CJRW News

Big ADDY honors for CJRW

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600

Another year, another fantastic February for the CJRW team. The Little Rock Chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) honored us with 72 ADDY Awards, slightly more than half of the total professional awards handed out at the 2013 annual ceremony.

The 2013 ADDY Awards ceremony was held at the Arkansas Arts Center.

We were honored across multiple categories – print, broadcast, and interactive media – and we were presented with 72 of 143 total professional awards including four special judges' awards for Best of Show, Best of Broadcast, Best of Web, and Best Art Direction. The awards were won on behalf of 27 different clients.

Speaking for all of us, our chairman and CEO Wayne Woods explained that while it’s certainly an honor to be recognized for our creative work, we are more excited about the fact that the work produced great results for our clients. In fact, recent research has shown that advertising honored for creativity can be more effective at driving sales, while also improving brand image in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

The big winner of the night was Oaklawn Racing and Gaming’s “Racing Season” poster campaign, which received six gold ADDYs, three silver awards, and one bronze award. The “Racing Season” campaign also took home the Best Art Direction honor and the prestigious Best of Show honor.

Team members discuss the Oaklawn "Racing Season" campaign that took the "Best of Show" honor.

There were 413 professional and student entries submitted in this year's competition. The gold and silver winners will move on to regional ADDY awards competition, and those winners will move on to the national ADDY competition.

The team celebrates.

2013 AAF Little Rock ADDY Awards / CJRW Totals

Gold/ Silver/Bronze

13 Gold ADDYs (out of 30)

25 Silver ADDYs (out of 47)

34 Bronze ADDYs (out of 66)

Judges' Awards:

“Best of Show” – Oaklawn “Racing Season” Campaign (print)

“Best of Broadcast” – Mozilla Firefox “Film Classics” campaign (video)

“Best Web” – CookwellOils.com (website)
“Best Art Direction” – Oaklawn “Racing Season” Campaign (print)

72 Total Professional ADDYs (out of 143)

By Client:

American Heart Association
Arkansas Ad Fed
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Arkansas AIMS
AR Kids Read
Boys & Girls Club
Bronze & Brewskies (event)
Cookwell Oils
Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods (self-promotion)
Helix
Hog Heaven
Hot Springs
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Iowa Economic Development Authority
Junior League of Little Rock
Kum & Go
Little Rock Film Festival
Mozilla Firefox
Northwest Arkansas Council
Oaklawn Racing & Gaming
The Oxford American
Salvation Army
Stamp Out Smoking
Susan G. Komen
Tyson Foods Inc.
University of Central Arkansas
Williamson Insurance

Chris Cranford Wins International Photo Competition

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600

Recently, Chris Cranford took a break from his Jones Film Video work to snap a good, old-fashioned still photo (developed in a dark room, no less!) that won first place in an international, juried competition sponsored by Soho Photo Gallery in New York City. Chris’s entry in the 15^th International Krappy Kamera Juried Competition was selected from among 1,200 entries from 180 photographers across 40 states and 12 foreign countries.

Chris's winning entry, taken in San Francisco.

According to the Soho Photo Gallery website, the Krappy Kamera competition was born in the nineties, out of a desire to highlight photos taken on older, “junky” cameras with “lousy lenses,” rather than on state-of-the-art, high-end devices.

On the Soho Photo Gallery site, the Gallery’s Sandra Carrion explains that the initial local Krappy Kamera contest received so much publicity that it “sort of took off on its own,” and photographers from around the country began contacting her to find out how they could be involved. So in 1997, she and another gallery member organized the first National Krappy Kamera® Competition. Since then, with its growth in popularity, the contest has expanded internationally.

Chris’s winning entry (above) was taken in San Francisco during a trip to film a new project for Firefox. Chris used an old favorite – a Holga 120N – to capture the image.

Chris and his Holga 120N on a recent trip to Peru.

You can see Chris’s winning photo and the other entries here.

