FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2010

2010 OBIE Award Contenders Announced - Awards Will Be Presented May 4, 2010

(Washington) ­ One of the biggest prizes in advertising is up for grabs again, and 42 agencies are in the running. On Monday, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) announced the contenders for the 2010 OBIE Awards.

The OBIE Awards recognize creative excellence in outdoor advertising and are the oldest and among the most prestigious awards in the advertising business. This year’s judges said the entries reflect a true understanding of the power of the outdoor medium.

“Part of the reason I like the medium so much is it’s one of the ways we can reach the greatest amount of people in the shortest amount of time, and if you use the medium really well, it can be tremendously efficient,” said Stan Richards, creative director for The Richards Group and this year’s Chief Judge. “There are a lot of things in the show that are terrific, things that any creative would look at and say, ‘I wish I had done that.’”

Among the leading agencies for awards are BBDO with nine nominations and TBWA\Chiat\Day with four. Five other agencies received two nominations. BBDO is in the running for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Best of Show.

“It’s a credit to the outdoor medium to see the caliber of agencies which place well in the OBIEs every year,” said OAAA Chief Marketing Officer Stephen Freitas. “The best creative minds in advertising are pushing the boundaries of out of home and the OBIE Award contenders reflect that talent.”

Snickers, HBO, and Gap are among the national advertisers featured in this year’s top executions. Denver Water, the Minnesota State Lottery, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium are among the leading local advertisers.

The 2010 OBIE Award winners will be announced at a gala celebration on the last night of the TAB/OAAA Out of Home Media Conference & Marketing Expo, to be held in Phoenix, AZ, on May 4. Steffan Postaer, chairman and chief creative officer at Euro RSCG Chicago, will emcee the event. Members of the press interested in attending the event should contact Jeff Golimowski at (202) 833-5566.

The following is a complete alphabetical list of 2010 OBIE contenders agencies and campaigns:

180LA ­ Boost Mobile
Adams Outdoor Advertising ­ Steve’s Liquor
Agency59 ­ Livegreen Toronto
Amalgamated ­ Ben & Jerry’s
Arteaga & Arteaga ­ X-Men Origins: Wolverine
BBDO New York ­ Gillette
BBDO New York ­ HBO
BBDO New York ­ Big Love
BBDO New York ­ Special Olympics
BBDO New York ­ Starbucks
BBDO New York ­ The Economist
BBDO West ­ Bank of America
BBDO West ­ California Lottery
BBDO West ­ ESET
Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners ­ Chipotle
Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners ­ MINI Cooper
Casanova Pendrill ­ UNICEF Tap Project
Clear Channel Outdoor ­ Criss Angel “Believe”
Colle+McVoy ­ Minnesota State Lottery
Cramer-Krasselt ­ Blue Man Group
Cramer-Krasselt ­ Johnsonville Sausages
Crew Creative ­ Sherlock Holmes
Crispin Porter + Bogusky ­ Best Buy
Crispin Porter + Bogusky ­ GAP
DeVito/Verdi ­ Appleton Estate Rum
Doe-Anderson ­ Maker’s Mark
Engine Company 1 ­ Monterey Bay Aquarium
Esparza Advertising ­ Sandia BMW/MINI
Euro RSCG Chicago ­ Off The Street Club
Extra Credit Projects/Gravity Six ­ Chemical Bank
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners ­ Fancast.com
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners ­ Quaker Foods
Ignition Print ­ District 9
Juniper Park ­ Lay’s Potato Chips
Lamar Advertising Company ­ Barstools Express
Masterminds ­ MGM Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
McGarrah Jessee ­ Shiner Beer
mcgarrybowen ­ Miracle Whip
Mother New York ­ Stella Artois
Pattison Outdoor ­ Shine Dental
Red Tettemer ­ International Spy Museum
Sukle Advertising & Design ­ Denver Water
TAXI Canada ­ MINI Canada
TBWA\Chiat\Day ­ Skittles
TBWA\Chiat\Day ­ Snickers
TBWA\Chiat\Day ­ Starburst
TBWA\Chiat\Day ­ Pepsi
TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris ­ The Zimbabwean Newspaper
TDA Advertising & Design ­ First Bank
The Richards Group ­ Chick-fil-A
The Richards Group ­ The Home Depot
The WOW Factor, Inc ­ Coca-Cola
twoxfour ­ Chicago Bears
Universal-McCann ­ Boys & Girls Club of America
Venables Bell & Partners ­ ConocoPhillips 76
Vladimir Jones ­ Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Wieden + Kennedy ­ Monday Night Football
Wieden+Kennedy ­ Coraline 
Woods Witt Dealy & Sons ­ Powermat USA
Zulu Alpha Kilo ­ Bell Canada