Hello AAF of SWVA!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for the excellent work that you have done this year. It is the work that you do day in and day out the elevates the businesses and organizations of our region, and inspires us to be better creatives, writers, marketers and communicators.

As you wind down 2016 and reflect on the year (and what a crazy year it has been), take some time to think about your best work this year. The work that was on point, sent a clear message, met the needs of your client – you know what I’m talking about…the work you are absolutely proud of. We want to celebrate that!

Take a few moments over the next couple of days and start your American Advertising Awards entries. Don’t worry – you have time to finish them when you get back into the office, but I promise you’ll be happy you got started.

This year is our 5th year hosting the first round of the American Advertising Awards in Southwest Virginia! Can you believe it?! And this year, more than most, I think we are all ready to unwind and relax a bit. That’s why I am so excited about our “Addy in Paradise” theme. Jimmy Buffett is the king of relaxing. I’m also excited to announce that our laid-back celebration will be taking place at the Wayne C. Henderson School for Appalachian Arts in Marion, VA the unofficial “Keywest of SWVA”. And to celebrate our 5th year and all the hard work we each do, we are partnering with the Henderson School to display all our entries in their main gallery from February into March! This is just one more way to showcase the creative communications work of Southwest Virginia.

Enjoy these last few days of 2016. We’ll see you at entry drop-offs on January 10th, 2017. In the mean time, let me know if I can help you in anyway with your entries. And remember – “when life gives you limes, just make margaritas.”

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Don’t worry we are here to help. Just think Mad Men meets James Bond. Ladies – you’ve got the curve hugging dresses of Joan or free-hipped skirts of Peggy. And for you gentlemen, what do Draper and Bond have in common – a well tailored suit. Then throw in a splash of red (because you can’t have an Alfred Hitchcock movie without a signature color) and you are all set!

To get you started, here are a few websites and local shops that might help…

For the Ladies:
Modcloth
Vintage Make-up Guide
Act II | Marion, VA

And for the Guys:
Ballyhoo Vintage
The Vintage Hair Cut
Kegley & Co. | Abingdon, VA

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The 113^th Congress has adjourned without enacting any legislation harmful to the advertising industry.

The biggest threat to advertising in the past year was in Senate and House corporate tax reform proposals that included provisions to limit the current year deduction for advertising expenses to 50% with the remaining 50% to be amortized over a five or 10 year period.

As one of his last official acts as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich.,– who is retiring – formally introduced his package as legislation with the honorary designation of H.R. 1.  The introduction has little-to-no practical significance since introduced bills do not carry over to the next session of Congress, which begins in January.  However, it is a symbolic act that sets out a potential starting point for tax reform efforts next year.  While there are many positive aspects of the bill, the advertising provisions would be detrimental to the industry, consumers and the economy and AAF will work to keep them out of any future tax reform considerations.

On a related note, new Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., has announced that he will retain some of Chairman Camp’s committee staff, including some who were believed to be champions of amortizing advertising costs.  While all final decisions will be by members of Congress, advocates of amortization on committee staff may make for a more challenging environment for advertising.

FTC Prohibited From Issuing Report

The FY 2015 Cromnibus legislation funding the government for the coming year includes language continuing the prohibition on the Federal Trade Commission completing its Interagency Working Group report until a cost-benefit analysis is performed.  The IWG report would have issued so-called voluntary restrictions on the advertising to children of foods not meeting draconian nutrition standards.

BBB Requires Privacy Disclosures in Online Native Advertising

The Council of Better Business Bureaus Online Interest-Based Advertising Accountability Program has released notice that interest-based native advertising must comply with the Digital Advertising Alliance’sSelf-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising.  Both native advertising and interest-based advertising are growing and increasingly merging online.  AAF sits on the Board of the Digital Advertising Alliance.

AAF Government Report is available to all members of the AAF. If you are interested in receiving an e-mailed copy, please e-mail government@aaf.org.

If you are interested in receiving AAF SmartBrief, an opt-in news service, please visitwww.smartbrief.com/aaf. AAF SmartBrief condenses advertising industry news from dozens of media sources into a succinct, easy to read e-mail.

Go to the Government Affairs Main Page.

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At the same time, Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa and Representative Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. and many of their Democratic colleagues have written to the Federal Trade Commission asking for increased oversight of food and beverage companies to ensure that they are making progress on reducing unhealthy food marketing to children and have urged companies to do a seo for new site so they can get rid of their old websites.

The letter was sent as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a study that found that major food manufacturers have cut calories in their packaged products by more than 10 percent over five years, substantially beating an industry-led pledge to trim 1.5 trillion calories by 2015.

In 2009 the 16 companies in the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation promised to cut 1.5 trillion calories from its products, compared to a 2007 baseline. But the study, authored by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found that the companies removed 6.4 trillion calories by 2012, more than quadrupling the pledged amount.

The post Government Alert: Continuing Resolution Includes Food Marketing Language appeared first on AAF SWVA.

The AAF SWVA is excited to announce the first ever Silver Medal Award Program in Southwest Virginia. This prestigious award was established by the National American Advertising Federal in 1959 to recognize the 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.

For many local clubs, like the SWVA club, awarding the AAF Silver Medal will be the highlight of the year. It enhances the image of advertising by recognizing a locally well-known person for their advertising and community involvement

You can think of it as the Lifetime Achievement award for the advertising professionals in our region, honoring the career and commitment of one of the icons of our region.  The award will be presented during the 2015 American Advertising Awards, set for Saturday February 28^th, 2015 at the Bristol Train Station.