International Appeal: CJRW Creates Video for Club de Madrid

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0600

In December, CJRW and Jones Film Video were challenged with developing a unique “welcome” video for a very special event – the annual conference of the Club de Madrid. The Club de Madrid is a prestigious non-profit organization composed of 88 democratic former presidents and prime ministers from 58 countries, making it the world’s largest forum of former heads of state and government. The group came together to respond to a growing demand for support among world leaders in two key areas: democratic leadership and governance; and response to crisis and post-crisis situations.

The members of this elite organization convened in Little Rock last month for a conference titled "Harnessing 21st Century Solutions: A Focus on Women," which was hosted by former President Bill Clinton. This video provided a powerful and informative overview of Arkansas and it was shown to all conference attendees upon their arrival.

CJRW's Gabe Holmstrom to Provide Debate Analysis on KARK

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0500

CJRW’s Gabe Holmstrom will provide post-presidential debate analysis with Bill Vickery tonight on KARK 4 News in Little Rock. You can catch Gabe in action around 10 p.m. on KARK Channel 4, and again Tuesday, October 23 at 6:45 a.m.

Gabe shares his observations weekly on KARK’s “Political Plays of the Week.” You can watch he and Bill share their thoughts on last week’s Presidential debate here.

Gabe Holmstrom is a Public Affairs Specialist at CJRW. He has managed two campaigns for Congress and spent three years as a spokesman for Attorney General Dustin McDaniel.

Welcome, Lauren and Kayla!

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0500

CJRW announced that Lauren Bridges has been hired as account executive and Kayla Shaffer has been hired as administrative assistant for the Travel and Tourism Publications Department.

Lauren Bridges

Bridges most recently served as sales manager at Vowell Inc. where she managed a team of account executives for AY Magazine and Talk Business Quarterly. Bridges began as an intern, was later hired as an account executive then circulation manager before being promoted to sales manager. Bridges attended Ouachita Baptist University where she earned a bachelor of arts in mass communication.

Kayla Shaffer

Shaffer will serve as administrative assistant in the Travel and Tourism Publications Department. She worked as a temp to CJRW for four months prior to being hired full time. Shaffer graduated with a bachelor of arts in psychology from Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, Penn. While there, she gained experience interning for Northwestern Human Services and as program assistant for the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program in Somerset, Penn.

AAF Honor: Shelby Woods receives Silver Medal Award

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Shelby surrounded by members of the CJRW family.

It wasn’t an average business lunch for our chairman emeritus and co-founder Shelby Woods on Thursday, June 28. Surrounded by colleagues, friends, and local ad industry leaders at a special luncheon hosted by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) – Little Rock Chapter, Shelby was honored with the AAF Silver Medal Award for his contributions to the advertising industry.

The AAF's Silver Medal Award Program was established in 1959, to recognize men and women who have made “outstanding contributions to advertising” and who have been active in “furthering the industry's standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern.” AAF member clubs bestow this honor upon outstanding members of the local advertising community.

This prestigious award follows closely on the heels of Shelby’s induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame in March and the agency’s big wins in AAF’s National ADDY Awards in early June.

Shelby has played a lead role in virtually every substantial tourism development in Arkansas over the past 45 years – from the formation of the Regional Tourism Associations and passage of the 2% Tourism Tax, to publication of the first and all subsequent annual Arkansas Tour Guides.

Tim Irby of UAMS presents Shelby with his award. Shelby founded The Woods Brothers Agency in 1967. Joined by his brother, Wayne, the agency quickly developed a reputation for expertise in promotion of the travel and tourism industry. In 1990, Shelby and Wayne Woods were named "Advertising Men of the Year" by the Arkansas Advertising Federation and the Woods Brothers Agency merged with Cranford Johnson Robinson & Associates.

