OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (April 18, 2023) - VI Marketing and Branding, a leading digital marketing agency in Oklahoma City, took home gold at the 2023 local American Advertising Awards on Saturday, February 18^th hosted in Oklahoma City. The VI team is proud to have won 16 total awards, including the prestigious Best of Show.

VI also moved on to the district level and won three Silver ADDYs. The district 10 winners include: "It's Like They're Smoking" in Public Service TV and Integrated Media Public Service categories and Social Media Campaign, Mascots TikToks. The district winners are now moving on to compete at the national level. The national competition winners will be announced at ADAMERICA this June.

VI is proud to have received Gold ADDYs for the following campaigns:

• Integrated Media Public Service Campaign: TSET – Tobacco Stops With Me, It's Like They're Smoking
• Social Media Campaign: TSET – Shape Your Future, Mascots TikToks
• Integrated Campaign - Regional/National: TSET – Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, Cravings Crusher — Limited Time Offer
• FILM Video + Sound, Public Service Television: TSET – Tobacco Stops With Me, It's Like They're Smoking

VI is proud to have received Silver ADDYs for the following campaigns:

• Brochure Single Unit: Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department – Route 66 Brochure
• Print Campaign: TSET – Shape Your Future, Mascots Print
• Outdoor Digital: Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department – Times Square: Route 66, Native, Outdoor
• Outdoor Campaign: Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department – TravelOK Your Way — Times Square Out-of-Home Campaign
• Website Consumer: Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board – Horizon Digitally Enhanced Campus Website 
• Audio/Radio Advertising Local Single Spot :30 Sec or Less: TSET –Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, Cravings Crusher — Limited Time Offer — Radio
• Television Local Single Spot :30 Sec or Less: TSET — Shape Your Future, Mascots, Move More
• Direct Marketing: Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department  – Route 66 Passport Campaign 

VI is proud to have received Bronze ADDYs for the following campaigns:

• Internet Commercial - Digital Video Campaign: TSET Mascots
• Specialty Advertising — Other Merchandise: Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department – Route 66 Passport Collectors Magnet 

Finally, VI is honored to have been named the 2023 Best of Show winner for the "It's Like They're Smoking" campaign for TSET’s Tobacco Stops With Me, a community health education intervention. The campaign not only won the Oklahoma ADDYs, it placed silver at the district competition and is now moving on to the national level. Launched in September 2022, the spot highlights the dangerous effects that secondhand smoke has on children. In Oklahoma, 1 in 5 children is exposed to secondhand smoke at home every day — causing health complications that can last a lifetime. Including an increased risk of addiction. In Oklahoma, it’s also still legal to smoke in a car when children are present. Just half of one cigarette smoked in a vehicle can produce secondhand smoke levels 10 times higher than the hazardous limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Even with the windows cracked or rolled down, toxin and carbon monoxide levels are still dangerously high. 

"We are thrilled to receive such prestigious recognition from the American Advertising Awards," said Tim Berney, CEO of VI Marketing and Branding. "These awards are a testament to our team's commitment to creativity, innovation and exceptional work on behalf of our clients."

About the American Advertising Awards (ADDYs)

The ADDYs is the largest and most prestigious competition in the advertising industry, attracting over 40,000 entries every year in local Ad Club competitions. The 57th annual American Advertising Awards for the Oklahoma City Ad Club was held in 2023, and it is conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

Local entrants across the country compete to win ADDY Awards, and be recognized as the very best in their markets. The local Ad Club phase is the first of a three-tier national competition, with winners of the local ADDY awards moving on to compete against winners from other local clubs in one of 15 district competitions at the second tier. The district ADDY winners are then forwarded to the third tier, the national stage of the American Advertising Awards.

To select the most creative entry in each category, the panel of judges evaluates all creative dimensions of every entry. ADDY judges, who are carefully selected to represent multiple markets across the country, conduct a scoring process to determine the winners. Each judge has been vetted and approved by AAF National, and there are no judges from the OKC, Tulsa or Wichita markets.

About VI Marketing and Branding
VI Marketing and Branding is a full-service marketing communications firm with expertise in digital marketing, strategic planning, branding, public relations, and social media. VI has won almost 2,000 awards for creative excellence and superior results. The 33-year-old firm is headquartered in Oklahoma City.

Discover some of our ADDY winners here.

Media Contact:
Jacquelyn Berney
President | VI Marketing and Branding
jberney@thevibrand.com
405.525.0055
www.vimarketingandbranding.com