Rumors were churning last week that the entry deadline for the local American Advertising Awards, better known as the ADDYs, had passed without several local marketing agencies getting an invitation to submit their work.
It turns out the due date for entries mentioned on AdClub Little Rock’s website referred to last year’s contest. This year, there won’t be any ADDYs.
Local chapter leader Jon Hodges of the Sells Agency in Little Rock told Whispers that dwindling interest this year doomed the contest. “Due to the steadily decreasing number of ADDY entries the past several years, the cost of bringing in judges from out of market to judge the entries paired with the cost of holding an awards program, it was decided not to hold the local ADDY competition this year,” Hodges said.
“Hopefully, pending an increase in interest within the advertising community in the future, the ADDY competition will be held again.”
Several top Arkansas firms had been skipping the competition for “quite a few years,” Hodges said last year, including CJRW, Mangan Holcomb Partners and Stone Ward. More than one executive cited the cost, noting that entries ran $80 apiece for AdClub members and $100 for nonmembers.
Chip Culpepper, principal and creative chief at MHP, said the Addys at one time drew 1,800 to 2,000 entries per year. Last year’s contest had 56 entries.
