---
title: AMA | Rochester Announces Winners of the 2014 Pinnacle Awards
description: ROCHESTER, NY, May 23, 2014 — Local area business professionals gathered at the Harro East Ballroom in Rochester on Thursday, May 22, 2014 to celebrate Rochester’s most effective and creative marketing initiatives with the Rochester Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA|Rochester). The winners were announced for the 2014 Pinnacle Awards and the 2014 Marketer of the Read More…
---

[Blog - AMA | Rochester](https://www.ama-rochester.org/blog)

# [AMA | Rochester Announces Winners of the 2014 Pinnacle Awards](https://www.ama-rochester.org/blog/2014/05/23/ama-rochester-announces-winners-of-2014-pinnacle-awards-and-the-marketer-of-the-year)

 Written by [AMA Rochester](https://www.ama-rochester.org/blog/author/chris-stocking-president-ama-rochester-1) | May 23, 2014, 1:45:42 PM

**ROCHESTER, NY, May 23, 2014 — **Local area business professionals gathered at the Harro East Ballroom in Rochester on Thursday, May 22, 2014 to celebrate Rochester’s most effective and creative marketing initiatives with the [Rochester Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA|Rochester)](https://www.ama-rochester.org). The winners were announced for the 2014 Pinnacle Awards and the 2014 Marketer of the Year Awards**. **Award-winning communications professional Andrea Holland and her sister Norma Holland, an anchor and reporter for 13WHAM News This Morning, served as the event emcees.

Rochester area companies and non-profit organizations were recognized for excellence in marketing tactics and campaigns with clear objectives, strong strategies, effective and creative implementation, and results. The awards categories included Integrated Marketing Campaign, Special Event, Blog, Direct Mail, Interactive/Mobile Marketing, Social Media Initiative, Website, and more. The overall 2014 Marketer of the Year award was presented to two organizations (one for-profit and one non-profit) to the organizations that received the highest overall scores on their campaign entries. “On behalf of the local AMA Rochester Chapter, congratulations to all of the nominees and winners,” said Thomas Agnello, AMA|Rochester President. “We are certainly blessed in this community to have so many talented marketing professionals who look to their AMA membership as a means to sharpen their skills and stay abreast of the latest trends in our industry.”   

This year, a wide range of businesses, non-profit organizations, and agencies were recognized as finalists for the Pinnacle Awards and the Marketer of the Year award: Atomic Design, Butler/Till, Carestream Health, Clark CSM, Dixon Schwabl, Dumbwaiter Design, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, General Code, Greece Chamber of Commerce, K2 Communications, Martino Flynn, Partners + Napier, Paychex, RIT, Roberts Communications, Saunders College of Business at RIT, Truth Collective, The United Way, Vamos Public Relations, The Verdi Group, Xerox, and Zimmet Group.

#### The Marketer of the Year Winners

##### Marketer of the Year, For-Profit

**The Verdi Group**

An effective campaign meets its goals and objectives. So what’s a campaign that explodes past its goals do? It wins 2014 Marketer of the Year.

Every year, The Verdi Group — a small, Rochester-based marketing agency — holds its Beaujolais Nouveau Partee as a way to celebrate with clients, friends, and family. The 2013 Verdi Beaujolais Nouveau Partee was the 17th annual event. The Verdi Group set goals around several categories, including invitation response rate (20%), “audience participation” in the form of a song contest, and audience enjoyment. Thanks to an eye-catching, showpiece invitation and some engagement activity before and during the party, The Verdi Group actually garnered a 45% response rate, 19 song entries, and two regenerated client relationships!  While the judges loved the creative tactics and commented that they were “So innovative!,” the judges were most impressed by the carefully established objectives, the metrics, and, of course, the results.

##### Marketer of the Year, Non-Profit

**Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**

What happens when a campaign turns a topic that most people find boring and confusing into something that’s relevant and accessible? The results speak for themselves.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield — along with agencies Partners + Napier and Butler/Till — focused on connecting with consumers at a less functional, more personal and emotional level for this winning branding campaign. The creative for their “Life Has A Plan” branding campaign depicts moments in people’s lives that evoke emotions and are, in many cases, related to health and health care. The integrated program included TV, print, outdoor, direct mail, and online elements. All communicated variations of a common theme, and drew from shared visual and copy assets.

This led to increased brand awareness, ad awareness, and customer engagement — stats that were not lost on our results-oriented judges. The judges were moved by the creative, adding that the materials had “a real-world, emotional pull.”

