Dec. 9, 2005 — Austin Advertising, the St. Thomas-based advertising agency, has won two top awards in a national radio competition for the second consecutive year.
Commercials for Fortress Storage and KFC both won The Communicator Crystal Award of Excellence.
The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communication field. Entries are judged by industry professionals in the Dallas, Tex. area who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.
Judges try to look at each entry from two perspectives, according to information provided by Ed Dalheim, spokesman for Communicator Awards. "One is from the technical point of view of an experienced professional, and the other is from the viewpoint of the person who is the target of the material."
This year there were 1326 entries from the U.S. and seven foreign countries, Dalheim said. But only 177 Awards of Excellence were given out.
"The Communicator Awards is perhaps the best known and largest national competition in the country for marketing, communication, advertising and public relations professionals," Dalheim said. "A look at the list of winners is a who's who of the industry.
"Over the past 12 years, we have earned a reputation for accuracy, fairness and credibility. "
The Fortress Storage spot features the voice of Sam Topp and the KFC
jingle was written by West Indian artist "Arrow," the composer of the song, "Hot, Hot, Hot." Last year Austin won a Crystal Award for the Guardian Insurance jingle, also performed by Arrow.
Brian Squires of Austin said "We're delighted to win again as the only agency recognized in the entire Caribbean. We are very fortunate to have the clients we have."