We, the CJRW family, are extremely proud of Shelby and we congratulate him on this significant honor. Check out the video Jones Film Video produced for this special occasion:

Big Stage, Big Wins: CJRW Nabs Five National ADDY Awards

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0500

So far, 2012 has been a great year for CJRW’s creative team. Great as in “pop-the-champagne” great. It began back in February, when the Little Rock Chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) honored us with 87 ADDY Awards, more than half of the total professional awards given at the 2012 annual ceremony. Then, CJRW won 23 American Advertising Federation Tenth District ADDY Awards for 2012, more than any other agency in the four-state district. To top it off, in June, CJRW was awarded five National ADDYs – three gold and two silver – in what many call the “Oscars of the Advertising Industry.” That's more national ADDYs than any other agency in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, or Arkansas. In fact, we were the only winner from Arkansas and one of the top 10 agencies nationwide in total ADDY Awards received.

Samples of our winning work.

We’re incredibly honored and grateful to have received these prestigious awards from our peers. We’re also humbled to be in such amazing company at the top of the ADDY list. Our five awards put us in the eighth spot overall, behind industry leaders such as Leo Burnett, BBDO, and Publicis New York.

For more examples of our winning work, go here and here.

Welcome, Jessie and Allison!

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0500

CJRW announced that Jessie Russell has been hired as art director and Allison Lafargue has been hired as account coordinator.

Jessie Russell

Russell’s career at CJRW began with an internship in the creative department during the summer of 2009. Shortly after, Russell attended the Pratt Institute and earned a Master in Communication Design. While in New York City, she worked as a graphic designer for Conde’ Nast Traveler.

As art director, she will be responsible for providing art direction in print, television and Web mediums for CJRW’s numerous clients. Russell is a graduate of Harding University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design.

Alison Lafargue

Lafargue will serve as account coordinator in CJRW’s public relations department. She has experience in social media, grassroots programs, and electronic marketing. A Shreveport, La. native, Lafargue graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 2011, with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.

Oxford American Launches Updated Website

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Today marks the debut of the new, updated Oxford American website, and we at CJRW are proud to have played a part in its development.

The editorial staff of the award-winning magazine of Southern writing contacted us when their site was in need of a fresh look and expansion in order to better highlight their rich content offerings, and our interactive team went to work.

The result? New colors, layout, and improved navigation for a better user experience; new homepage content areas; new header images and sub-navigation; and, the addition of new contributor blogs and guest blogs.

We’ll let the good folks at OA describe the new site in their own words (fresh from their latest e-letter):

"The new site has a shiny new surface and is easy to navigate.

Best of all, the new site introduces a plethora of new Oxford American talent: new voices, new departments, new perspectives, new quality.

The OA spirit remains intact. You will just find more of it: more high-quality, soulful writing on intriguing and essential Southern topics.

This week, in Phase One of our debut (Phase Two comes next week), we offer the first course of all the fresh and cheeky new columnists that we’re debuting."

You can check out the Oxford American’s new online look and all the new content here and sign up for their e-letter here.

VIDEO: Illuminate the Cure

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 -0500

On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13, hundreds of pink lanterns floated into the clear evening sky over the Arkansas River to celebrate the women who bring so much to the world, and to our lives. It was the inaugural Illuminate the Cure: A Mother's Day Celebration, a special event created, supported, and promoted by CJRW and benefiting the Arkansas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

"Illuminate the Cure surpassed our expectations. Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods came to Susan G. Komen with an idea – to honor its 50^th anniversary and sponsor an event to raise money for our organization," says Sherrye McBryde, Executive Director of the Arkansas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “We watched with awe as their creative minds took twists and turns from an event to a candlelight vigil and, finally, to Illuminate the Cure."

More than 400 people took part in the lantern launch, while hundreds more watched from either side of the official launch site, the Big Dam Bridge.

"From creating logos, posters, and signage to helping with the media, logistics, and organizing volunteers for the event – CJRW helped us with all aspects of Illuminate the Cure," McBryde explained. "CJRW honored mothers, raised money for a worthy cause, and showed their love for the community that has supported them for 50 years. Their professionalism matched by their passion created an event we expect will be part of Little Rock’s culture for years to come."

Learn more about Illuminate the Cure here.