TROY, Mich., April 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- At its 2014 annual conference today in Huntington Beach, Calif., the Local Search Association (LSA) announced the winners of its inaugural Ad to Action Awards, a new awards competition developed to foster new ideas and stimulate thinking to bring to market the best local advertising products.

The awards recognized new or recently introduced solutions within eight submission categories that demonstrated the greatest potential for driving local business sales and providing memorable experiences to consumers at the end of their purchasing decision track.

"Local advertisers are demanding creative and innovative solutions, and it's clear from these winners that our industry is rising to the challenge," said Neg Norton, president, Local Search Association. "We were impressed with the local advertising solutions submitted for our first Ad to Action Awards competition. We see real potential for these local solutions to make a difference in driving customer leads and loyalty."

Local advertising providers submitted 60 solutions for evaluation by a diverse panel of 14 notable experts, analysts, media and practitioners from across the local advertising industry. Judges reviewed submissions and selected finalists and winners for each category based on those that were most compelling and best address current market needs.

The winners included:

• Business Listings: Local Listing Manager™ by Rio SEO. Rio SEO's Local Listing Manager software is the only available solution that can deliver unlimited optimized local business data via bulk feed or API to all the major search engines and data aggregators.
• Mobile: GeoCookie by Thinknear. The GeoCookie identifies location context, groups location categories and stores data in a usable format that can be accessed in real-time.
• Social Media: Likes for Lives by Search Influence. The Likes for Lives program is a Facebook fan building initiative that encourages targeted audiences to 'like' a company's Facebook page in exchange for a donation to a choice of non-profit organizations benefiting breast cancer awareness/research.
• Print: Platform Agnostic Dynamic Location Based Media Planning by SMG Local Spectrum. SMG Local Spectrum's dynamic tool generates ranking reports that help determine the best directories to advertise in based on a client's key performance indicators, new and existing locations, rural versus urban locations, budgets, proprietary zip code level data and custom publisher negotiated discounts.
• Vertical Specific: Weather Triggered Demand Generation by SMG Local Spectrum. SMG Local Spectrum's solution leverages real-time weather event triggers such as cold temperatures and natural disasters to serve relevant hyper-local messaging via online advertising formats.
• Video: TargetView by Sightly. TargetView generates hundreds of scalable, affordable, localized video ads for all locations in a brand's network, using clients' existing creative or assets from its library and stock sources.
• Deals/Loyalty/Ecommerce: MyTime. The MyTime website and mobile app allows users to find a business, check availability, read reviews and book appointments in seconds.
• Implementation: AdMax® Local by The Search Agency. AdMax® Local is a fully automated search engine marketing solution that enables small businesses to benefit from high quality and profitable local search campaigns by producing, managing and reporting on hyper-local, optimally structured, highly relevant and performance-focused SEM campaigns.

Winners To Receive Industry Support in Bringing Solutions to Market

The Ad to Action Awards program is unique because its benefits extend well beyond the awards ceremony. Winners were invited today to a private luncheon with Steve Wozniak, the Silicon Valley icon and Apple co-founder, to discuss their solutions and plans for bringing them to market. Wozniak was the featured speaker at the 2014 annual conference.

Additionally, beginning in May, winners will be assigned a dedicated LSA team to secure broad industry support in testing, partnering and promoting their products so they have the best shot of succeeding in the marketplace. Winners will also be highlighted in LSA's communications with members and other industry leaders and influencers, in ongoing outreach to business and tech reporters, and through LSA's digital and social media channels.

"LSA is focused on serving as a catalyst for innovation in local by supporting our industry's best solutions and helping ensure they achieve success," said Norton. "The Ad to Action Awards celebrate our industry's most promising products, but also provide a roadmap to help them reach their full potential."

About the Local Search Association

The Local Search Association (www.localsearchassociation.org) is the largest trade organization of companies engaged in local advertising and marketing. LSA members provide local businesses with innovative and strategic offerings that drive consumers to take an action in the last mile – or the final steps – of their path to purchase. The Association is focused on elevating the industry through thought-leadership, advocacy, research and insights and partnerships.

LSA has more than 300 members in 30 countries. Members include listing management companies, digital agencies, mobile and social media companies, print and online directory publishers, video service providers, and web design and hosting firms.

The Association offers industry news and perspective on its blog, Local Search Insider, as well as resources on its SlideShare page. Follow LSA on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

CONTACT:

David Fishman
FleishmanHillard  
[email protected]   
212-453-2115

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SOURCE Local Search Association