Ted Ward, GEICO VP/marketing, was inducted into the American Marketing Association – DC Chapter’s (AMA-DC) Hall of Fame during its 7th Annual “M” Awards celebration. And, ad agency Williams Whittle was recognized as the AMA-DC Marketer of the Year for its successful USO 2008 campaign.
Each year, AMA-DC presents the Hall of Fame Award to a leader who inspires others in the local marketing community, and has made distinguished and consistent contributions to the marketing profession. Ward was installed in the chapter’s Hall of Fame for his exceptional achievements in marketing.
“The AMA-DC membership is especially proud to honor Mr. Ward for all of his exceptional achievements in marketing”, said AMA-DC President James Jacques. “The success of the Gecko, Caveman, and Squirrel campaigns that we all know and, more importantly, associate with the GEICO brand, is a substantiation of his intuition for exceptional messaging and creative delivery.”
Past Hall of Fame recipients include Catherine Meloy, president and CEO of Goodwill of Greater Washington; Bruce Himelstein, Sr. Vice President of sales and marketing for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company; William Novelli, CEO of AARP; JW Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International; and Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals.
The M Awards were handed out to area marketers in recognition of their successful marketing campaigns demonstrating solid strategy, brilliant innovation, and positive return on investment. Award categories included integrated marketing and campaigns, marketing research, collateral, promotions, advertising, multimedia and computer-based marketing. Alexandra Bothwell of National Public Radio was named the Chapter’s Member of the Year.
And, Mac Mannes, Inc. won an M Award – its third in three years (2009 for Giant "Pencil" for Mac Mannes; 2008 for "GW Map" for George Washington University; and 2007 for "Bug Tie" for National Pest Management Association). Pictured above are Horace Holmes, Chris Huebner of Mac Mannes, Inc.; and James Jacques, 2008-2009 president of AMA-DC.
By way of background, what started as a small awards presentation with cold appetizers, folded chairs and 50 people has grown to close to 200 attendees and a lavish sit-down dinner.
A complete list of winners can be found at www.amadc.org.