The Silver Medal Award is the highest honor that a local club can bestow, and will certainly be a career highlight for the winner.  It is not a popularity contest or a political thing, and the selection of the recipient is not taken lightly. You do not have to be a member of AAF SWVA to nominate someone or be a nominee for the award.

You probably already have someone in mind to nominate! Nominees could be an influential educator or mentor, a leader in your company, or anyone who meets the criteria below and has made a significant impact to the advertising profession during their career. If you could use a few brownie points, this might just do the trick!

Silver Medal recipients are selected by a panel of judges based on the following criteria:

• Contribution to His/Her Company– The recipient must have achieved success in one of the following areas of work: advertising agency, advertiser, media or advertising service.
• Creative Ability– The recipient must have shown a consistent, high degree of original thinking in their field.
• Contributions to the General Advancement of Advertising– The recipient must have worked to increase the stature and raise the standards of the advertising profession.
• Contributions to the Community– The recipient should be someone who has been active in civic, religious, or other groups dedicated to human or social welfare.

Nomination process:

Nominations for the Silver Medal award open on October 1, 2014. To nominate someone for the Silver Medal Award, please visit: aafswva.com/silvermedal and complete the online form and answer several questions about the nominee by December 1, 2014 at 5:00 p.m.

Nominations must be accompanied by a list of career highlights and samples of work by January 9, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information, please contact: Elana Todt, President at  Elana.todt@aafswva

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The Highlights:

• The new About section does a better job describing the scope of AAF SWVA and our role within the larger national American Advertising Federation.
• The new Membership section was rewritten from scratch to show the best reasons that AAF is right for you and your organization.
• The new Job Board is self-serve, meaning you can log on and post your own job openings for full-time, part-time, freelance, internships and more. When you fill the position, you can also log on and remove it. To get started, head over to our Jobs page and Submit a Job. Your first job submission will register your account which you can use in the future. Once your job is submitted, it will be pending until approved by our website team.
• Our new Instagram footer widget now pulls photos with the hashtag #aafswva, so your photos can appear right on our website!
• The new Blog is just sexy.

We hope you enjoy the new site and let us know if you have any feedback!
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All entry, fee and deadline information will be posted in October on our American Advertising Awards page.

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Who are you and what organization (if applicable) do you represent?

My name is Leah Farmer and I am the Marketing and Communications Manager at United Way of Southwest Virginia.

Tell us about your business and what you do.

I manage everything marketing/design/ and even some IT needs at UW. United Way of Southwest Virginia is a volunteer organization providing support and visibility through tools, partners, advocacy, and other resources to advance the common good by focusing on improving education, helping people achieve financial stability, and promoting healthy lives, by mobilizing thousands of people to give, advocate, and volunteer to improve conditions across Southwest Virginia. We cover 5,000 square miles, approximately 12% of the state of Virginia, and serve more than 330,000 residents which includes Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Grayson, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington and Wise counties, as well as the Cities of Galax and Norton.

What made you decide to join AAF SWVA (either individually or as an organization?)

My friend Amber Amburgey of 2Color Design! She encouraged me to do it as an individual and I approached our CEO about United Way becoming a member. He saw the value in being involved in the organization and the rest is history!

What do you enjoy most about AAF SWVA?

Meeting so many people with such different talents, backgrounds and ambitions. The connections you make with other members and presenters is priceless and has really benefitted myself and United Way.

What would be one “pro tip” you can share with our membership which will make their lives better or easier?

Don’t underestimate non-profits. Giving to or volunteering with a local non-profit that has a good community relations (like United Way of Southwest Virginia) can make for exceptional networking opportunities for you and your organization!

The post Member Spotlight: United Way of Southwest Virginia appeared first on AAF SWVA.

Who are you and what organization (if applicable) do you represent?

Amber Clark, Marketing and Merchandising Manager, Berry Home Centers, Inc.

Tell us about your business and what you do.

Berry Home Centers is an independent locally-owned building materials supplier, serving southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee. We supply lumber, building materials, doors and windows, hardware, paint, power tools, and have the ability to source any special order product needed to get the job done. Our pricing stays competitive because we are an LMC (Lumbermens Merchandising Corporation) dealer. LMC is a group of independent building supplies across the country joined together to give us BILLION DOLLAR buying power. And unlike the big box stores and national chains, we value our customer relationships and our community. When you do business with us, your money stays local.

I have been Marketing and Merchandising Manager since March of 2012. It is my responsibility to help generate awareness and promote the image of Berry Home Centers in our community, through advertising, public relations, events, social media, and our showrooms. I love our company and enjoy seeing it thrive in the midst of heavy competition and big box growth.

What made you decide to join AAF SWVA (either individually or as an organization?)

I was invited at the invitation of a peer in the industry, Kim Stewart, and enjoyed the comradery between individuals in our fields. The networking and learning opportunities were the major draws.

What do you enjoy most about AAF SWVA?

The AAF SWVA events are the most enjoyable part of the club: Lunch-n-Learns, club mingles and even the American Advertising awards. It is at these events that we are able to network, learn and showcase work. And I have also enjoyed watching the club grow these last couple of years!

What would be one “pro tip” you can share with our membership which will make their lives better or easier?

Never stop learning. It is cliché to say, but technology changes so quickly that it really can leave us behind. What helped me with my first jobs out of college was my art degree, knowledge of design programs and decent computer literacy. But now, just a few years later, you have to have more than just that to stay current in our fields. And now I have to at least know what people are talking about when they say “Panda algorithms” and “Image-Centric Content” and “Responsive Websites.” It serves to remind me that I have to work hard and keep learning to be good at what I do.

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Enjoy!

Business Communications Etiquette Slides (PDF)

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