The Mark Awards mission statement:
“THE MARK AWARDS RECOGNIZES OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE MARKETING OF CABLE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF RAISING THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE AND PROMOTING LEARNING EXCHANGE BENEFITS.”
I’m pleased to report that we’ve completed the Mark Awards mission this year as stated above. And done so in fine form, I might add.
Congratulations to this year’s Gold and Silver winners who rose to the top of a competitive field of nearly 1,000 entries, especially our 2nd annual Top of the Mark recipients — the VHI Save The Music and Cox Business Services “Holding You Back” campaigns. Enjoy the accolades. You deserve it.
My special thanks to the 23 committee members whose sincerity, wisdom and conviction provided the impetus for making significant changes in the entry and judging process and the awards ceremony that will have a positive and lasting impact for years to come.
And now, I have a mission for you. Please share in the strategic and creative work of these fine award winners. Do a little surveillance in The Mark Awards Gallery or do some recon on markawards.com where gold-winning video spots are streamed.
It’s been my pleasure to serve on this committee the last four years and to work side-by-side with so many talented people.
Over-and-out.
Tom Alexander
VP Trade Marketing
Cartoon Network
2004 Mark Awards Committee
Tom Alexander, Chair
Vice President, Trade Marketing
Cartoon Network
Michelle Baran
Marketing Communications Manager
Scientific-Atlanta Inc.
Kelly Bumann
Vice President, Strategic Marketing
Starz Encore Group
Kim Cannon
General Manager
Time Warner Cable
Christine M. Cassano
Director, Affiliate Marketing
Lifetime Entertainment Services
Curt Champion
Senior Director, Marketing
Convergys Corp.
John D. Coulbourn
Director, Communications
SeaChange International Inc.
Randi B. Davis
Awards Director
MTV Networks
Larry Dunn
Publishing Director
Multichannel News
Paul E. Fitzgerald
Vice President, Director of Client Services
Wolfe Doyle Advertising
Dean Goldberg
President
Wolf at the Door Advertising
Rachel Hubscher
Advertising Manager, Video
Cox Communications Inc.
Gina Hughes
Director, Advertising
The History Channel
Andy Karofsky
Vice President, Marketing
Hallmark Channel
Marilyn Kass
Managing Director, Principal
SMASH Advertising
Kara Thomas Lamberti
Director, Affiliate Marketing
Home Box Office
Joseph P. Leonard
Vice President, Marketing & Advertising
Cablevision Systems Corp.
Susan Mattia
Director, Strategic Marketing
ESPN
Mindy Pickard
Vice President, New Products & Consumer Mktg
Showtime Networks Inc.
Robert K. Robb
Vice President, Marketing Communications
Adelphia Cable Communications
Gregg Rothberg
Vice President, Marketing
In Demand LLC
Steven J. Schiffman, Vice Chair
Executive Vice President, Marketing & New Media
National Geographic Channel
Evan Shapiro
Senior Vice President, Marketing
IFC Television
Susanne R. Smith
Director, Corporate Marketing
Comcast Spotlight
Hall of Fame Contenders
AMC: MONSTERFEST
When AMC first created its Monsterfest programming stunt eight years ago, it was intent on maximizing an opportunity created by its rich library of monster flicks with an on-air festival. Now the network has expanded the original concept to include interactive multimedia gaming and a sweepstakes with a grand prize of $1 million. While early festivals attracted the participation of around 400 affiliates, last year’s Monsterfest attracted 840 affiliates and some 86 local ad sales systems, reaching over 29 million subscribers. AMC also attracted four national ad sponsors.
NICKELODEON: 'THE BIG HELP’
Nickelodeon began “The Big Help” public-service campaign in 1994 as a way for kids to volunteer in their communities and learn how to make a difference in the world. The programs have varied from year to year — from food collections to refurbishing and building parks. In addition to promoting the campaign on air, Nick uses its various brand extensions — such as its Web sites and the Nickelodeon magazine, to encourage children to participate. It also programs an annual eight-hour telethon, The Big Help-a-thon. And it engages its cable partners with a traveling volunteer lab dubbed The Big Help Mobile.
SHOWTIME: 'NO LIMITS’
Programming like The L Word has given Showtime the reputation of a network willing to crash through traditional TV barriers. But the channel laid the groundwork for that image with its “No Limits” brand positioning years ago. Prior to the campaign, Showtime’s research showed the viewers didn’t understand what type of programming Showtime carried; they didn’t know how to categorize the channel. Showtime drove a stake in the heart of that problem with a $40 million multimedia launch of “No Limits” in 1998. In its six year history, “No Limits” has infused every aspect of Showtime’s business, and has resulted in more than 300 awards, according to network officials.
TIME WARNER/PARAGON: 'WE JUST MIGHT SURPRISE YOU’
Time Warner Cable’s New York City operations and Paragon Cable Manhattan had a major problem back in 1994. Competitors’ ads were taking potshots at the systems. Internal research showed that there was a general perception the companies were arrogant monopolists that served their customers poorly. With help from the strategic communications firm Shepardson Stern Kaminsky (SS+K), the systems employed a new strategy that involved extensive employee retraining and a humorous mea culpa “We Just Might Surprise You” ad campaign. The corporate culture it helped create endures to this day, and it has resulted in improved service and a much better public perception.
VH1: 'SAVE THE MUSIC’
Since its inception in 1997, VH1’s Save the Music Foundation has donated more than $25 million dollars worth of music equipment to 1,000 public schools across the country. That has affected some 80 different cities and about 500,000 students. Through its “Save the Music” campaign, the foundation hopes to affect some 1 million children in public schools over its first 10 years of existence. The foundation reaches out to partners, including sponsors like CBS’s The Early Show, MSOs and educators. And this year’s campaign involved a line of merchandise created with Saks Fifth Avenue. The foundation also benefits each year from VH1’s annual Divas Concert.
HALL OF FAME Screening Committee
Tom Alexander, Chair
Vice President, Trade Marketing
Cartoon Network
Char Beales
President and CEO
Cable & Telecommunications
Association for Marketing
Charles W. Ellis
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
Time Warner Cable
Douglas V. Holloway
President, Cable Investments
NBC Universal
Eric Kessler
President, Sales & Marketing
Home Box Office
Chris Moseley
Chief Marketing Officer
Hallmark Channel
Ed Tettemer
Principal and CEO
Red Tettemer
Past Winners
2003
Home Box Office
“It’s Not TV. It’s HBO.”
2002
ESPN
“This Is SportsCenter”
2001
MTV: Music Television
Choose or Lose Campaign
25th Anniversary Award Winner
CNN Headline News
“Around the World in 30 Minutes”
2000
Lifetime Television
Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
1999
Discovery Channel
The Marketing of “Shark Week”
1999
A&E Network
The Marketing of Biography
1998
CNN
Gulf War Coverage
HBO
The Integrated Marketer