### The 2014 AMA|Rochester Pinnacle Awards

#### WINNERS

#### For-Profit Campaigns

##### *Branding Campaign*

**Winner: Carestream Health**  
Entry: Rebranding Carestream Social Properties

##### *Business to Business Communications*

**Winner: Xerox**  
Entry: Get Optimistic

Honorable Mention: The Verdi Group and Skillsoft

##### *Integrated Marketing Campaign*

**Winner:  Xerox**  
Entry:  Connect Key

Honorable Mention: Partners + Napier and Galbani

##### *Small Budget Campaign*

**Winner:  Vamos Public Relations**  
Entry:  Irving 4 Judge

##### *New Product or Service Launch*

**Winner:  The Verdi Group and Carestream**  
Entry:  Carestream DRX2530C Launch

Honorable mention: Clark CSM and Black Button Distilling

##### *Special Event*

**Winner:  The Verdi Group**  
Entry: “The Verdi Beaujolais Nouveau Partee”

#### **For-Profit TACTICS**

##### *Advertising (Print)*

**Winner:  Carestream Health**  
Entry:  Carestream Global Corporate Calendar

##### *Advertising (Online)*

Winner:  Carestream Health

Entry:  US&C X-ray Solutions

##### *Blog*

**Winner:  Carestream Health**  
Entry:  “Everything Rad Blog”

##### *Collateral*

**Winner:  Martino Flynn and W.F. Young**  
Entry:  “Absorbine Dealer Catalog”

##### *Direct Mail/Direct Response*

**Co-winner:  The Verdi Group and Profit Strategies (Coolfront)**  
Entry: Coolfront Distributor Mailing

**Co-winner: Roberts Communications & Xerox**  
Entry: Xerox iGen Truth

##### *Logo Design*

**Winner:  Truth Collective and Smarter Travel**  
Entry:  Smarter Travel Logo

##### *Online/Interactive*

**Winner:  Paychex **Entry:  (k)Index

##### *Photography*

**Winner:  Martino Flynn and Golf Galaxy**  
Entry:  Golf Galaxy Photography

##### *Print Piece/Packaging*

**Winner:  The Verdi Group**  
Entry:  Verdi Beaujolais Nouveau Partee Invitation

##### ***Social Media Initiative***

**Winner:  Carestream Health**  
Entry:  Carestream Social Media Initiative

##### *Trade Show Promotion*

**Winner:  Carestream Health**  
Entry:  RSNA Promotion

##### ***Video/Audio Spot***

**Winner: Truth Collective and SMART Technologies**  
Entry: SMARTamp

**Honorable Mention: Martino Flynn and Met Life**

##### *Website*

**Co-winner:  Dumbwaiter Design and Klein Steel**  
Entry:  Klein Steel Site

**Co-winner: Clark CSM and Bristol Mountain**  
Entry: Learn to Ski Website

**Honorable Mention: Roberts Communication and Health Integrated**

#### **NON-Profit Campaigns**

##### *Branding Campaign, Non-Profit*

**Winner: Partners + Napier & Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**  
Entry: Life Has a Plan

##### *Business-to-Consumer Communications*

**Winner: Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**  
Entry: Turning 65 Program

##### *Integrated Marketing Campaign*

**Winner:  Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Partners + Napier, and Butler/Till**  
Entry:  Life Has a Plan

##### *Small Budget Campaign*

**Winner:  Zimmet Group and Allendale Columbia**  
Entry:  Cure for the Common Core

##### *New Product or Service Launch*

**Winner:  Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**  
Entry:  Reaching Our New Consumer Market

##### *Special Event*

**Winner:  Truth Collective and Ad Council of Rochester**  
Entry: Ad Council RISE

#### NON-Profit TACTICS

##### *Collateral*

**Winner:  Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**  
Entry:  Health Care Exchange Guidebook

##### *Direct Response*

**Winner:  United Way of Greater Rochester**  
Entry:  Living United

##### *Online/Interactive Marketing*

**Winner: Butler/Till & Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**  
Entry:  Digital Media Plan

**Honorable Mention: Dumbwaiter Design and RIT  **

##### *Photography*

**Winner: Partners + Napier & Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**  
Entry:  Life Has A Plan

##### *Print Piece/Packaging*

**Winner:  Dixon Schwabl and Wilmot Cancer Center**  
Entry: 2013 Discovery Ball

**Honorable Mention: Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**

##### *Social Media Initiative*

**Winner:  Dixon Schwabl and the PGA Championship**  
Entry:  PGA Championship Social Media Campaign

##### *Video/Audio Spot*

**Co-winner: Partners + Napier & Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**  
Entry:  Life Has A Plan

**Co-winner: Greece Chamber of Commerce**  
Entry: Taste of the Town

**Honorable Mention: Dixon Schwabl and the American Lung Association**

##### *Website*

**Winner:  Excellus BlueCross BlueShield**  
Entry:  Life Has A Plan

The event was sponsored by the [**Rochester Business Journal**](http://www.rbj.net/article.asp?aID=208459) (Title Sponsor), **Simon School of Business** (Presenting Sponsor), **MNI** (Sponsor), and **Partners + Napier** (Creative Sponsor).  Companies providing in-kind support included: **Kurt Brownell**,** Perinton Publishing**,** MNI**,** Scotland Yard**,** Signs Now**,** Bob Wright Creative**,** Brand Cool**,** Canfield & Tack**,** City Blue Imaging**,** Cut-It-Out! Cookies**,** PRism Services**,** The Otter Lodge**,** and Cohber**.

The panel of judges was comprised of senior marketing professionals from the Philadelphia chapter of the American Marketing Association. With more than a combined 185 years in marketing — including experience in financial services, manufacturing, technology, health care, pharmaceutical, non-profits, and full-service advertising agencies — they brought a wealth of impartial expertise to the competition.

**About AMA|Rochester**

The American Marketing Association is an international professional society of individual members with an interest in the practice, study, and teaching of marketing. The Rochester, N.Y., chapter of the American Marketing Association was founded in 1950. AMA|Rochester is the premier organization for marketing, education, programming, and networking among marketing professionals in the Western New York region. For more information, visit [www.ama-rochester.org.](http://www.ama-rochester.org.)

*[This article originally appeared in the Rochester Business Journal on Friday, May 23, 2014. Read the original article here.](http://www.rbj.net/article.asp?aID=208459)*

[View full post](https://www.ama-rochester.org/blog/2014/05/23/ama-rochester-announces-winners-of-2014-pinnacle-awards-and-the-marketer-of-the-year)

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