September Non-Profit: The United Way

AAF-Knoxville has begun a program whereby we invited area non-profit organizations to our lunch meetings for a brief presentation on their services and efforts. For September, we're featuring The United Way of Greater Knoxville.

United Way of Greater Knoxville advances the common good by focusing on education, income, health and basic needs. Its goal is to create lasting change while working to prevent problems from happening in the first place. The emphasis is on helping individuals become self-sufficient, and have the skills and resources needed for personal success.

The United Way supports 45 agencies in East Tennessee, including groups as diverse as The Salvation Army, the Girl and Boy Scouts, Child and Family Services, Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad.

This year's United Way Campaign has just kicked off, with a goal of raising $11.8 million between now and November. John Lansing, President of Scripps Networks, is the Chairman of this year's campaign, and events slated to help with the fundraising include a telethon on Monday, September 21, featuring the Food Network's Guy Fieri. There is also an online auction planned with some surprising (and very exclusive) items to be offered, and hundreds of meetings, presentations, spare change drives, and other efforts that support the biggest and one of the most important community service events in East Tennessee.

Representatives from the United Way will tell us more at our luncheon on Thursday. We're delighted to welcome them.

Fall TV Premier Coming Up Fast

This year, we're making our Fall TV Premier an evening event. Be sure to mark your calendar for Wednesday, August 26 and be at the coolest place in town--The Square Room, beginning around 4:30 pm. We'll have food, networking fun, and probably other kinds of fun.

Then at 6pm, the local TV networks will give us an exclusive sneak preview of all the new Fall shows. It's the only event in town where you can see all the networks in one place, and if TV is part of your media mix (or if you just want to see what's new), this is the place to be.

Visit www.aafknoxville.com for more details.

Bowled Over!

We knew Ad Fed In The Gutter Would Be Fun. But Nothing Like This.

What a great turnout on Thursday! The first Ad Fed In The Gutter Bowling Tournament was a rousing success. Thank you to everyone who came and played a hard game of trash talking and ball throwing. Here are the final stats: We had almost 120 bowlers on 18 teams. When the pins had settled, here are the final scores:

1. Tombras - Lane 28 - 265.8 - GOLD Trophy
2. BlueGill Creative - Lane 26 - 236.5 - SILVER Trophy
3. Tombras - Lane 27 - 227.6 - BRONZE Trophy
4. KNS - Lane 23 - 226.5
5. DesignSensory - Lane 15 - 220.4 - Most Creative Award

6. KNS - Lane 22 - 218.8

7. DoubleJay Creative - Lane 24 - 203.6 - Most Rowdy Award

8. Nihilists - Lane 20 - 203 (Didn't really matter to them, though. They belief en notzing.)
9. Tombras - Lane 29 - 198.1
10. TradeMark - Lane 19 - 191.5

11. KNS - Lane 21 - 189.6

12. Pellissippi - Lane 30 - 186

13. WVIK - Lane 16 - 182

14. DoubleJay Creative - Lane 25 - 181.8

15. DNP - Lane 31 - 176

16. DNP - Lane 32 - 166 - Worst Losers Award (you put up a fight but it was a small one)

17. WBIR - DNF*

18. WBIR - DNF*

*WBIR gets the coveted post tournament "Dude" award. They took a break between games, and ran out of time before finishing their second game. We take comfort in that--Channel 10, out there takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. We know it came straight from the heart. (PLEASE NOTE: There would have been a trophy, but in the spirit of the award, we never got around to finishing it.)

By all accounts, it was fun for everyone.

And a note from AAF-Knoxville President, Brian Potter, who owns his own bowling shoes: "I want to send out a special thanks to Sarah Mills of Trademark and her team of Gutter Balls: Wayne Bowman (BrainPosse), Andrew Dill (Orange Apple), Josh Loebner (Trademark) and Courtney Hendricks (Conway Marketing). And a special thanks to Susie Norris of Orange Apple for all the design work and to Michael Torano of N8 Promotions for donating the great T-shirts."

This Bowling Thing Is Really Taking Off

Our "Ad Fed In The Gutter" bowling event for July 23 is sparking a lot of interest. So far, more than a dozen teams are indicating they'll play, and we expect more to sign on in the next few days.

