA, two print advertisements and a billboard design. Students on this team were Jennifer DeYeso of Martin, a visual communication major; Allison Hagin of Three Way, Rebecca Wilkinson of Old Hickory and Ryan Williams of Memphis, all public relations majors; Meghan Pinkley of Bondurant, Iowa, and Joe Raccuglia of Franklin, public relations 2008 graduates; and Martina Conley of Clarksville, a broadcasting major and the only one not enrolled in the class, who provided substantial production assistance on the radio PSA. The students created the concept for the campaign, wrote the radio script and produced the artwork.