Goals:
The American Advertising Federation of Greater Rochester had bestowed the honor of creating the 2024 Addy Award theme on us. The objective was to create materials to promote the event to raise interest and drive ticket sales. Ticket sales had been declining over the last 5 years and since they are critical income for funding events for the club, we needed to get people excited to participate and also enter.
Process:
We recognized that maybe what we all needed was something to celebrate beyond creative excellence. I mean, this career path isn’t always easy. It’s scary coming up with new ideas. And frightful trying to keep them alive with creative killers lurking around every corner. Timelines closing in on you. Budgets creeping you out. Frankensteins stitched together by mad marketers. Self doubt that makes you feel like an imposter. Feedback that eats your brain. It takes incredible talent to make killer creative. It takes even more skill to keep it alive and truly slay. We need to recognize the tensions of this business, confront the impact on our psyches and actually celebrate the incredible talent we truly wield.
Results:
The work indeed slayed. The energy it generated was something we hadn’t seen post-Covid. There was a buzz created by the honesty and absurdity we embraced. The show sold out for the first time in 5 years. People snagged our posters as souvenirs. The Rochester ad industry as well as neighboring clubs reposted, shared and really got behind the idea of our campaign. And we hope it started some real conversations around the stress that often hides behind the brave faces we all wear when projects turn into horror shows.