An ADDYs like no other – and that’s how we like it.
Each year, it takes a different form: a wedding, a science exhibit, a pro-wrestling extravaganza. The task of branding our local advertising awards, dubbed the ADDYs, changes hands on an annual basis and this year, the baton was passed to the talented team at The Martin Group.
The concept the team unanimously agreed upon was Saints + Sinners: an evocative mesh of non-denominational religious undertones, drag queen culture, and, of course, advertising. Executing this concept would take a Herculean effort from the entire agency along with many talented and trusted partners. The show itself became a perfect representation of the overall concept. Set in The Sanctuary at Asbury Hall in Babeville, a renovated 19th-century church, a quartet of professional drag queens performed musical numbers, interacted with (and dragged) audience members, and introduced our industry’s local awards.
Leading up to the show was an equal level of logistical excellence. Promotion of the event included multiple waves of social media, web, and email communication fueled by a small army of agency content creators and developers. The email campaign generated an open rate of 28.5% with a click-through rate of 4.2% – well above industry benchmarks – while the show’s microsite delivered nearly 3,700 sessions with an average time on page of over three minutes. One explanation for the site’s success is the unique content produced for the show, especially the online Drag Name Generator that pushed out 439 unique names to excited attendees.
It’s true these positive data points highlight an effective campaign, but it was the in-person audience’s visceral, positive response that proved the show was a complete success – and one, we hope, they won’t soon forget.