Preston Kelly Gets It Right

Minneapolis, MN (May 5, 2010) Preston Kelly’s work on behalf of the Minnesota Zoo has recently garnered national acclaim, earning finalist status in the Magazine Publishers of America’s 2010 Kelly Awards.and the 2010 One Show. This campaign was previously selected for the Award of Excellence by Communication Arts (CA) and appeared in its 50^th Advertising Annual. CA also selected the campaign’s “Who Pooped” website as the web “Pick of the Day”.

“Honestly, this international recognition is only worth a damn because the campaign led to the best attendance in the Minnesota Zoo’s history,” said Chris Preston, Executive Creative Director at Preston Kelly. “I’ve seen lots of agencies win big awards for work that pushes the envelope but doesn’t push customers. These worked on both levels.”

Aiming to recognize agency creative teams and advertising clients for their innovation, creativity and effectiveness, the MPA’s Kelly Awards offer a range of prizes for this year’s pool of 26 finalists. Preston Kelly will have an opportunity to win one of 12 prizes, including the Grand Prize, Gold Kelly or Silver Kelly for general excellence, each of which is accompanied by a bonus of $25,000.

In addition, the agency could add a number of other prizes to its proverbial wall of fame, including the RR Donnelly Innovation Award, the Effectiveness Award or Best Public Service Campaign. The winners will be announced at an invitation-only reception in New York City on May 18.

Preston Kelly’s small space print ads for the Minnesota Zoo’s “Africa!” campaign also bested a large field of international entries at the One Show, which honors the year’s best creative advertising, design and interactive achievements worldwide. Along with a deep pool of finalists, Preston Kelly will have an opportunity to win a Gold, Silver or Bronze Pencil at an awards ceremony in New York City on May 13.

With a mission to elevate the standards of excellence in creative advertising, the New York-based One Club produces the One Show, which attracted a batch of entries from more than 60 countries for this year’s competition.

“I wish I could be all cool and act like this is no big deal,” Preston said, “but with this kind of international field and thousands and thousands of entries, it’s probably the hardest award show to get into in the world. I see it as a vindication of our collaborative process with clients who trust what we do.”

Of course, the nominations are their own rewards. But Preston Kelly has a history of bringing home the goods, including a 2009 Gold Effie for its “A New Way to Look at Healthcare” campaign on behalf of HealthPartners. Honoring a campaign’s multiple brand touchpoints and results, the Effie Awards are considered one of the industry’s preeminent awards programs. With only 24 Gold Effies awarded nationally each year, only seven of those awarded in 2009 went to independent shops like Preston Kelly.

About Preston Kelly

Preston Kelly is a full-service, independent agency that creates Iconic Ideas for its clients, including financial services, insurance, restaurant, consumer packaged goods, outdoor recreation, retail and gaming. In 2009 Preston Kelly was an O’Toole finalist, selected for the Communication Arts advertising annual and Webpick of the week, and received a Gold Effie—the top marketing award based on communications that lead to outstanding results. Preston Kelly is a member of Worldwide Partners, the world’s largest network of independent marketing and communications firms. To learn more about Preston Kelly, visit www.prestonkelly.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.tinyurl.com/prestonkelly or join the conversation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/prestonkelly.