You can learn more about the event, the trash talking behind it, and the sport of bowling in general by visiting www.adfedinthegutter.com.

And watch for some interesting videos coming in the next couple of days to support this remarkable event.

A Flash Mob. Southern Style.

You know what a flash mob is, right? A group of people get notified to show up at a certain place, and have an almost-impromptu pillow fight, or dance, or poetry reading, or whatever, then disperse in a matter of minutes.

That's the old-school flash mob. Then there's the AAF-Knoxville Southern style flash mob.

With our flash mobs, things are a bit more civil. People tend to linger, visit with each other, get to know one another. Instead of performance art, they exchange stories, ideas, and--often--business cards. People come and go as they please, and thanks to a few libations and snacks, people tend to mark the date for the next flash mob on their calendars (Hint: it's every second Tuesday of the month.)

If you haven't been to an AAF-Knoxville flash mob, drop by for a few minutes. It's an experience you'll want to have. Typically every time it rolls around.

See ya Thursday at Aubrey's at Northshore. 'Round 5:30, let's say. Look for us out on the patio.

_________________________________________________________________

Web - Facebook - Twitter - District - National

OK, What’s KO?
Knoxville Overground has an ambitious mission to foster entrepreneurship in Knoxville. See what this means to you on June 25.

Alex Lavidge of Knoxville Overground will show us how his unique organization is designed to help new businesses prosper - and how this integrates with the East Tennessee Marketing and Advertising Community. Join us for this fascinating look at how to help ideas grow.

Thursday, June 25th
Peerless Steak House
11:30 Networking
12:00 Installation of 2009-2010 AAF-Knoxville Board of Directors
12:15 Lunch and Presentation

$20 AAF Members with RSVP
$25 Non-member with RSVP
$30 At the door with no RSVP
(Visa & MasterCard accepted with $1.25 fee)

RSVP by June 22nd to Karen Taylor: email or 742-4838.
If you do not RSVP, you'll be forced to pay more moola.

_______________________________________________________________________

Web - Facebook - Twitter - District - National

National ADDY® Awards

Congratulations to Knoxville's Tombras Group for winning two National ADDY® Awards! A Gold ADDY® Award was given to Tombras for the Festival Events Microsite produced for the Smoky Mountain Convention & Visitors Bureau. A Silver ADDY® Award was given to Tombras for its own Portfolio Website. The event took place this past weekend in Washington DC.

District ADDY® Awards

Congratulations to these Knoxville-area business who received District 7 ADDY® Awards! Our market was one of the most winning of all 25 AAF chapters located in our five-state region of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Results from the National ADDY® Awards will be posted soon.


Gold ADDY® Awards

• Shelton Group for the American Institute of Architects
• The Tombras Group for the Festival Events Microsite produced for the Smoky Mountain Convention & Visitors Bureau
• The Tombras Group for the Animated Paper Sculptures produced for the Smoky Mountain Convention & Visitors Bureau
• The Tombras Group for the Arts & Crafts Festivals Banner Ads produced for the Smoky Mountain Convention & Visitors Bureau

Silver ADDY® Awards

• Designsensory for the Tennessee Vacation Seasonal Websites produced for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
  
• Hornsby Brand Design for the Knoxville Area Transit Logo
• The Tombras Group for the Dunk Moto TV Spot produced for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• The Tombras Group for the Baseball TV Spot produced for Saint Thomas Health Services
• The Tombras Group for the Hope Gala Campaign produced for the American Cancer Society
• The Tombras Group for the Hope Gala Illustrations produced for the American Cancer Society
• The Tombras Group for the "Hell on Water" Social Networking Website produced for Zodiac Boats
• The Tombras Group for the Portfolio Website produced for The Tombras Group

Traditional Media Conquer a Non-Traditional World

Join AAF-Knoxville for a panel discussion on how traditional media are adapting to new competition from non-traditional sources, and how they're finding new revenue streams, new ways of communicating - and new audiences. Panelists include:

