Still imagery and motion video took center stage as Wray Ward collected 11 ADDY trophies at this year’s Charlotte American Advertising Awards (AAAwards).

“Visual storytelling feeds our intrinsic hunger for great stories,” said Jennifer Appleby, president and chief creative officer at Wray Ward. “Compelling photography and video content come to life in the always evolving digital space, and they’re the difference makers in a fast-paced landscape where every brand is competing for their audience’s attention.”

Wray Ward won two Gold ADDY Awards for work for Sunbrella^® fabrics, a luxury, high-performance fabric featured both indoors and outdoors in residential and commercial spaces. The Sunbrella Future of Shade campaign and video won for Integrated Advertising Campaign, while Sunbrella photography claimed top honors in the category Film and Video: Animation, Special Effects or Motion Graphics.

The agency’s photography for Sunbrella also won a Silver ADDY Award for Print Advertising – Branded Content, while Wray Ward won a silver award for the redesign of its own website last year. The website redesign coincided with a brand refresh in celebration of Wray Ward’s 40th anniversary.

LEVOLOR^® also refreshed and relaunched its timeless blinds and shades in 2017 and debuted a television spot created by Wray Ward as part of the rebranding campaign that earned a silver award. The VELUX® Fifth Wall TV ad won a Silver ADDY Award for Film, Video and Sound for a TV spot that flipped a normal room on its side, styling it sideways and right ways to show consumers how to consider their ceiling a fifth wall where a skylight can be an added source for natural light. The spot aired on HGTV and was used online in paid and social media.

“Rich video content is transforming brand marketing,” said John Roberts, executive creative director for Wray Ward. “We live to create and push boundaries to craft better performing work that’s magnetic enough to rise above the noise. It’s really exciting to see this work resonate with our colleagues and ADDY judges from the creative community.”

A campaign for TOTO USA’s Washlet garnered Silver ADDY Awards for both video and still photography. The campaign, which used humor to visually showcase the freshness that comes from a Washlet experience, was honored for Film, Video and Sound – Internet Commercial as well as Elements of Advertising – Still. The video and imagery used in both pieces of creative were captured at a single video shoot by Wray Ward’s motion and photography teams at the agency’s new in-house studio. The studio opened in the fall to give the agency a flexible, dedicated space that would offer creative synergies and budget efficiencies to its creative and motion teams.

No studio could replicate the natural beauty of Crescent Communities’ Palmetto Bluff, a resort destination and luxury residential neighborhood in the low country of South Carolina. Wray Ward won a Silver ADDY Award for still photography of Palmetto Bluff as well as silver for a print magazine campaign that uses photography and ethereal copywriting to tell the story of this treasured space. Work for Palmetto Bluff also earned a silver award in Out-of-Home and Ambient Media – Campaign for a visual campaign designed to capture the attention of prospective property buyers at Charlotte Douglas and Savannah/Hilton Head airports.

The Charlotte AAAwards, programmed by the Charlotte chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), recognize creative work from the Charlotte region and were judged by McCann NY’s Marco Howell, McGarry Bowen’s Lee Remias and VGM Marketing’s Laura Hand. Gold ADDY award winners automatically move on to the District 3 competition, and the annual competition culminates at the national American Advertising Awards this summer.

Contact:
Heather Tamol
704-926-1326
htamol@wrayward.com

Sarah Headley
704-790-1558
sheadley@wrayward.com