May 2020
Insights from Steve Pacheco
President & CEO, American Advertising Federation
Reasons to Celebrate. We have a few…
It’s widely known that I’ve never been one to walk away from a good celebration…just the opposite. I’ve been known to start up a good celebration. For no good reason. Sometimes, just because.
But lately, I’ve had a lot of reasons to celebrate. Some little things. Some big things. Some things that only AAF Members can fully appreciate.
During this Global pandemic, I’ve learned to celebrate a beautiful sunrise and marvel at a glorious sunset. I’ve taken to (virtually) high fiving the AAF Team over the 6th Zoom call of the week for a job well done. And at my house, we all celebrate “Takeout Tuesday” because we don’t have to cook and we get something different. (Pro Tip: Tacos are always a hit.)
If you look around, you too can find dozens of reasons to celebrate. Celebration has proven to be healthy and life affirming—consider…
- Celebration keeps us grounded and helps us stay in the present moment.
- Celebration amplifies Good News and builds on Positivity.
- Celebration gives us a reason to bring more Joy in to our lives.
- Celebration is always Fun and Inspiring to us and to others.
The AAF takes celebrations seriously. Always have. Here are just a few platforms and programs and people that we are celebrating lately…
AAF
National Club Achievement Awards recognizes and celebrates the top performing AAF Clubs across North America in a variety of categories that recognize excellence and encourage high standards among Advertising industry professionals. The National Club Achievement Competition is designed to recognize outstanding accomplishments of AAF affiliated advertising clubs and to showcase the top programs and best projects that these clubs undertake each year.
AAF Club Incentives for
American Advertising Awards—honor and celebrate the biggest increases in entries for year over year by AAF Clubs. In a competition that has over 30,000 entries annually—there’s more than a few reasons to celebrate this accomplishment.
Some of our celebrations are meant to showcase the recipients of our top AAF Service, Leadership and Advocacy awards—from all across North America.
The
Betty Riehl Excellence in Service Award. The American Advertising Federation established the Betty Riehl Excellence in Service Award to recognize employees of the AAF's member clubs, federations, districts and national headquarters.
The
Pat Martin Excellence in District Leadership Award is given to a member of the AAF who exemplifies Pat Martin’s lifelong work in Advertising by making outstanding contributions to his or her District. When Pat Martin began her first job as a copywriter, she was among the first women to break into the advertising industry. She continued to be a leader throughout her career: as the first woman ad director in one company, as a pioneer in the integration of advertising; promotion and sales training; and as the first woman chair of the American Advertising Federation. Throughout her career, she championed—and exemplified—ethical practices and served as a role model and mentor. She was also a dedicated leader within the AAF organization and District 2 in particular. As a result of her of her work, the AAF’s District 2 became a powerhouse and was instrumental in strengthening all of the clubs within it.
The
Chic Davis Memorial Award was developed to honor Chic Davis, a longtime member of the AAF, whose years of service were committed to the success of the American Advertising Awards. We celebrate their member in an AAF market who has championed the American Advertising Awards and helped elevate the program’s image, financial success and awareness among entrants and members.
And that’s a lot of reasons, and reason enough to celebrate…
I’m sure there are more, lots more. But we’ve got some celebrations to attend to, so I’ll stop there. I’m sure you have your very own reasons to celebrate something today. Add to this list and start a celebration now. We’ll be there.
—Steve
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Posted: May 2020