Ed Brantley

Citadel Broadcasting

Bruce Hartmann

KNS Media Group

David Jernigan

Lamar Advertising

Jeff Lee

WBIR

Moderator Katie Granju

Knoxville Social Media Association

Thursday, May 28

Peerless Steak House

11:30-12:00 Networking - 12:00-1:00 Panel Discussion

$20 for AAF members - $25 for non-members

RSVP by May 25 to Karen Taylor: email or 742-4838

Flash Mobs

We can't promise a pillow fight or a night in jail, but the AAF-Knoxville Flash Mobs offer some great networking for those of us in the marketing-communications-advertising-interactive-media-production-type worlds. We usually gather on a Thursday night at the Aubrey's at the Landmark Center. We've found it to be a pretty good central location for folks to pop in on their way home. Our next one is slated for Thursday, May 14. Unless the weather's crappy, you'll find us on the patio from 4:30 until 7:30 or 8. Not sure how to find us? Just gravitate toward the noisiest, most obnoxious crowd - it's just what happens when you combine extroverts with alcohol.

AdFed To Stage Media Auction

Gala Will Include Roast of WBIR’s Biven

The American Advertising Federation of Knoxville (AAF-Knoxville) is hosting a media auction on April 9 as a fundraiser and an opportunity for small business and non-profits to snag great deals on television, radio, outdoor, and print media.

The event will raise money for AAF-Knoxville and Saving Little Hearts, a foundation dedicated to helping children with congenital heart defects. It will be held on the patio of the Crown and Goose gastropub in The Old City, beginning at 6:30 pm.

A bonus to the evening is a celebrity roast of WBIR’s Russell Biven.

“We thought this would be a good time to create an event that could benefit a number of organizations throughout East Tennessee,” said David Jacobs, AAF-Knoxville President. “The media auction can help people expand their promotion at reduced costs. And we’re honored to be associated with Saving Little Hearts and look forward to being able to contribute to their remarkable efforts.’

Jacobs noted that the event will also be a chance for networking with some of the most creative minds in East Tennessee, and that in addition to media, several businesses and individuals are expected to donate weekend trips, dining packages, and other items to be auctioned.

“If you are familiar with our group, you know people have a good time at our events,” he said.
Jacobs said people can learn more by visiting a website created for the event: www.aafmediaauction.com.

Congratulations to Doublejay Productions

AAF-Knoxville Member Doublejay Productions recently took home major honors at the prestigeous South By Southwest Festival in Austin for its work on "That Evening Sun," a drama starring Hal Holbrook. The movie won the Audience Choice Award for Narrative Feature and Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast.

Congratulations to everyone at Doublejay for this remarkable work, and watch for "That Evening Sun" opening soon. You can read more at http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/telebuddy/archives/2009/03/locally_made_su.shtml

See what happens when the best marketing minds meet at once.

Join us March 11th for the first-ever joint meeting of the American Advertising Federation of Knoxville and the Knoxville American Marketing Association.

Our meeting will feature a panel discussion on marketing in this tough economy. Guest speakers include:

• Matt Fischer: Chief Creative Officer/Chief Operating Officer at WonderGroup
  (the advertising and branding guru)
  
  
• Mike Such: Owner of Junk Bee Gone
  (the entrepreneur and small business owner)
  
  
• Marshall Wilkins: Director of Marketing at Chick-fil-A
  (the in-house marketing and customer service expert)
  
  
• Mark Moon: Professor of Marketing at UT
  (the moderator)

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - Peerless Steak House

11:30-12:00 Networking - 12:00-1:00 Panel Discussion

$25 per person

Submit questions for the panel at edirector@aafknoxville.com or 865-742-4838.

RSVP by March 9th on the KAMA website or call 865-539-1300 and choose option #2.

