CINCINNATI – (March 4, 2022) – Empower: The Un-Holding Company was the most awarded agency at the Cincinnati American Advertising Awards. The standing ovation received after winning best in Best of Show for its Grind Before You Shine video series documenting the agency’s very own Search Specialist Annette Echikunwoke’s Olympic journey in Hammer Throw was just one of many that Empower’s talented team received at the award ceremony.
“Winning Best of Show for the second year in a row reinforces Empower is Cincinnati’s leading Creative as well as Media agency,” said Rob FitzGerald, president and COO at Empower. “Our creative prowess permeates from client work and the work we do for ourselves… thanks to our in-house content studio and talented team who create on the fly. The Grind Before You Shine story is sentimental to the company in many ways, but also shows the range of what we’re capable of,” he said.
Empower also earned Gold for Creative work done for clients Skyline Chili and TriHealth as well as the agency’s 2021 holiday campaign Retail of 03 Cities.
Earning Silver are a variety of comedic agency-life based videos created to rejuvenate Empower’s culture in the height of the pandemic, including Empower Gets a Robot, Empower WFH… Still, and a unique take on the benefits of working at The Un-Holding Company. Empower also earned Silver for a social media campaign for client American Standard–the same brand that won two National Gold ADDY Awards and Best of Show at the Cincinnati ADDY Awards in 2021 for #Flush2020 led by Empower.
See below for a full list of awards won and which entries placed at Districts* and are moving onto Nationals.
- Best of Show, Film, Video & Sound
- Gold, Film, Video, & Sound / Webisode Series*
- Gold, Elements of Advertising / Video Editing*
Grind Before You Shine, episode 4
- Gold, Elements of Advertising / Cinematography*
- Gold, Film, Video, & Sound / Webisode*
Grind Before You Shine, episode 5
- Gold, Film, Video, & Sound / Webisode*
Grind Before You Shine, episode 6
- Gold, Film, Video, & Sound / Webisode*
- Gold, Elements of Advertising / Art Direction, Campaign*
- Gold, Elements of Advertising / Art Direction*
- Silver, Film, Video, & Sound / Local TV Advertising
- Silver, Film, Video, & Sound / Local TV Advertising Campaign
- Silver, Integrated Advertising Campaigns / Consumer, Local
- Silver, Online Interactive/ Social Media, Campaign
- Gold, Online/Interactive / Social Media Campaign
Skyline Block of the Week (13 days)
- Silver, Elements of Advertising / Music with Lyrics
Skyline Block of the Week: Cheese Turkey
- Silver, Film, Video, & Sound / Branded Content & Entertainment: Film, Video, & Sound
- Silver, Online Interactive/ Social Media, Campaign
- Gold, Corporate Social Responsibility / Ambient Media
- Gold, Corporate Social Responsibility / Marketing & Specialty Advertising Campaign
- Silver, Integrated Media / Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign
Empower Works from Home… Still (Terry Dillon, Stephanie Calloway & The Glovers)
- Silver, Film, Video, & Sound / Branded Content & Entertainment – Non-Broadcast
- Silver, Branded Content & Entertainment – Non-Broadcast
Un-Holdem
- Silver, Elements of Advertising / Music with Lyrics
Read more about the night’s winnings in The Cincinnati Business Courier’s “Top Cincinnati Agency Wins Big at 2022 Addy Awards” article.
About The ADDYS
The American Advertising Awards, aka the ADDYS, is one of the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition, attracting over 40,000 entries every year in local AAF Ad Club competitions. The mission of the American Advertising Awards competition is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.
Conducted annually by the AAF, the local Ad Club phase is the first of a three-tier, national competition. Concurrently, all across the country, local entrants vie to win ADDY Awards—recognition as the very best in their markets. At the second tier, local ADDY winners compete against winners from other local clubs in one of 15 district competitions. District ADDY winners are then forwarded to the third tier, the national stage of the American Advertising Awards. Entry in your local Ad Club competition is the first step toward winning a national ADDY.
About Empower Media
America’s largest woman-owned media agency
Our advantage is simple: Clients first – not shareholders.
From the day we opened our doors in 1985, Empower has always challenged the media status quo.
Empower is a highly awarded and respected media agency. We are a multi-year recipient of “Agency of the Year” from MediaPost and Campaign US with honors from Ad Age and Adweek.
Our senior and experienced integrated team of Communications Strategy, Media Innovation, Media Planning and Buying, Creative, Marketing Scientists, Influencer Marketing and Data-Analytics work in collaboration on our client’s business daily.
Empower’s client tenure rate is unmatched–3X the industry average. Our clients include Tempur Sealy, Wendy’s, Brooks Running, Fifth Third Bank, Gorilla Glue, O'Keeffe's, E.W. Scripps, Jack Link’s, VTech, Bush Brothers, Zaxby’s, GNC, Famous Footwear, Ashley, LIXIL, O-Cedar, Rust-Oleum and RoC Skincare.
Empower Media is woman-run (67% female) and woman-owned – making it the largest woman-owned media agency in America.
Our offices are in Chicago, Cincinnati, Atlanta, New York, Houston and Palm Beach.
Find us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and online.
