Recognizing Marketing’s Finest
FIFTY INDIVIDUAL MARKETING EFFORTS EARN AWARDS IN OUR 2020 CONTEST
Judging for tED magazine’s 2020 Best of the Best Marketing Awards Competition took place in late April and, for the first time in the competition’s history, over Zoom. Over the course of a week, our four judges weighed the entries submitted for the contest’s 11 categories. Ultimately, 50 entries were determined winners, with two companies—OneSource Distributors and Intermatic—taking home the honor of Best of the Best Overall Distributor and Best of the Best Overall Supplier, respectively. Here we present all of this year’s winning submissions, highlighting a different category each week.
PRINT AD /
Distributor Less Than $100M
Warshauer Electric Supply
INDUSTRY Magazine
The Lighting Design Center at Warshauer Electric takes great pride in its ability to keep up with the constantly changing world of lighting, lighting trends, and styles. INDUSTRY Magazine is an upscale glossy print magazine, digital publication, and media platform that brings to life the fashion, entertainment, and luxury lifestyle for tastemakers and trendsetters—making it the perfect venue to showcase The Lighting Design Center.
FROM THE JUDGES: “The ads are beautifully laid out. This is a prime example of the excellent use of photography combined with manufacturer resources to build a campaign with a consistent theme.”
Distributor $401M to $700M
Summit Electric Supply
Nutcracker Holiday Greeting
Because corporate holiday cards are still an important part of the electrical distribution industry, Summit Electric Supply wanted to send holiday well wishes to its community in a way that was unique and would resonate with its customers and suppliers. To accomplish this, the marketing team utilized recognized holiday iconography in a way that clearly identifies it as being unique to the industry—and Summit in particular—through its brand persona.
FROM THE JUDGES: “They achieved a very narrow objective and incorporated the products they sell in a unique way. They also took it further to make it a campaign.”
Distributor More Than $700M
Capital Electric
Book of Lists
Following a rebrand, the Capital Electric name was still not predominately known in its footprint and the company needed a way to reinforce brand awareness. To that end, five Book of List ads were created to build awareness with customers and outline the company’s capabilities and new locations.
FROM THE JUDGES: “Visuals are attractive and really speaks to their target audience. Advertising in the Book of Lists is brilliant: a very smart investment of advertising dollars. To customize like this and make them feel local even though they are a very large company is a smart strategy.”
Supplier Less Than $250M
Light Efficient Design
LED Retrofits “Top Dog” Ads
In an effort to reinforce its position in the industry, Light Efficient Design wanted a strong ad campaign to remind people that it is the “top dog.” The company also wanted the ads to feature a specific product or product category and evoke the feeling that it is a fun company and that its employees are friendly, approachable, and ready to collaborate on any lighting project.
FROM THE JUDGES: “Adorable dog photos without being silly or campy. The dogs grab your attention, but the product is displayed prominently. Anyone who has done a campaign like this knows how hard it is to pull it off and carry a theme through…and they did a great job of it.”
Supplier More Than $250M
Lutron Electronics
Maestro PRO Print
To launch, promote, and sell its Maestro PRO dimmer, Lutron needed a concept that called attention to its versatility. In print and online, the tagline for the Maestro PRO dimmer became “The survival tool of dimmers” and touted that it was “one dimmer for every job.” For the print ad, the dimmer was pictured in place of a Swiss Army knife case with call-outs to its primary features.
FROM THE JUDGES: “Lutron really kicked it up a notch with this ad. Immediately you know what the point is. It’s a powerful visual. A brilliant piece. It almost doesn’t even need copy because the image says it all!”
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