Wal-Mart Holiday Ad Voted “Best of the Best” at RACie Awards Gala

Wal-Mart Holiday Ad Voted “Best of the Best” at RACie Awards Gala
--OfficeMax, Best Buy, Target Among Other Award Winners-- 

For the first time, audience members at the gala were allowed to choose the “Best of the Best” in retail advertising through live voting. By a narrow margin, audience members chose Wal-Mart’s Holiday 2006 “The 12 Minutes of Christmas” advertisement to receive the year’s top honor over advertisements from OfficeMax and Build-A-Bear. The television spot, produced by Bernstein-Rein Advertising, featured an unprepared guest at a Secret Santa party who begins a sing-along to “The 12 Days of Christmas” in order to rush out and purchase several gifts from a nearby Wal-Mart. Of course, he makes it back to the party with several CDs in a gift bag just as the final verse is ending. 

“Today’s retail campaigns need to be buzz-worthy to attract a different type of consumer,” said RAMA Executive Director Mike Gatti. “We are excited to honor those whose passion exudes from their work and whose creativity inspires others to reach higher.” 

The following companies received the Gold Award for excellence in advertising and marketing in these categories: 

Recipient                     Category                                  Campaign

Target                           4th Quarter multi-media               Holiday ’06: Bright Lights in Union Square Park

Target                           4th Quarter single media              Holiday 2006 press kit

OfficeMax                      4th Qu. innovation/new media       World’s Largest Rubberband Ball

Mervyns                        Ad That Never Ran                     Back to School Advertorial

Target                           Creative Award                           Target Branding Intensification

Bootlegger                     International                               Bootlegger Generation B Campaign

OfficeMax                      Large multi-media                      Back to School Campaign: Schooled

Target                           Direct Mail                                 Target Baby Registry Catalog

Target                           Gift Cards                                  Cars

Half Price Books            In-Store                                     Love, Cherish & Let Go

Target                           Insert                                        Minneapolis Institute of Arts Pop-Up

Best Buy/Geek Squad    Magazine                                  Bookmark

Best Buy/Geek Squad    Online Ad                                  Dancing Agent

Minnesota Twins            Outdoor Ad                                Torri Poster “What Goes Up”

Canadian Tire                ROP                                         Mountain

Half Price Books            Website                                    DeleteCensorship.org

OfficeMax                      Small multi-media                      Ink Refill Tattoo Campaign

In addition to choosing the “Best of the Best,” more than 600 retail marketing and advertising professionals at the gala voted for winners of six awards. The following companies were selected by the audience in their respective categories: 

Recipient                     Category                                  Campaign

Build-A-Bear Workshop  Single media                             Unscripted Campaign

Canadian Tire                Innovation/New media                 Hydro Pole (E-Bike)

NTRA                            Radio                                        Water Park

JCPenney                     Television single spot                 Crazy Beautiful

Wal-Mart                       4th Quarter single media              Be Bright Holiday Campaign

Wal-Mart                       4th Quarter television                   The 12 Minutes of Christmas

Additionally, JCPenney received the Peter Glen Award for its “JCPenney Jam: Concert for America’s Kids” event. The concert and a CD/DVD twinpack have raised more than $2,000,000 for the company’s Afterschool Fund, a non-profit organization committed to providing safe and enriching after school programs for America’s youth. 

At the event, RAMA also welcomed Minda Gralnek and Eric Erickson, both Vice Presidents and Creative Directors for Target, into the Retail Advertising Hall of Fame. RAMA’s Hall of Fame has remained a cornerstone of the association for over 50 years and continues to set the standard for the brightest and most creative visionaries in the retail marketing and advertising industry. 

The Retail Advertising & Marketing Association, a division of the National Retail Federation, is a trade association of over 1500 retail marketing and advertising executives, plus their supporting partners from the advertising agency, media and service-provider areas. RAMA sponsors the annual Retail Advertising Conference, the largest single gathering of retail marketing and advertising professionals in the industry today. RAMA also produces the RACie Awards Competition, the most prestigious creative contest in retail. http://www.rama-nrf.org/

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