NEW YORK — A direct mail campaign from Belgian agency I DO for human resources managers to buy a pensions brochure won the top Caples Maxwell Sackheim Best in Show Award last night.
The “Cyriel (84) needs a job” business standard direct mail piece (under $500/M) was designed for HR managers to buy a brochure on pensions produced by business newspaper De TIJD. Creative director and copywriter Johan Verest, art director Laurent Van Loon and production manager Stefaan Dufoer created the mailer at the Brussels-based I DO.
As in recent years, Proximity BBDO’s international network – including Clemenger Proximity and CP Comunicacion – collected the most Caples awards. The tally of 24 included five 1st places, twelve 2nd places and seven 3rd places.
M&C Saatchi came in next with nine Caples, followed by Arc Worldwide with seven and Draftfcb and DDB with five each. BMF and 20:20 London won four Caples each and Wunderman, I DO and OgilvyOne took home three each.
The two Caples winners were chemistry, WVAV Rapp Collins, Craik Jones, Publicis Dialog, Lowe Hunt and The Martin Agency.
Some big and some small agencies went home with a single Caples: Stephens Francis Whitson, Mercer Bell, Saatchi & Saatchi, RDA, Clark, McKay & Walpole, Presky Maves, TDA, Rodgers Townsend, Futurecom Interactive Mullen, Shackleton and Cummins & Partners.
When measured by country, the United Kingdom won 24 Caples: four 1st place awards, thirteen 2nd places and seven 3rd places. Australia followed with four 1st place winners, six 2nd and eight 3rd, for a total of 118. New Zealand came in third with 12 Caples comprising two 1st place awards, three 2nd and five 3rd.
Germany won eight Caples, the United States seven – four 2nd place winners and three 3rds, but no 1st places – and South Africa and Malaysia took home five each. Spain won four and Belgium three.
Countries winning a Caples each were the Czech Republic, Singapore, Switzerland and Thailand.
Sliced by region, Europe won 40 Caples, followed closely by Asia-Pacific with 38. North America and Latin America bagged seven each and Africa five.
The honors were handed out at the 29th Annual John Caples International Awards.
Also honored at the event were three special Caples Awards recipients. Marcio Salem, president of Sao Paulo, Brazil-based agency Salem, won the Irving Wunderman Award for lifetime creative achievement. And the Andi Emerson Award for lifetime outstanding service to direct and interactive marketing went to two DM veterans: Thomas L. Collins and Nancy Harhut.
Andi Emerson founded Caples in honor of famed BBDO copywriter John Caples. The awards honor individuals and teams who have produced outstanding creative solutions to direct marketing challenges. Creative directors from around the world judge their peers’ entries.
Caples this year received more than 1,000 entries from 20 countries. Of those, 18 submissions gained 1st place, 37 were judged 2nd place winners and 35 gained the 3rd place. In addition to the 90 winners, 95 non-placing entries from 22 countries made the final round.
“We’re seeing a lot more agencies entering that haven’t entered [before],” said Gary Scheiner, executive vice president and executive creative director of Rivet, an Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. agency in New York. “It’s not the ‘same old, same old.’
“We’re seeing more diversity,” he said. “Continuing a trend, there [are] a lot of international … entries and winners.”
Mr. Scheiner is director of judging for Caples. He also noticed a couple of other trends.
“Interestingly, Caples is not seeing a huge amount of emerging trend entries, like a lot of mobile marketing and things like that,” Mr. Scheiner said. “We’re definitely seeing a lot more integration where a story may start out in television or print or mail and find its way into a deeper conversation online.”