2009 ADDYS RECAP

256 Gold, Silver and Bronze ADDYs awarded to 24 companies:

Bluegill Creative - Cassandra Design - Clarityworks - Colloredo & Associates - Designsensory - DrozDezign - Early & Associates - Environmental Systems Corporation - First Baptist Concord - Friends of Literacy - Hornsby Brand Design - Lamar Outdoor Advertising - Mediapulse - Merritt Music Productions - Orange Apple Branding Boutique - Pellissippi State Student Cordelia Norris - S.D. Professionals - Shelton Group - The Bingham Group - The Tombras Group - Tombras Interactive - TradeMark Advertising - University of Tennessee Knoxville Student Madhuri Jagadish - Virtual Interactive Center

BEST OF SHOW: The Tombras Group for "Low Impact Vacation 2.0" print campaign done for the Smoky Mountain Convention & Visitors Bureau

BEST OF PRINT: The Tombras Group for "Low Impact Vacation 2.0" print campaign done for the Smoky Mountain Convention & Visitors Bureau

BEST OF INTERACTIVE: Tombras Interactive for "Save More Souls" social networking site done for Zodiac Boats

BEST OF DIRECT: The Bingham Group for "Blue-Gray Invitation" done for the Olde Farm Golf Club

SPECIAL JUDGES AWARD: The Tombras Group for its "Grove Park Inn RFP Response"

ROBERT MCCABE SILVER MEDAL RECIPIENT: Lisa Duncan, Executive Director of the Dogwood Arts Festival

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: Tom Hembree, Senior VP of Marketing for K-VA-T Food Stores; Sam Littleton, Account Executive for WVLT-TV; Paul Scoonover, President of Asen Advertising & Marketing

PRESIDENT'S AWARD RECIPIENTS: AAF-Knoxville Membership Co-Chairs Wayne Bowman with BrainPosse and Marti Townsend with the News Sentinel

To see the ad congratulation winners, click here. To read the Knoxville News-Sentinel article on the Addy Ceremony, click here. And visit the AAF Knoxville Facebook page for photos.

Congratuations to all the winners!

Come to the Biggest Ad Party of the Year

It's the 44th Annual Knoxville ADDY Awards

Please join us as we honor and celebrate the creative produced in East Tennessee during 2008. It'll be the year’s largest gathering of advertising, marketing, creative, media, and production professionals.

Saturday, February 21, 2009
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee

6-7pm: The Gallery
- Networking & Showcase of Creative Entries

7-9pm: Dinner & Show Featuring Entertainment by “Christabel and the Jons”
- Presentation of Robert McCabe National Silver Medal & Hall of Fame Inductions
- ADDY Winners Reel

Tickets: $65 Per Person | $600 for a Table of 10
- Table assignments from the front of the ballroom to the back are made on a first-paid-first-reserved basis. RSVP to Karen Taylor: edirector@aafknoxville.com or 865-742-4838.

ADDY Entrants

The following companies and individuals have entered the 44th Annual Knoxville ADDY Awards. Judging is tomorrow, Saturday, January 24, so keep your fingers crossed for everyone behind the great work from 2008 that has been submitted.

• Blue Media Boutique
• Bluegill Creative
• Cassandra Design
• Chaney Marketing Services
• Clarityworks
• Colloredo & Associates
• Designsensory
• DrozDezign
• Early & Associates
• Environmental Systems Corporation
• First Baptist Concord
• Friends of Literacy
• Hornsby Brand Design
• Lamar Outdoor Advertising
• Mediapulse
• Merritt Music Productions
• Orange Apple Branding Boutique
• Pellissippi State Student Cordelia Norris
• Phyllis Samples Creative
• PME Communications
• Rowland Productions
• S.D. Professionals
• Shelton Group
• TeamHealth
• The Bingham Group
• The Tombras Group
• TradeMark Advertising
• University of Tennessee Knoxville Student Madhuri Jagadish
• Virtual Interactive Center

ADDYs Are Getting Close

Entries Due January 22

Knoxville's biggest and best advertising competition is now taking entries. The 44th Annual ADDY Awards ceremony will held February 21 at the Crowne Plaza, with a gala event that celebrates the best advertising and communications work in the East Tennessee area.

You can now enter your work online by clicking here. Hard copies of your entries must be dropped off on January 22 at the Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive. The online entry process is simple and quick, and you'll have your work ready for review by some of the best communications minds in the nation.

Watch for more ADDY updates in the upcoming days. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever! Check out www.aafknoxville.com and our Facebook page, too.