Advertising Age Opens Nominations For 2013 Small Agency Awards

NEW YORK, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fifth year, the editors of Advertising Age and Creativity will celebrate the influence and impact of small, independent agencies with the 2013 Small Agency Awards. Nominations are now open, and winners will be announced live at the Small Agency Conference & Awards show July 24^th and 25^th in Portland, Oregon.

The 2013 honorees will join previous top winners Rockfish Interactive (2009), Pereira & O'Dell (2010), Via (2011), and Baldwin& (2012).

"In the beginning of 2011, VIA had just over 60 employees. Now we are an agency of 120 and growing," said John Coleman, founder-CEO of The Via Agency, Ad Age's 2011 Small Agency of the Year. "But the best thing about winning was the satisfaction our people felt for receiving recognition for all of those years of late nights, long flights, and cold pizza — that feeling was priceless."

All small and mid-sized agencies with fewer than 150 employees that are either fully independent or not majority-owned by a holding company or network are eligible to enter. Agencies are judged on thought leadership, portfolio, business results and culture. Campaigns are judged by a panel of agency professionals and Ad Age staff.

"We're in a golden age for small agencies where impact has little to do with size," said Abbey Klaassen, Advertising Age editor. "Savvy marketers understand that smaller agencies are nimble, highly creative and innovative. The companies and campaigns that fall within these award parameters are some of the industry's best."

"Being named Small Agency of the Year by Ad Age has opened doors to say the least," said David Baldwin, founder of Baldwin&, the 2012 Agency of the Year and winner of the 2011 Campaign of the Year. "And maybe it's made us work even harder knowing that we want to try it again this year."

Awards are made in the following categories:

• Agency of the Year, Overall
• Agency of the Year, By Division (1-10 people, 11-75 people, 76-150 people)
• Agency of the Year, By Region (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West, Southwest, International)
• Best Agency Culture
• Campaign of the Year
• Pro Bono Campaign of the Year (new this year)

"We intentionally keep entry fees modest – between $150 and $300 – to encourage as much participation as possible," said Ann Christine Diaz, editor of Creativity. "We want to spotlight great work that may not surface in bigger awards shows that are dominated by large agencies."

Campaigns are judged on business challenge/problem addressed, quality of media/communications plan, creative execution, and campaign results.

All types of agencies (full-service ad, digital, promo, direct, mobile, deisgn, etc.) are eligible and all types of work (television spots/campaigns, Web videos, branded content, all types of design, sites, games, apps, social media, etc.) will be considered. Entrants must be wholly independent or at least 51% privately held.

About the Small Agency Conference & Awards Show

Held over a day and a half, the Small Agency Conference & Awards show brings small and mid-sized agencies together to consider the unique challenges of being independent. Discussions focus on talent, business development, managing small shops, emerging technologies, and more. Keynotes, case studies and panel discussions culminate with a live awards event. Discounts on advanced tickets, which cover an opening night party, a full day of conference sessions and the awards event, expire June 20^th.

About Advertising Age

Advertising Age is the leading global source of news, intelligence and conversation for the marketing and media community. Ongoing coverage of strategic topics like CMO Strategies and data-driven marketing is complemented by breaking news on digital, social media, and more. The 83-year-old media group produces more than 15 original rankings each year, including the 100 Leading National Advertisers and 100 Leading Media Companies lists, the Digital A-List, and the annual Agency Report.

SOURCE Advertising Age