Night of the Caples
The Martin Agency won the Best in Show award at the 23rd John Caples International Awards Showcase for its Yellow Pages Publishers Association campaign. The Reston, VA firm added this grand prize to six other citations it took home — more than any entrant.
The annual event, held at New York’s Marriott Marquis Feb. 22, honors creative people for innovative solutions to direct marketing problems.
In addition to its Best in Show win, the agency received four first-place Caples awards that night. The firm’s Yellow Pages campaign entry, “Jon Lovitz in Bed,” earned first prize in the collateral: business category. The company tied for another first in the consumer single medium division with its “We’ll Give You the Real History on Any Used Car” effort for client Carfax. The co-winner was New York’s OgilvyOne, with its “Mantra,” “Nail Salon” and “Massage” ads for Ameritrade. The Martin Agency’s “Used Car” campaign also got a first-place award in the consumer multimedia category. The firm’s fourth citation came from a Geico Direct spot, “Collect Call,” in the television: consumer division.
Two honorary Caples awards were presented at the ceremony to other outstanding contributors. The Irving Wunderman Award, presented to an individual who for more than a decade has combined the highest levels of talent, imagination, curiosity and human insight into a unique body of work, went to Bruce Lee, senior partner and North American creative director at OgilvyOne.
A second prize — the Emerson award — was given to Jim Kobs, president and chief executive officer of Kobs Gregory Passavant. Named for Caples founder Andi Emerson, it honors an individual who has contributed outstanding service to the direct marketing creative community.
Other first-place winners:
Category: Business single medium
Agency: G&K Marketing Direto, São Paulo, Brazil
Campaign: “Telecom Datalistas”
Client: Datalistas
Category: Business multimedia
Agencies: McCann Relationship Marketing, New York; MRM Cano & Martinez, Barcelona, Spain (tie)
Campaigns: “ION”; “Temptation”
Clients: Sprint; Movierecord
Category: Collateral: consumer
Agency: Rubin Postaer Direct, Santa Monica, CA
Campaign: “Why Is Everyone So Revved Up About the New Honda S2000?”
Client: American Honda Motor Co. Inc.
Category: Direct mail: consumer standard
Agencies: Oneagency, Scotland; WWAV Rapp Collins, London (tie)
Campaigns: “The Ardbeg Committee”; The New Rava, “The Institute of Autotherapy”
Clients: Glenmorangie Malt Whiskey; Toyota (Great Britain)
Categories: Consumer multimedia nonprofit; direct mail: business retention
Agency: Impiric, London
Campaigns: “Recruitment”; “Creative Pen”
Clients: Victim Support; agency self-promotion
Category: Direct mail: consumer dimensional
Agency: Brann Worldwide, Gloucestershire, U.K.
Campaign: “Guinness Rugby World Cup”
Client: Guinness
Category: Direct mail: consumer retention
Agency: Campbell-Wald, Warren, MI
Campaign: “Scrapbook”
Client: Chevy Suburban
Category: Direct mail: business standard
Agency: Knauer Rump Partner, Hamburg, Germany
Campaign: Agency self-promotion
Client: Agency self-promotion
Category: Direct mail: business dimensional
Agency: CP Comunicacion Proximity, Madrid, Spain
Campaign: “Name Cast”
Client: Asisa Medical Insurance
Category: Print: business
Agency: Mullen, Wenham, MA
Campaign: “FEN Mom”
Client: Family Education Network
Category: Radio: consumer
Agencies: Carlina DraftWorldwide, Scotland; Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney, Australia (tie)
Campaigns: “Meany Pants”; “Features”
Clients: Standard Life Bank; NRMA Second Hand Car Service
The Martin Agency’s leading total of seven Caples awards was followed by a second-place tie between CP Comunicacion Proximity and McCann Relationship Marketing; each firm earned four Caples.
The United Kingdom contributed the largest number of non-U.S. campaign entries (38). Its six winning entries were the most from any overseas participant.
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