Recent C&IS graduates, Charlotte Frank and Elizabeth Swartz, have been awarded a Silver ADDY at the national level from the American Advertising Federation.
ADDYs are awarded to entrants in recognition of their creative excellence. A Gold ADDY is judged to be superior to all other entries in the category. A Silver ADDY is awarded to entries that are also considered outstanding and worthy of recognition. The number of awards given in each category is determined by the judges, based on the relative quality of work in that category.
Frank (Norwalk, CT) and Swartz (St. Louis, MO) created their campaign as a concept for 23andMe, a personal genome service that exists to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. Their ads targeted couples who are looking to start a family and want to use the 23andMe service as a tool to find out more information about their genetic makeup and what traits they could potentially pass to their biological children.
“Having won a national ADDY is validation that the hard work and very late nights can pay off,” said Frank. “Sometimes it’s hard to know if after spending so much time up close to your work, if you love it because you’ve worked so long on it or you love it because it’s good. To have our work nationally recognized and applauded is an overwhelmingly proud feeling.”
Frank and Swartz both graduated in May as members of Minerva, the creative portfolio specialization within advertising and public relations. As a part of the One Club’s portfolio review in May, they both landed internships with Hudson Rouge, and advertising agency in NYC. They credit this opportunity and much of their success to the Minerva experience.
“Minerva prepared me for this fast-paced industry,” said Swartz. “As a graduate of Minerva, I had a leg up on the competition because I was taught how to concept and that the idea is always the most important part.”
“Minerva allowed my to find my voice in advertising and create a portfolio that many people take time after college to complete,” said Frank. “Being able to launch right from college into the industry has pushed me but also validated that everything I learned in Minerva really did prepare me for the real world.”
This brings Minerva’s ADDY total to 20 at the local, district and national level in 2018.
“I’m unbelievably proud of all the students for the time and energy they put into making this amazing creative,” said Mark Barry, director of Minerva. “This level of recognition is a testament to their hard work and dedication to their craft.”
The American Advertising Awards, formerly the ADDYs, is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition, attracting over 40,000 entries every year in local AAF Club (Ad Club) competitions.
For more information on Minerva, visit their website.
