Get Ready for a Big Surprise in This Year’s Jersey Awards

Keep a sharp eye out in the mail next month for the 38th Annual Jersey Awards call-for-entries. It’ll be worth the wait. But we can’t say more at this time. The theme for the entire program is so outside the box and nobody involved wants to lose the element of surprise.

Each item in the package was prepared and developed in a deeply secretive atmosphere rivaling the Skunk Works of the Cold War era by Scott Lackey, Business and Strategic Development Director, and Jeff Griffith, Creative Director, for The Scheer Advertising Group — winners of Best of Show, Best of Television, Best of Collateral and 18 other awards at the 2005 Jersey Awards. The pair and their staff have completely revamped every element of the awards competition, from the Jersey Awards logo and scope of the entry categories to the honors certificate, identification signage and more. “Our whole aim is to create an ambience that will make it more inviting to enter the show,” Lackey explained.

Several changes instituted last year will be retained for the upcoming competition. Foremost will be the online submission of all entries. Entrants were highly pleased with the simplicity provided by using the New Jersey Advertising Club website. The entry system guides the entrant through each step of the process. Once all information is entered and submitted, the program prints labels, totals all entries and supplies the final cost. All that remains is affixing the printed label on each entry, inserting entries into one of three sized plastic bags and forwarding all entries via messenger, mail or in person to the Ad Club office at 75 Kearny Avenue, PO Box 6, Kearny, NJ 07032. One further refinement is the addition of spaces on the entry label for the copywriter, media person, etc. involved with the entry.

There are over 130 categories, including separate classifications for Hispanic and/or foreign language submissions.
The line was held on Jersey Awards fee structure. The pricing is:

In addition, for a flat fee of $150, New Jersey Ad Club members may advertise or self-promote their agencies or companies with special signage and sponsor tables the Jersey Awards dinner and exhibition. Sponsorship opportunities are available at $500. For details, please contact Pat Hanley at the Ad Club office.

BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE TO HOST JERSEY AWARDS JUDGING
Judging will be conducted in March at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield. The school provides state-of-the-art classrooms and facilities. Moreover, students led by Ad Club member Vanessa Perez have volunteered to work with the Scheer Advertising Group to design and develop centerpiece displays for the Jersey Awards dinner. The dinner will be held May 23, 2006, at Mayfair Farms in West Orange.

Finalists will be notified in April.

In addition to Lackey and Griffith, the Jersey Awards Committee members are: Herb Barry, Titan Outdoor; Sheila Cohen, FastTrack Marketing Solutions, LLC; John Howell, consultant; Lana Jackson, WLTW Lite FM 106.7; Lewis Kraut, Prism Press; and Suzanne Poor, Miller/Poor Associates. Co-chairs are Oscar Betancur, The Starr Group, and Ralph Gonzalez, Three Rivers Associates.

Volunteers are being sought to judge the Long Island Advertising Club BOLI entries on Saturday, February 4, 2006. Transportation, food and gifts are provided.

If you are interested, contact Ralph Gonzalez at 973.857.5161 or via e-mail at poorsue@aol.com.

return to December 2005 Adtalk