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TheBuzz

BY ERIKA ENGLE

National kudos
for local ad agencies

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National honors have come to two Hawaii advertising entities. Kauai's Tsunami Marketing has won the American Advertising Federation's ADDY.

"It's the Oscar of the advertising world," said an excited Valerie Rekward, vice president of the company and recent returnee from the federation's conference and awards ceremony in Miami this month.

Tsunami's winning entry in the self-promotion category, titled "Truth Hurts," had won the Hawaii Advertising Federation's Pele Award earlier this year.

"The level of the talent that was represented with the biggest agencies in the world competing, it was very exciting," Rekward said.

Rekward shared credit with the company's seven employees and numerous freelancers.

"That's what makes it even better, the conglomeration (of talent)," she said.

At the same conference, Ad2 Honolulu, an association of advertising professionals age 32 and under, won its national organization's top award for its pro-bono campaign for the nonprofit Hale Kipa Inc.

The Honolulu team beat five others from Seattle, Portland, Houston, Tampa Bay and Orlando.

Judges noted the relationship Ad2 Honolulu had with Hale Kipa.

"We took time to go to the programs they had," said chapter President Jocelyn Lee, a media planner and buyer at Starr Seigle Communications Inc.

The local chapter staged collections for Hale Kipa, one of which netted 200 pounds of clothing.

Ad2 national also presented the local chapter seven "Club Achievement" awards including a first place honor for Diversity, second place for Club Management, Education and Government Relations. It won third place for Membership, Programs and Socials, and Public Service.

Ad2 will start work earlier on this year's pro-bono campaign, Lee said. Interested nonprofits can request electronic application forms from Tom Nauwelaerts at Ad2Honolulu@hotmail.com.

Also at the ADDY awards, Honolulu's Laird Christianson Harris Advertising Inc. and Studio Ignition Inc., which won the two Best of Show nods at this year's Pele awards, were presented with silver, or second-place ADDYs, said HAF District 13 Governor Barbara Scott.

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Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com